With the cold winter weather upon us, there is nothing quite like a cosy fire, hot meal and a nice glass of wine which brings me to this month’s topic.
For the wine enthusiast, having your own cellar is a must!
Building a wine cellar is not challenging or expensive however there are a few points you need to consider when designing the cellar.
Location – These days cellars are such features and not tucked away under the house like they used to be.
The search for a location usually involves an unused area like under the stairs, part of the laundry, corner of an used area or some other type of cubby hole. Many people are now incorporating a wine cellar in their house design. These are usually designed with a glass door or wall so the wine can be visible from a room. If it is under the house, you can do a feature glass floor to view the cellar. You can now also buy free standing wine cellars which come in small and large sizes and can design them into kitchen/ scullery spaces.
Temperature – This is certainly the greatest concern when cellaring wine, especially if you want to (lay them down) for many years. Today’s modern homes are not at all conductive to wine storage. Room temperatures are usually in excess of 20 degrees which is great for humans but lethal for wine. The ideal temperature for wine to be stored is 15-20 degrees, what ever the temperature is, it is consistency that is the key. You want to be sure your cellar is well insulated. Some people install a high grade wine cooler to keep the room chilled properly. Do not use an air conditioner as these take moisture from the air and will draw the wine through the cork over a long period of time when laying down wines for an extended period of time.
Light & Vibration – Darkness is ideal for a cellar as ultraviolet light destroys wine which is one of the reasons wines are traditionally bottled in coloured glass. Consequently it makes sense to store wine away for potentially damaging effects of light exposure. As wine needs to sleep, and frequent disturbance of wine will agitate it. Try and build your cellar where is will not suffer the effects ofvibrations and I suggest it has no direct light, just nice feature LED lighting if it is a feature. So if wine is your passion and you are looking at starting a collection, installing a wine cellar is not only functional but also a feature! And lots of fun!!!
Turrell Building | 9653 1003 Shop 3, 362 Galston Road,Galston 2159 www.turrell.com.au
