The basic purpose of wine cellars is to protect alcohol from spoilage. If not stored properly, your wine might get perished due to exposure with heat, light, vibration or temperature and humidity fluctuations. A properly stored wine stays fresh and also gets improved with better aroma, flavor, and complexity on its own. You could build a personal wine cellar at your home and keep your wine properly organized and get better with time. A wine cellar is a kind of refrigerator exclusively meant for storing alcoholic beverages. A properly constructed wine cellar is essential to protect wine from spoilage. Read on to find out how you could build a perfect wine cellar in your house.
Complexity Level: Moderate
Time required: 5- 10 days
Resources required:
- Wall covering material
- Floor covering material
- 2×4 or 2×6 wood pieces
- Insulation
- Plastic sheeting
- Exterior doors and windows
- Water based sealant
- Cooling system
Instructions:
1. Find a suitable location:
- Start up by deciding a proper location for you to build a wine cellar. It is very essential for that place to be properly ventilated and away from sunlight. Proper humidity and insulation are prime concerns while designing a wine cellar.
- The location should be at a distance from any heat source and vibrations (train track). A temperature of about 50-55 degree Fahrenheit and about 60% humidity is required for a good wine cellar.
2. Frame the Wine cellar:
- In order to frame out the wine cellar, you can stick with the regular 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 construction techniques. If you want to increase the insulation, you can choose 2X6 construction. You could also get a permit and simply follow local, state, and national building codes for building your wine cellar.
3. Install a vapor barrier:
- You will have to install a vapor barrier on the warm sides of the wall or ceilings. You could also use a 6 mm plastic sheet on the outside walls and ceiling of the wine cellar room.
- This is crucial to keep the unwanted moisture at bay maintaining a proper humidity level. If there is he need, you can also use a water base sealant for the concrete floor.
4. Place Insulation for the wine cellar:
- The interior walls of the cellar should have at least R-11 insulation and for the exterior walls insulation should be at least a minimum of R-19. The ceiling can have a minimum of R-19 with a vapor barrier. You can use fiber-glass, rigid foam, etc for this purpose.
5. Select a suitable material for walls and floor:
- The walls need to be covered with a moisture resistant surface, you could thus use Sheetrock, Tung or Green Board panels for this. In case you opt for wood paneling, do not forget to pick a rot-resistant wood like red wood or cedar. Go for marble, slate or tiles instead of carpets.
6. Install doors and windows:
- Make sure you get a tight seal with doors and windows. Use insulated doors and windows with double glass to avoid any extra moisture to peep in.
7. Wall paint and cellar lighting:
- The wall surface needs to be painted with a water based covering be it a drywall or wood that you have used to cover the walls. Let the covering completely dry out. As far as the lightening is concerned, you can use a low voltage track lighting for your wine cellar.
8. Establish a temperature control unit:
- Your cooling requirements depend on the volume of the room, which can be found using using the simple LXWXH= V formula ( L-Length, W-Width, H- Height and V- volume). Any sized room can be temperature controlled thanks to the plenty of options available in the market.
Frequently asked questions:
Can’t I put my wine cellar anywhere in the house?
You can store your wine cellar at some suitable location in your house, if you can not afford to have an exclusive place to keep the wine cellar. Just remember to keep it at a cool and humid spot.
Quick tips:
- Green board is the best material to cover the walls as it is very resistant to moisture.
- Get a cooling system only after calculating the volume of the room or the wine cellar.
Things to watch out for:
- Do not let any moisture pass in the wine cellar, extra moisture can ruin your wines.
- Use good quality products to build a wine cellar, inferior quality products might not make the cellar efficient and thus ruin your wine.
