Tickets for Wine Spectator's Grand Tour on Sale Now! Three great destinations: Florida, Chicago and Las Vegas

Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don't forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q&A classics. Tall Wine Cooler

Is it OK to use cedar for my wine cellar? | Wine Spectator

Is it OK to use cedar for the walls of my wine cellar?

There are a lot of wood options (and price tags) for wine cellar racks—walnut, alder, redwood, mahogany, maple and oak are all common, among others. Most important for the wine rack wood is that it be sturdy and not prone to mold or mildew. Cedar isn’t usually chosen for the racking, because it’s on the softer side, but it’s fine for your cellar walls.

Of course, cedar has a very distinct aroma. In a small place without circulation like a closet, that smell can become quite concentrated, but I’m guessing your cellar will have a cooling system that keeps the air flowing. There still might be an ambient cedar aroma, and that smell could possibly get absorbed by the wine labels eventually, but there’s no evidence that ambient odors can taint the wine within a sealed bottle. As a bonus, there shouldn’t be any moths in your cellar! Check out our wine storage essentials for more to consider when building wine cellar.

Wine Spectator's resident wine expert Dr. Vinny weighs in on a dinner etiquette question …

Wine Spectator's expert Dr. Vinny explains several theories for why whole cluster fermentat…

Wine Spectator's expert Dr. Vinny explains how to interpret drinking windows and aging …

Wine Spectator's expert Dr. Vinny says that when to drink a wine is, above all, a personal …

Wine Spectator's expert Dr. Vinny explains why some wines have a light carbonation or …

Wine Spectator's expert Dr. Vinny shares advice for safely packing and securing wine for …