Considerations when Building a Custom Wine Cellar

A person has to truly be a wine connoisseur to have the need of a wine cellar in the home.  These wine cellars have very specific requirements that have to be met in order for the wine to be stored properly so that it develops or maintains its flavor over time.  There are temperature requirements, light requirements and angle requirements as well as others that help to ensure that the wine is well kept.  Although there are some variations in wine cellar design, such as how the racks are set up or how the cellar itself is shaped, the specifications of a typical wine cellar do not vary, since the quality of the wine would vary or even become ruined if they are not met.

Specifications

The first specification of a wine cellar design planning is that it be kept at a constant temperature.  The ideal temperature for wine storage is at about 55F.  There are some historians that believe this is the ideal temperature because that is the approximate temperature inside of the caves where the first wines were developed in France.  There can be some sort of a temperature difference, ranging from 45 to 60F, but ideally the temperature should not range more than a few degrees on either side of 55F.  When wine bottles are taken out of the wine cellar, they should be used within a day or two so that it does not go bad.  The wine ages much more quickly in higher temperatures and will turn a brownish color when it has gone bad.  If the wine needs to be stored for a couple of days before opening it, it can be placed in the refrigerator, but it should be brought to the correct serving temperature before it is opened.

In addition to the temperature, a personal wine cellar should also have about sixty to seventy percent humidity in it.  If there is any less humidity, the cork can get too dry and crack which allows air into the bottle.  If there is too much humidity, then the cork can rot or get mildew on it which is also not good for the wine.  The wine cellar should also be free of any smells that can seep into the wine and cause an unpleasant flavor.  If cleaning solutions are stored in the wine cellar this can cause a problem.  Another issue that should be considered when creating a wine cellar is light.  Light damages the wine, which is why the wine bottles are always a dark color.  There should be little to no sunlight that is let into the wine cellar.  Finally, the bottles should be stored in a wall mounted wine rack somewhere between horizontal and a forty-five degree angle.  The important factor is that there is no air between the wine and the cork.