How to Select the Right Residential Wine Cellar for You

Wine cellars come in many different shapes, styles and sizes. But if you are a lover of fine wine, you've probably always wanted to own your own wine cellar where bottles of your favorite vintages are aging to perfection. If you are a true wine lover, nothing beats having your own collection of favorites ready to enjoy and share with friends.

Just about any budget and storage area can lend itself to a wine cellar of some type. You don't even have to have a dedicated spare room for the smaller versions that are simply a rack designed to hold a few bottles and have them on display. Wine cellars vary significantly with respect to budget, available space and your personal interest level but assuredly you'll be able to find one just right for you.

Let's start small with our discussion. The smaller variations that are available hold anywhere from one to two dozen bottles and they're sized just right to fit into a corner of a spare closet or to display in a room of your choice. Depending on how much space you have to work with (and your budget, of course), you might want to look at the larger storage systems. Storage space need not be a limitation to your dream if having a smaller stock on hand isn't a problem.

When planning your cellar, there are a number of important things to consider. It is crucial to realize that wine is an ever-changing thing and the conditions under which it is stored will affect how well it ages.

Storing wine is very simple when you boil it down to the basics. It requires a constant temperature, humidity level, darkness, stillness (stored away from vibrations) and a well-ventilated clean area.

Folks who are only storing a few bottles of their favorites will probably not be able to control all of these variables as well as someone who is building a designated area for their wine cellar like a spare closet or room in the house but even if you are only storing a few bottles on display, it's best to store them in the best available space.

Those folks who are building a dedicated space for their wine cellars will want to consider the following recommended requirements:

1) Insulation - It is well advised to have a room that is well insulated to keep the room's temperature as stable as possible. It will be far easier to build an insulated room above ground than one below as it takes about three feet of dirt to provide the same insulation as 4" of fiberglass insulation or form insulation.

2) Temperature - It is generally accepted that a good temperature range for storing wine is between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit (10 - 15 degrees Celsius) It is imperative to keep the temperature of your storage area below the mid-70's Fahrenheit to prevent deterioration of your wine.

3) Humidity - Wine with natural corks requires a humidity level of around 70% to assure the cork's ability to do its job but anywhere from 50% to 80% is probably acceptable. If your storage area isn't humid enough, you run the risk of corks drying out, allowing air to reach and damage your wine.

4) Darkness - Light will prematurely age a bottle of wine so the best option for good storage includes a dark area where the wine is exposed to only occasional light.

5) Finally, don't forget to store your bottles on their sides. The wine in a well stored horizontal bottle will be in contact with the bottle's cork, keeping the cork wet and preventing shrinkage which will allow air to enter the bottle.

Many different styles, sizes and types of wine cellars are available and hopefully this article will help you choose the right one for you.