If you have a growing collection of wine, it may be time to consider constructing a wine cellar. Once upon a time the custom wine cellar room was a rarity; today more and more wine lovers are learning about wine cellar construction or contracting the work out to those who know how to do the job properly.
Wine rooms are more than a dark, cool place to hold a assortment of wine bottles. Today’s custom wine cellar is a controlled environment where humidity and temperature are regulated to allow wine to properly age without damage to corks, labels or the wine itself.
There are two kinds of wine cellars. One is an area that has been mainly made to stock wine in the right environment and the other is a stand-alone component that mirrors those conditions. A stand-alone wine cellar is not as valuable as a custom-built version, but some people prefer the aesthetics of a small cooled refrigerator over a custom wine cellar. Those who do choose a custom cellar have three simple considerations for proper design.
Temperature Control and Venting
A wine cellar is used to store and age the wine in the bottle rather than keeping it at a serving temperature. (A stand-alone wine fridge is excellent for carrying wine out of the cellar to maintain at serving temperatures.) Maturing wine is a balance of time, temperature and the chemical reactions that occur as a effect of the two.
Wine should be aged in conditions ranging between 55 and 65 percent humidity and a solid 55 degrees Fahrenheit, within approximately one degree. Wine held at higher temperatures will age faster and wine experiences chemical reactions at higher temperatures that devalue the taste over time.
In some areas of the country, homeowners with basements often find that conditions are right for basic wine storage, but seasonal temperature and humidity variations ought to be avoided. The ideal storage solution is a custom-built or DIY-construction wine cellar with climate and humidity control using a wine cooling unit to maintain the temperature at a secure 55 degrees.
These units come in a range of sizes and the dimensions of your wine room will control what size you need to buy. By no means select a wine cooling unit too small for your room; you may never get a accurate, optimal storage temperature and the cooling system will become overtaxed trying to keep up.
Wine cellar cooling systems require proper venting, and your wine cellar construction job requires either a hole in the wall to permit venting outdoors or enough vent space to mix warm air out of the room. Check the specs of your wine cooling component; most require a venting space at least two times as big as the wine cellar space itself.
Electrical power is also an issue. Custom wine cellar builders recommend a dedicated power source to run a wine cellar cooling system. Those who want to use a common power source frequently find the unit overloading with blown fuses and other electrical problems.
Insulation and Vapor Barriers
The wine cooling unit is only part of your climate control plan for a custom wine cellar; you also need a vapor barrier made of plastic sheeting used on the “hot” side of the wall. Some people cover the interior of the wine cellar before placing the insulation, leaving the plastic loose so that insulation can be put between the studs in the wall. Cover the ceiling and the walls, or your vapor barrier will be incomplete. Once the barrier is installed, the insulation will come next.
Good wine cellar building needs the right kind of insulation for your walls and ceiling. For example, if you are building a 2×6 wall, R19 insulation is recommended, but if you have a smaller wall of 2×4, R13 may be your best bet. (The “R” designation represents the heat resistance of the insulation.) Ceilings require R30. Custom wine cellar builders should never put in the insulation loose without packing the substance into the sections, as this decreases the insulation’s effectiveness.
The next step is to install a style of drywall called green board, which is moisture-resistant, making it a bit more expensive than normal drywall. Install an exterior-grade door to the wine cellar and your climate control plan is finished.
Lighting and UV Exposure Control
Wine is damaged by UV exposure, which is why the bottles are normally made out of dark glass. Stay away from putting in fluorescent bulbs in the wine cellar room, as they give off UV radiation. Control the intensity by using recessed lighting on a dimmer and avoid shining light directly on your wine bottles for long periods of time. Some wine racks are constructed with compartments that hide bottles from the light which can help minimize exposure, but if your bottles are stowed in clear view, try to avoid the “spotlight” effect on your bottles.
Other Concerns
Just about any sort of flooring can be used in your custom wine cellar. If your home is big enough for a wine tasting room to complement your cellar, you may want to give them both a matching look, but by no means use carpet and rugs in the cellar space. They simply can’t hold up to the required humidity levels without surrendering to mold. Mold growth will ruin your wine, as can any strong odor from chemicals or cheeses. A wine cellar should be used only to store wine; store food in a separate area.
At all times check the temperature and humidity in your wine cellar with an external sensor or gauge. By no means assume that the wine cooling component will always function correctly. A quick look at the external gauge can offer you early warning if the wine cooling system is having difficulties, or if the unit is showing a incorrect readout because of a bad sensor or other technical problems.
Building a custom wine room may ask for some attention to the design demands of good wine storage, but once correctly built, you may learn that your collection grows quickly; it’s easy to invest more money in wine when you know it will be held safely for maximum pleasure.