Essential Tips For Building An Underground Wine Cellar

Posted by Versatile Tanks on December 28th, 2020

To design and build a personal wine cellar is an exciting project which needs a balance of practicality with creativity. An underground wine cellar is an excellent way to help keep up the proper temperature and climate conditions to preserve and protect all the cherished bottle of wine in one’s collection.

Creating space for one’s wine collection is a great effort for personal satisfaction as well as impressing guests. It need not be of a particular design or format. The wine cellar can be created as per individual taste and preferences.

The following are some top tips for designing and building a personal wine cellar:

Consider functionality

From the start, one needs to understand why one is building a wine cellar in their home. This will determine how the cellar will be used and its main function. For example, one must consider whether the cellar will be used only for the storage of wine or for display and entertainment of guests.

Storage standards of wine

There are some currently defined, ideal storage conditions of wine that must be followed. For perfect conditions, one must ensure that the temperature inside the wine cellar is in the range of 7-12 C for white wine and 12-18 C for red wine. Also, the humidity inside the cellar must be maintained in the range of 65% to 75%. In underground cellars, such conditions can occur naturally, and if not, one must ensure such conditions.

Balance functionality and aesthetics

Glass is a popular material to decorate wine cellars. But glass is fragile and has poor properties of insulation. Other classic options are metal or wood. Wood will be sturdy and provide insulation but has a traditional look. One must strike a balance between functionality and aesthetics while deciding on one’s options.

Insulation

The underground part of most homes is made of concrete. Thus, an underground wine cellar needs special care for insulation. The task of insulating a wine cellar includes not only concrete walls but also outlet boxes, windows, doors, etc. A range of materials like foam boards may be used for insulation. It is a rigid and versatile material.

The cellar may also be insulated with gyprock or drywall, as these are water-proof materials. Another good idea is to get walls and ceilings insulated with fibreglass, which is very popular with cellar designers.

Insulation for wine cellars depends on several factors. Such factors include the location of the cellar, materials used for their construction and the kind of wines being stored. Another factor is the budget.

A good wine cellar is not just about showcasing expensive bottles and fine brands of wines. One needs to devote all efforts to maintain the wine cellar at the right temperature. The more there are changes in light and temperature, the likelier it is for the wines to spoil.

Select the cooling system

One must have total control over the temperature in the cellar. The wine collection may be damaged if one deviates from the standard temperature. One must do adequate research before purchasing and installing a cooling system.

Building a wine cellar will add great value to one’s home and there are many factors that will determine how one designs an underground wine cellar in their home. These will determine how well your precious wine collection is stored for the future.