Where To Start When Building Your Own Wine Cellar

So, you’ve gone out and spent an arm and a leg on all of your favorite wines. You’ve got the common wines and the rare, hard-to-get $135,000 per bottle 1947 Cheval Blanc. But what do you do with it? How do you store it so all that money and fine wine doesn’t go to waste? Simple – you build a wine cellar, and when it’s done, you open your wine cellar door to show off your fantastic and well-maintained collection to the world!

Conditions Are Key

To be properly stored, wine has to be maintained at a temperature between 45-65 °F. Wine ages more slowly depending on temperature as well – at 50-57 °F, wine will age normally, but as the temperature goes up, so does their aging. There is also a debate as to whether or not humidity affects wine. Some scientists claim that low humidity will not affect the wine itself, but rather a wine’s cork, which will dry out prematurely. It is recommended that an inch of gravel be covering the floor of your cellar, and that you sprinkle them with water periodically to help maintain humidity.

Where Can I Put It?
You can build a wine cellar almost anywhere in your home, but remember that the cellar’s location will have a huge impact on how much it costs to maintain the cellar on it’s built. A wine cellar should be built in the coolest, most humid place in your home, and you should also try to make sure the cellar is maintained at 55°-58° F, with a humidity of 55-75 percent. The closer you are to those conditions, the smaller the size of the cooling unit you’ll need to buy. For instance, if your wince cellar’s usual temperature is 85°, think of how big a cooling until will have to be just to get the temperature down to an average of 65°! A dry environment will also require more frequent introductions of humidity to maintain the wine.
What Type Do I Need?

There are two types of wine cellars: active wine cellars and passive wine cellars. An active wine cellar is built to be highly insulated, and is the type you’re looking for if you’re choosing to build a wine cellar in your home. Active wine cellars require the specialized cooling systems that maintain the desired temperature you’re looking for. While in drier climates you may also need to artificially humidify the air, but most wine cellars will not need it.

If you choose to build a passive wine cellar, on the other hand, is has to be located in naturally cool and damp areas. You also have to make sure your wine will be exposed to minimal seasonal and diurnal temperature evaluations. If you have a basement that fits those criteria, a passive cellar may be your best bet, as these kinds of wine cellars cost nothing to build or maintain. However, remember that the conditions in passive cellars are less predictable.

Decide And Build!

Taking all that into account, it shouldn’t be too difficult to decide what type of wine cellar you need to build to maintain your wine collection. Make up your mind, get building, and reap the benefits of all those hard-bought wines you slaved for.