Designing Wine Cellars

Wine Cellars Dedicated to Storing Wine
Most restaurants with an extensive wine collection and avid collectors, have dedicated wine cellars in which to store their wine. While many may think that a room below the building’s grade will adequately serve the purpose, those who collect rare and often expensive bottles understand the importance of proper construction of wine cellars in protecting the valuable contents.

Wine’s health can be affected by different factors, all taken into consideration in designing wine cellars, such as humidity, temperature and infiltrating light from windows. Air circulating fans are also often designed into wine cellars to help maintain a constant temperature and humidity level throughout the entire area. Additionally, the racks used to hold the bottles should be constructed with the health and integrity of the wine in mind instead of the convenience of anyone who may visit the room to find a bottle.

Even wines stored in dark colored bottles should not be exposed to direct sunlight as in addition to the ultraviolet rays; the sunlight can affect the internal temperature of the bottle. Ceiling fans in wine cellars can provide a certain degree of air circulation, but fans that move the air around the room instead of simply blowing from the ceiling to the floor help maintain a more strict environment.

Wine Cellars Location

Another thing that can have an environmental impact on finished wines is vibration and wine cellars located close to railroad tracks or heavily traveled roads may not be the best location for a cellar in which to store expensive wines. If there is no suitable alternate site, the rack can be constructed to absorb most of the vibrations, especially if the floor is transmitting most of the minor movement.

Entry to wine cellars should also be restricted to only responsible individuals to help maintain the organizational structure of the room. In many cases, large wine collections are cataloged and sort by type or by region, but exactly how, is a personal preference. Keeping track of what remains in wine cellars is more important to those that sell the wine than it is to private collectors, but computer software is also available for private use to track their collection.

In any event, it is important to keep the door to wine cellars closed when no one is looking for a bottle of wine to maintain the constant environment in the room. Continuous opening and closing the door can interrupt the stability of the temperature and humidity controls.