Wine Cellar Equipment - How Do You Choose?

Wine cellars are typically underground so that they are kept from bright light and high temperatures which can cause wine to spoil. You can either build shelves for your wine cellar or buy from a commercial builder. It is very important that the shelves allow the wine to lie on its side keeping the cork moist. Otherwise the cork could dry out. The area that you plan to use must not be too moist or it will cause your wine to rot. Wine cellars need to have a consistent temperature and humidity. Wine cellar equipment is available to monitor both of these. It would be best to have the monitoring equipment so that you know whether your wine is being kept at the correct temperature to allow it to age.


Wine Cellar Cooling Systems


Eighteen degrees Celsius is an excellent temperature for storing wine. The best thing to remember when storing wine is to keep the cold in, no heat, and control the moisture levels. A wood door may be used as long as it has good weather stripping and a threshold. Some people use metal doors, which is ok too as long as they are insulated well.


Basements are the best choice for a wine cellar because they can be easily remodeled to maintain the ideal temperature. As long as there is good drainage for the excess moisture to be funneled away from the wine there should be no problem. Wine cellar cooling systems need not be expensive but they must work correctly.


Many good cooling systems are available depending on the amount you want to spend. They are not any noisier than a bathroom exhaust fan. There must be a room next to the wine cellar for exhausting the warm air from the cooling system. This room needs to be at least as large as your wine cellar and if it is bigger that is even better. The room temperature cannot be more than 30 degrees warmer than the wine cellar.


Wine Cellar Lighting


Since lights generate heat, low voltage lighting is required. Track lighting is an option that works well. If you use overhead lighting, you have to be careful of the moisture barrier. Using timers is a good idea, along with motion detectors, this can be a good way to regulate the lighting so that your wine doesn’t get too much light.


If your wine cellar is in a basement, lighting is an important factor. It has to be monitored so it doesn’t cause the temperature of the wine cellar to get too high. Use a separate circuit breaker from the cooling unit to hook your lighting into. Although you don’t want the lighting to be too bright, you want enough to be able to see when you are in the wine cellar. Wine cellar lighting is an important factor if you want your wine to age properly.


Wine Cellar Doors


The wine cellar door needs to be an exterior grade door. It has to have weather insulation stripping on all four sides. A threshold must be used to form a tight fit when the door is closed. If air is escaping around your door, the temperature cannot be maintained at the best level for keeping your wine from spoiling. Wood doors are fine if they are solidly constructed. However you can use a metal door as long as it is insulated on the inside. Many people prefer the wood door over the metal due to cost and availability.


Wine Cellar Décor


Your wine cellar décor can be as fancy or as plain as you want it to be. Some people go all out and have mahogany doors, fancy wine racks, decorative lighting, bars, and almost a set up good enough to live in. However a wine cellar can be relatively plain with storage for the wine that you build yourself. It doesn’t matter to the wine as long as the temperature is consistent and the room isn’t bright as all outdoors.


The racks for the wine come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and materials. Some people like the iron wine racks. The tasting table is used in some wine cellars for either a display item or an actual tasting table. Wine glass racks and tabletop wine racks are all fine to have if that is the décor you prefer. Nonetheless the main objective for your wine cellar is to age the wine at the precise temperature and conditions that it requires.

Wine Cooler Fridge.com is here to help you make wise decisions on your first or next wine cellar equipment purchase. There are solutions for wine cellar decor you may not have thought of yet. Visit us to start your search!