Cellaring Mead

Generally cellaring mead is little different than wine with the exception to alcohol strength and style. As our previous post stated, light carbonated meads are not suited to long term storage. Regardless of the type of packaging oxygen ingress and loss of carbonation will result. Light meads will most likely be drinkable after long term storage but will be a different experience than the mead maker intended.

Heavier, sweeter meads that hold up to cellaring are ideally placed in an environment where humidity is controlled. It is debatable whether wines need to be stored on their side. It is likely the relative humidity, rapid changes in temperature, material composition that cause the most damage (if it is indeed damage) to the beverage.

For most of us that don’t have climate controlled environments, nor know the composition of the cork or enclosure what’s perhaps best is sticking to the very old tradition of placing your mead upright in a room that maintains 12 - 18 degrees all year long with a consistent humidity.

If this is a difficult task then I am sure for most of us the corner of a basement will do and it is likely ok if it sits upright.