Although wine must be protected from heat, a wine cellar

should not be kept too cold. A balanced environment that

allows wine to mature at a steady pace is required, and

temperatures, once set, should not be allowed to fluctuate too

much. Most specialists suggest temperatures in the 50- to

60-degree range, with 55 degrees as a good benchmark.

Another consideration is physical disturbance. While some

people go to great lengths to eliminate vibrations of any kind

from their cellars, others feel that this factor is minor

compared with heat, light, and humidity. Certainly movement

will accelerate chemical reactions in wine, as it will in any

liquid, but the range of acceptable movement is wide.

Vibration from cooling motors, for instance, should not effect

the wine much, if at all.

The Design of an Ideal Solution

Creating and maintaining the ideal conditions for wine storage

depends, in large part, on how many bottles there are in a

collection. Wine-storage cabinets, which allow accurate

temperature and humidity control, are a relatively

space-efficient option for small collections of up to 400

bottles; for larger collections, a cellar is still the ideal solution.

The size and placement of a cellar will also depend on the

size, or prospective size, of a collection. Discussing the

estimation of size, one specialist quips that the collector

should estimate a final number and “double it.” While this

approach may be a little extreme, growth is something that

must be kept in mind at the design phase of creating a cellar.

Once the size of the collection is determined, a storage

solution can begin to be found. It is important to note that,

while basements are the traditional locations for cellars,

storage technology is such that virtually any space can be

converted into a wine-storage area. Also, depending on

available space and collection size, creating a cellar may mean

anything from installing standard racking systems in an

atmospherically suitable basement to incorporating

atmospheric-control systems to creating a completely

custom-designed, hermetically sealed cellar.

One thing to remember when deciding on location is that

stable temperature and humidity are paramount concerns, and

that the two areas that typically experience the greatest

fluctuations are also two of the most attractive possibilities:

the kitchen and the garage. That said, with appropriate

climate-control systems a cellar can be located almost

anywhere within a traditional residence.

The golden rule, however, in the design of a cellar is the same

for virtually all specialized residential spaces, be it a kitchen,

home theater, or library: Consult a specialist, and do it early in

the process.

Cellar Options

Once cellar size and placement have been decided, there is a

huge range of options available.

Racking is the backbone of any wine cellar, and racking styles

and materials vary widely. The most common rack design for

custom cellars, as well as for racking sold in kit form, is one

that stores each bottle individually and allows good air

circulation, thus cutting down the chance of mildew forming

and damaging labels. Other styles include diamond-shaped

bins and oversized racks for magnums and the like.

Some steer clear of diamond designs, arguing that bins which

are closed on five or even four sides do not allow adequate

ventilation. Another concern with diamond bins, especially on

the seismically sensitive West Coast, is that the bottles simply

lay on top of one another, increasing the chance of breakage.

Paul Wyatt, president of the Fie Wine Rack & Cellar Company in San

Francisco, has designed and built wine cellars in private residences,

hotels, restaurants, wineries, and retail stores for 20 years. Wyatt’s firm

manufactures racking and architectural features in their Napa Valley

facility from clear-heart redwood, as well as an array of exotic hardwoods

such as mahogany from Guatemala, Peruvian walnut, and West Australian

jarrah.

Wyatt’s signature, seen here, is a free-flowing design style. Well-designed

and constructed racking is twisted and turned in unusual and striking

configurations, and set off by subtle lighting and the use of arches and

curved corner shelving.  Fine Wine Rack & Cellar offers high-quality kits,

ready for installation, as well as turnkey design, construction, and

installation services.