Wine Cellar
This wine cellar project was part of a larger remodel. The homeowner has a passion for wine and has been a wine enthusiast since the late 70’s. Their passion began when he and his wife visited Napa Valley, California. Fran Kirley shares, “I have always loved wine and now with my own wine cellar I have the ability to collect and enjoy many of The Great wine that I have tasted and have now added to my collection. “
Wine is a natural, perishable food product. Wine cellars protect wine from potentially harmful external influences and provide darkness and a constant temperature. In this controlled environment wines can not only maintain their quality, but may improve in aroma, flavor and complexity as they age.
A few facts about wine storage:
An active wine cellar maintains proper temperature and humidity by climate control systems. To offer a distinction between the variety of options; a passive wine cellar is built under ground to reduce temperature swings, but is not climate controlled. Another option would be if you have above ground storage, the term commonly used is then wine room. The wine room is also climate controlled. Another choice for a smaller version of wine storage would be a wine closet. They usually hold 500 bottles or less.
About the Project
“This 200 square foot wine cellar has been highly insulated with closed cell spray foam and built with special moisture resistant drywall called green board, as well as, low VOC mildew and mold resistant paint to prohibit what can occur in a dark and moist environment”, says Michael Owings, President of Owings Brothers Contracting.
We built the wine cellar in the basement by remodeling an existing storage area. The wine shelving and climate control system was manufactured by Vigilant, www.VigilantInc.com a New Hampshire wood working company, which manufactures all of their wood products here in the US. The shelving has a mahogany finish and includes LED accent lighting, curved corner racks, magnum cubbies and vertical displays. This shelving configuration has the capacity for 1900 bottles of wine. The architect also included in the wine cellar design a tasting table. This affords the wine connoisseur the opportunity to uncork and sip from their extensive collection.
“Designing a wine room of this scale is always an exciting challenge”, says Karen Pitsley, AIA, architect at Transforming Architecture (www.TransformingArchitecture.com). Owings Brothers executed the plan seamlessly and the result is amazing.”
In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”
Robert Louis Stevenson called wine “bottled poetry”.
Uncork a bottle and enjoy in your own custom wine cellar. Cheers!
