How to Build a Wine Cellar
Wine is an excellent investment. It’s one of the best-performing assets in its class. Picking up a few high-end cases of rare wine could provide a nice little nest egg for the future, but it must be stored correctly. Serious collectors use a wine storage service to store their collections of fine wine, but if your main hobby is buying fine wine for your own enjoyment, and for wine tasting sessions with friends, a DIY wine cellar may be enough for your needs.
In this article, we are going to look at what you need to build a fully-functional wine cellar. This type of construction is enough for most wine enthusiasts, but if you do decide to take your interest in fine wine to the next level, check out a premium cellarage service like the one mentioned above.
Choose the Right Location
In theory, wine can be stored anywhere, but in practice, the cost of maintaining the right temperature and humidity will increase the less optimum the storage area is. The best place for a wine cellar is, as you might expect, in a cellar.
Cellars tend to be cool and damp. Wines need to be stored at temperatures of 55-58 degrees F. Humidity levels should be 55-75%. Check the conditions in your preferred room and see how far they deviate from the ideal and consider the cost of adjusting the temperature/humidity. In a hot climate, it could be expensive, which might necessitate reducing the size of your collection.
Install a Temperature Control System
Assuming you have a bare shell of a room, now is the time to install a temperature control system. Because it is important to maintain high levels of humidity, the walls, floor, and ceiling need to be protected from moisture, or mold will grow. Fit a moisture control barrier, along with ducting and cabling for your air-con and power supply.
A bespoke wine cooler unit will keep the humidity at the right level. If the room needs extra humidity, a water feature is a nice touch. Interior designers often add a fountain or waterfall to a bespoke wine cellar, as it creates a focal point and helps to transform a functional room into a work of art. Lighting is another way to add visual interest to the room. Install lighting so you can admire your collection but be creative with running lights and spotlights. LED lights emit little heat, so they are perfect.
If you find that this becomes too technical for you to set up and you don’t want to risk your wine, you should opt for a professional storage instead. There are many options to choose from if you have fine wine to store, such as Octavian Vaults whose services comes with extras like online photographic records of your collection and bonded warehouses.
Wine Racking
Ready-made wine racks constructed from metal or wood are a budget option. Otherwise, have a go at building your own wine racks. Pine is the cheapest material, but be creative. Include shelving so you can display your best bottles, as well as glasses for wine tasting sessions. Add a refrigeration unit if you want to store some chilled white wine.
Finally, make sure the door is fully sealed and insulated. Glass doors need to be thermopaned so moisture doesn’t condense on the glass.
