FAQ

Wine cellars are certainly not a necessity for most people. The average wine drinker who purchases a bottle or two of wine as needed for immediate or short term consumption certainly would not benefit from having a wine cellar. On the other hand, if you are someone who enjoys the art and science of fine wine and looks forward to purchasing quality wines that only get better with age, or if you like to buy multiple bottles of the same wine to save for another time, then wine cellaring may be right for you. Also, if you are building a high-end home or are remodeling an existing home in a high-end area, incorporating a wine cellar into your home’s design is a great way to add value and prestige to your property that will certainly help to check one more box on potential buyers’ “got to have” list.

Many people think that a cold room or cantina would be a perfect place to store wine. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, that assumption would be wrong. A cold room or cantina is often one of the worst places to store wine (besides a kitchen) due to the often extreme temperature fluctuations that take place over the course of the year. Nothing is worse for proper wine preservation than large fluctuations in temperature. In addition, many cold rooms and cantinas do not maintain regular humidity levels either. Fluctuations in humidity levels can cause corks to dry out (which can then lead to oxidized wine) and/or excessive dampness can result in mold and mildew issues. On the bright side, a cold room or cantina can be converted into a proper wine cellar however, there is often more involved in doing so than in locating your cellar in another area of your home.

It is a long held belief that wine cellars should be built below ground however, this is not actually true. As long as you properly insulate and condition the space where you are planning to build your wine room or cellar, it can be located in any area of your home or establishment.

Whether or not you need to install a cooling unit in your wine room/cellar depends on several factors:

• how long you are planning to store your wine (short vs. long term)
• where the space is located within your home or establishment
• how much the temperature fluctuates in that area from day to day, or season to season

There is not really a minimum number of bottles required to build a wine cellar however, many things should be taken into consideration before deciding if building a wine room or cellar is right for you.

• the amount of space available
• your consumption/collecting habits
• reasons for wanting a wine room/cellar
• budget
• property style, etc.

Sign up for our FREE PRINTABLE “Ultimate Wine Cellar Considerations Checklist” at the bottom of our homepage to help you clarify if a wine cellar is right for you.

Over the years we’ve heard many individuals say “I can build a wine cellar myself, why should I hire a company to do it?” Consider the reasons below why a professional wine cellar builder is the best choice.

Professional wine cellar builders:

• have thorough knowledge and experience building wine cellars
• understand the size and scope of all phases and aspects of the project
• know how to effectively organize and schedule the project so that nothing is forgotten or overlooked
• know what types of products and materials are best suited for optimal wine preservation
• know what types of products and materials to avoid that may damage wine
• ensure and oversee the proper preparation and installation of all aspects of the room/cellar from concept to completion including: framing, insulation, vapour barrier, electrical, plumbing, cooling and racking systems, ceiling, wall, and floor finishes, lighting, doors, etc.

Deciding who should build your wine cellar can be an arduous task. Nowadays there are so many companies (kitchen, cabinetry, renovators, contractors, wine paraphernalia retailers, etc.) who claim to build wine cellars that it’s hard to tell which ones are legitimate and which ones are just making claims in order to get you to “sign on the dotted line”. As a general rule, we always encourage our clients do their homework before they agree to work with any business or company. Go online and seek out information about wine cellar companies in your area. Explore their websites. Talk to the people who work there; get a feel for who they are and how comfortable you are dealing with them. Ask them questions (see below). Take your time (don’t put up with pressure tactics). Most importantly, read their testimonials and ask for references from clients they’ve already built wine cellars for, so that you can get an honest picture of who these people really are rather than simply “taking their word for it”. If you’re planning to invest the money to build a wine room/cellar that will cost you even more to stock with wine, then you should definitely invest the time to properly research the people you will be trusting to build your wine cellar.

In order to ensure that your wine is properly stored, all of the following conditions need to be taken into consideration:

1. Light Exposure: avoid sunlight or incandescent lighting that can adversely affect the wine
2. Humidity: consistent humidity levels between 65% to 75% are ideal
3. Temperature: constant temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius (or 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit) are ideal
4. Vibration: vibrations can alter wine chemistry so the less vibrations, the better
5. Bottle Orientation: For most wines any bottle orientation that allows for at least 50% of the cork to be submerged (in order to stay moist) is fine. Storing bottles on their sides, angled down, angled up (no more than a 10 degrees) or even upside down works equally well. Sparkling wines or Champagnes however, tend to age better standing upright.

The ideal storage time for a bottle of wine depends entirely on the wine itself. Proper wine storage cannot make a bad wine taste good but it does ensure that the wines that you do purchase will be enjoyed to their fullest. Proper organization and cataloging of your wine collection is essential in order to keep track of your various wines’ life cycles and optimal drinking times.

To put it simply, wines that are not stored correctly will ruin. Wines that are exposed to too much light experience a chemical reaction that creates unpleasant tastes and smells. Wines that are not stored with enough humidity can cause the corks to dry out and allow the wine to become oxidized. Wines that are stored in too much humidity can suffer from mold or mildew issues that affect a wine’s smell and taste. Wine stored in higher than recommended temperatures can become “cooked” or “stewed”, while wine stored in colder than recommended temperatures can cause the cork to be pushed out; resulting in the wine becoming oxidized from too much exposure to oxygen. Wines stored in areas where the temperature fluctuates experience adverse chemical reactions that can lead to a variety of wine faults and spoil. Lots of people don’t think twice about where they keep their wine collections but if you want to enjoy your wines at their best, then creating a space for proper wine storage is certainly worth considering.

A wine cellar is definitely a good place to store cigars as well as wine. Much like wine, cigars require a humidity level of approximately 70% for ideal storage so that the leaves do not dry out or become moldy. Although the temperature of cigar storage is generally recommended to be about 10 to 15 degrees higher than that of wine, the consistent decreased temperature will not damage cigars in any way. So yes, by all means, you can definitely incorporate a humidor or wine cabinet into your custom wine cellar!

As mentioned in question #9, wine should not be exposed to light more than absolutely necessary, however, if you would like to enjoy the beauty of your wine cellar from another room of your home a window certainly can be added from one room to the next provided that there will not be any direct sunlight or a significant amount of incandescent light streaming in from that room. Windows to the outdoors however, should never be included in a wine cellar environment.

Due to the fact that most proper wine cellars are climate controlled, exterior grade doors with weather stripping and threshold are required in order to create a properly sealed cooling environment.

The costs associated with building a wine cellar depend on a wide variety of factors. It is impossible to provide an accurate quote for any wine room/cellar without taking all of the following aspects into consideration:

• size and scope of the project
• choice of materials
• choice of finishes
• complexity of design (features, etc.)
• choice of cooling unit
• choice of racking system
• amount of room preparation and/or construction involved
• location of the wine room/cellar