The Wine Bottle

A wine cellar can be a storage area for wine in barrels or wine bottles and it is typically constructed underground. It is a necessity in a quality wine cellar to provide a favorable environment to ensure that the wine stored there continues in a fresh state even after a number of years cellaring. Therefore the actual humidity and temperature of your cellar have to be managed at levels that will enable the wine to mature slowly as well as acquire complexity.

In cases where a cellar is created above the ground, it could better be described as a wine room and if it contains fewer than five hundred bottles and above ground level, it may be identified as a wine closet. The main reason for creating a wine cellar is to safeguard the wine from environmental conditions that will damage the quality of the wine. Elements like light, hot temperature as well as low humidity all have an affect on the wine in an adverse manner. Wine is a natural product that needs to be shielded from changing temperatures, heat and light as well as vibrations. With appropriate storage, wine doesn’t just maintain its freshness but also improves the standard of its bouquet, complexity and taste.

For that reason, a suitable wine cellar should not simply conserve the vibrancy in the wine but also enhance it. The right temperature in a wine cellar will need to range between 13 to 18 degrees C and it must be vibration free. If the actual temperatures vary from season to season, the variance should be less than 10 degrees C. For centuries, the French have kept their wine in subterranean caves at these temperature levels and that is how people gauge the level of temperature for storing wine. To make sure that the ultimate product has characteristics of a nicely matured wine, temperatures should not be higher than 18 degrees C because the wines will mature too quickly. Wines that mature too fast usually taste similar to vinegar rather than develop the refined and pleasurable taste of a great wine.

Passive or active describes the type of cooling used in the wine cellar. A wine cellar having an active cooling system must have insulation and a vapor barrier installed. A specialized wine cooling unit is then installed in the wall to make sure that the humidity and temperature are maintained at the correct levels. Many above ground cellars must have a cooling unit installed to maintain a consistent temperature level. Geographic locations that are naturally very cool are sometimes suited to a passively cooled wine cellar. The majority of underground cellars are passively cooled and often a well-built and fully insulated basement cellar may be passively cooled. A passive wine cellar needs no electrical power to be effective. They are consequently more affordable to construct and run although they can be unreliable in severe temperatures.

Many people like the idea of building a wine cellar most of us fear that the entire task would be too difficult, costly and not worth the effort. If you, too, thought this then banish these thoughts from your mind because it is in fact quite easy to build a wine cellar and you can do so on a limited budget in the available free space in your home. In fact, if you go looking for options that will help you in building a wine cellar you will be pleased to learn that there are also many different kinds of kits that don’t cost much and which will help you in building a wine cellar for a very affordable cost.

Affordable Price

Most kits currently available today can be purchased at a reasonable price and kits are available in different sizes and types to ensure that when it comes to building a wine cellar you will find your task a lot simpler than you ever anticipated. You can in fact choose to start building a wine cellar in the form of rectangle shaped bins, or choose places for storing entire cases of wines and even use available space to create triangular or diamond-shpaed wine bins.

The best part about storing wine and building a wine cellar with the help of these kits is that the kits will not prove to be at all difficult to assemble and there is also no need to have any prior experience in construction to complete your wine cellar. And, of course each kit has its accompanying manuals and these will provide step-by-step wine cellar instructions that will guide you in building a wine cellar without facing any hassles along the way.

The price of a kit will vary depending on the type of materials included, the size of the kit and the quality of materials used. The bottom line with building a wine cellar with these kits is that you will get a most cost effective solution that is far cheaper than any other option and certainly far cheaper than custom wine cellars.

And, once you are done with building a wine cellar you can then start thinking about how best you can manage your wine cellar. One option open to you in this regard is to make use of wine cellar software. Regardless of the fact that you only store a few bottles of your favorite wine or you have thousands and thousands of wine bottles stored in your wine cellar; proper management will help you get the most out of your wine and your wine cellar.

The best way to store a growing wine collection is to build a home wine cellar. Your cellar should be designed to correctly store wine as it ages, ensuring that the wine develops complexity and depth and does not spoil.

Building a home wine cellar from scratch may seem like a daunting process, but the first step that proverbially applies to climbing mountains applies to wine cellars, too. Of course, it all starts with collecting the first bottle and eventually finding that your collection has grown so large that you can no longer store it.

The cost of a well-constructed wine cellar can run to many thousands of dollars but so can a large capacity refrigerated wine cabinet, so you may find that building your own wine cellar can be the most economical and cost effective way of storing your wine.

Before you start building your home wine cellar consider the following.

The first cons should be temperature and the amount of natural light. Your wine room must be well insulated – extruded polystyrene provides ideal insulation. If you live in a mild climate you may be able to create a passive cellar that doesn’t require any cooling system.

