If you enjoy drinking wine and you have a large collection of wine and vintages which need to be stored properly over time, you should consider installing a custom wine cellar. This will be one of your more clever investments. You will be able to store your treasured collection of wine in a proper room. And most important of all, you will surely be satisfied when you drink the wine.
You get added value when you invest in a wine cellar, both for its practicality and its desirability. Although one usually constructs a custom wine cellar to be able to enjoy it when you are in residence, it also adds to the price you can ask if you put the house on the market. Wine cellars, wine refrigerators, and wine cabinets are some of the most fashionable extras, are “absolute necessities” in deluxe homes, and are especially appropriate for mansions located in upscale areas.
You can place a custom wine cellar almost anywhere in your house. However, a practical construction plan should consider your finances as well as how much space you have and how accessible the wines must be. Wines may be kept in any vacant area, such as the attic, beneath a stairwell, in the corner of a room, or in a pantry or cabinet. However, the basement is usually the preferred setting when compared with other places.
A custom wine cellar requires enough space for placing racks and other mechanical structures. You might also plan a small storage space for crate, bulk, or tub wine. Cellar walls may need insulation to keep the room at a constant temperature. Moreover, to avoid condensation on cellar walls and to maintain its humidity, the room must have a vapor barrier.
The entry way to the cellar must be closed off with weather stripping and must have insulation to maintain the moisture and cool air within the chamber. Also, it requires the proper refrigeration and humidity controls as well as the correct wiring for the necessary light fixtures.
The next step is finishing the wine cellar, specifically, erecting the custom racking. The racks should have capacity for your wine collection and fit the dimensions of your cellar. Wine bottles vary in size and shape. Not every wine bottle is capable of fitting into an average off-the-shelf wine rack. Once the wine cellar is properly erected, you are ready to add the finishing touches to it. Such touches may include crown moldings, lighting, flooring, baseboards, cabinets and countertops, a door, and various amenities. The hard work associated with designing your home wine cellar will surely pay off in the long run, as you will be able to enjoy your creation forever.
If you have a variety of vintages, a wine cellar is a sensible investment for storage and aging. A custom wine cellar with a wine refrigerator or wine cabinet increases the resale value of your home, particularly in large houses in upscale neighborhoods. You can build one anywhere; probably the best place is the basement. It should have adequate room for racking and storage, a mini counter, adequate wiring, and a vapor barrier to prevent condensation and maintain humidity and temperature (this may require adding insulation). Racks should fit the space and the bottles – some won’t fit in standard racks. Also consider adding special flooring, countertops, cabinets, doors, and other amenities.
- Summer Wilde