What To Consider When Building A Wine Cellar At Home
Posted by Pam Thompson | Wine Cellars | Posted on April 28th, 2010
Thinking about building a wine cellar at home? Get the exclusive low down on the five biggest mistakes home owners make when building wine cellars.
Mistake one. Underground cellars are always just the right temperature
Most home owners assume an underground cellar is naturally the correct temperature in other words cool while in actual fact the opposite is often true. On the one hand during summer especially with a concrete ceiling, these rooms turn into hell boxes and can literally cook the wine. On the other, cellars do become cooler during winter and it these extreme variation in temperature that ruin wine.
Mistake two. Incorrect climate control equipment
Steer clear from installing a traditional air con in cellars. Air conditioners will not keep the room at a consistent low temperature and dont address humidity problems at all. Perfect cellar temperature for all wine is approximately 14 degrees Celsius, give or take one degree whilst humidity levels need to be between 65% and 75%. Low humidity will inevitably lead to corks drying out, in turn letting in air and oxidising the wine. High humidity will result in label mold. Its thus essential to install the correct climate control equipment for example a cellar conditioner that can keep the temperature low and humidity high enough.
Mistake three. Incorrect insulation
A cellar must be correctly insulated with the right material type to allow for effective functioning of the cellar conditioner, in turn cutting energy usage significantly.
Mistake four. Bad door choice
Its important to steer clear from simply picking a cellar door for its aesthetic appeal. A cellar door needs to be technically correct and made from the correct material in order to provide an air tight seal and good insulation. The door however needs to suit the total look and feel of the cellar which may be a bit tricky to get right the first time round.
Mistake five. The right rack
It really doesnt pay to spend a lot of money on racking that looks fabulous but doesnt function properly. Its essential for racking to be user friendly and take a wine lovers ever changing needs and requirements into consideration.
There is an endless selection of wine racks to pick and choose from falling within in different price ranges. There is however a lot more than initially meets the eye. Its important to strike a balance between the look of racks, convenience, space optimization and budgets when choosing wine racking and its recommended that you deal with a reputable dealer who carries an extensive range so that all of the above mentioned issues can be addressed.
Other points to consideration
Above list is by no means exhaustive. It goes on to include considerations such as lighting, right flooring, sufficient airflow and ventilation, flood prevention and other technical aspects. The solution here is to call in the help of a professional when building a wine cellar at home. If you call in the help of a pro early, you will eliminate many many problems while getting the dream cellar youve always wanted.