A wine cellar is usually built with thick walls. Two-by-six construction allows for better insulation, allowing the cellar to remain at a constant temperature. In an active wine cellar, major factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a cooling system.

Temperature swings can destroy your wine collection. Small temperature fluctuations from season to season will not damage the wine but those same temperature fluctuations on a daily or even weekly basis will cause your wine to age prematurely. Temperature should always be between 45 and 60 degrees F, and avoid direct sunlight. It is possible to build a wine closet or a wine cupboard at home that will have the required humidity level of between 50% and 80% that is ideal for all types of wines.

When storing wine all vibration should be avoided; it agitates the bottles and speeds up the chemical reactions taking place inside the bottle – and not in a desirable way.

Vibration is a major issue during the transportation and is the reason winemakers recommend allowing your wine to rest after travel. This is also important whenever you buy wine from a winery or even from your local wine outlet. Never take it home and immediately pull the cork out without allowing it to return to a rested state. In fact, all wine should be immediately placed in your cellar.

Remember that it is not only your wine which is valuable; the wine cellar itself will add value to your home. So, the bigger and better your cellar, the more the value of your house goes up as well.

A wine cellar generally maintains a lower temperature compared to its surrounding living spaces and therefore must be treated differently in relation to those spaces. Do not attempt to cool a wine cellar by installing a domestic air conditioning unit if your wine cellar requires cooling. Home air conditioning removes the humidity from the air and will quickly destroy your wine collection by drying out the corks. Several popular brands of wine cellar cooling units are available that will cool any sized wine cellar. Your wine cellar makes a personal statement about you, and will become the most important area in your home. This is the place where you will indulge your passion for collecting fine wine and where you will display your precious acquisitions. Click here to discover how to build a home wine cellar and, if you have the space, you could try incorporating a bar or a wine tasting area.

Building your own wine cellar is the best way to age your wine collection. A wine cellar must be designed to store wine in the right conditions as it ages, ensuring that the wine does not spoil and that it develops complexity.

Building your own wine cellar from the ground up – or more likely, the basement up – may seem like an overwhelming task, but the proverbial first step is usually the most difficult. It starts when you collect your first bottle of wine and soon you’ll find that your collection has grown so large that it requires its own wine cellar.

A well-constructed wine cellar can cost many thousands of dollars but so can a large refrigerated wine cabinet so often a custom built wine cellar at home can be the most economical and cost effective way of storing your wine.

There are several items to consider before you begin building your wine cellar.

Temperature must be a major consideration and also limiting the amount of natural light. Make sure the room is well insulated – extruded polystyrene insulation is ideal. If you live in a mild climate you may be able to build a passive wine cellar that requires no cooling system.

A wine cellar will usually have thicker walls. Two-by-six construction provides space for quality insulation, allowing the cellar to remain at a constant temperature. In an active wine cellar, major factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a cooling system.

Temperature swings of more than a few degrees a day can destroy your wine collection. Small temperature fluctuations from season to season will not damage the wine but those same temperature fluctuations on a daily or even weekly basis will cause your wine to age prematurely. Temperature should be maintained between 45 and 60 degrees F, and avoid direct sunlight. Thus, you can often successfully create a wine cellar in a closet and a humidity level between 50% and 80% is ideal for all types of wine.

Vibration should always be avoided when storing wine; it agitates the bottle and speeds up the chemical processes taking place inside the bottle – and not in a good way.

Vibration can become a major issue during transportation and is the reason most shippers recommend allowing your wine to rest after extended travel. This is important, too, whenever you buy wine at a winery cellar door or even from your local wine outlet. Never take the wine home and plan on drinking it without allowing it to rest. In fact, all your wines should be put immediately into your cellar.

Note that it is not just your wine which is valuable; the cellar itself will improve the value of your home. So, the bigger and better your cellar, the more the value of your house goes up as well.

Unless you live in a very cold climate a wine cellar is generally a lower temperature environment compared with its surrounding living spaces and therefore must be treated differently in relation to those spaces. If the temperature in your wine cellar suggests that it requires cooling do not attempt to cool it by using a domestic air conditioning unit. Home air conditioning removes the humidity from the air and will fast destroy your wine by drying out the corks. There are many brands of wine cellar cooling units available to cool any size wine cellar. Your wine cellar is a personal statement, and will become one of the most important areas in your home. It is the place where you can indulge your passion for fine wine and where you can display your precious acquisitions to friends and family. Discover how to build your own home wine cellar and, if you have the space, why not consider incorporating a bar and tasting area.