Wine Cellar design: Essential Features

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Everything there is to know about wine cellars should be studied before you begin your wine cellar design. Some guides make it seem like it is easy to make your own cellar at home when in reality the only easy part is assembling the wall mounted wine racks. The rest of it can be very difficult to get right and you have to get quite technical before you can get it right. You may be better off cellaring your wine at a facility that allows you to store your wine and then pick it up when you want to drink it.

Proper Temperature

The ideal temperature to store wine is between fifty and sixty degrees fahrenheit. It can be harder than you think to keep wine at this temperature constantly. Central heating is the main culprit in disrupting potential wine storage. Your heater is on during the day raising the temperature well past the ideal storage temperatures.

In the evening your wine may be subject to a temperature drop and it gets cooler. The wine will have expanded and then contracted due to the temperature changes. One way to get round this is to use your basement, which is the best substitute for the stone walled cellars in old mansions.

Temperature fluctuations are not good for wine. If you have a boiler in your basement, you should make sure that the wine cellar is well insulated with quality insulating material.

Effects of Natural Light

The home basement (if you have one) is by far the ideal location for a wine cellar since your wine collection will not be exposed to light. Light speeds up deterioration in your wines. Because red wines normally come in dark colored bottles that reduct the light exposure this type of problem will be less likely to occur.

White wine and champagnes on the other hand are very sensitive to light and this is heightened by the fact that they usually come in light colored bottles. So make sure wine cellar design allows for very minimal sunlight coming through.

Heavy Appliances

Wine is sensitive to vibrations and movement. Ideally when wine is put in a cellar it should be lying horizontally with the label facing upwards. If washing machines and dryers are anywhere near your wine cellar then it could cause some problems for your wine. These factors should help you decide if cellaring at home is right for you.

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