Before you start your wine cellar design there are several things that you must know about wine cellars. 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.
The Right Temperature
The proper temperature range to store wine is 50-60 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.
Your wine will be subject to a drop in temperature at night when the heating is shut off. 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.
Natural Lighting Effects
The basement is probably the best place for your personal wine cellar design because it will not expose your wine collection to light. Light speeds up deterioration in your wines. Red wines don’t have this problem as much because they usually come in dark colored bottles that cut down on exposure to light.
Champagne and lighter wines are extremely light sensitive plus they normally come in light colored bottles which amplifies the effect. So make sure your wine cellar design will accommadate this and prevent minimal sunshine.
Heavy Appliances
In you cellar design you should account for vibrations and movement. You wine should lay in a horizonal position. If there are any dryers or washing machines nearby your wine cellar this could cause a problem for your wine.
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Posted under Wine
This post was written by wine on May 4, 2009
