Many homeowners, including wine collectors, dream of constructing a wine cellar in their homes. A home cellar for wine provides you access to a complete wine collection right in the comfort of your own home. With a home wine cellar, you do not need to wait for a shipment that you have ordered or travel to the nearest store selling wine.

Any person can build a cellar for wine, but if not completed properly, all of your hard work and money will prove futile if the wine spoils. Hence, the following tips will help in building a high quality and long enduring wine cellar on your property:

Where to build?

With proper planning, a cellar for wine can be constructed anywhere on the property. But the locations will highly impact the cost of construction and maintenance. This is especially the the case if you are using a  concrete water tank as your wine cellar.

The wine cellar must be set up in the most humid and cool location in the home. Wine must be stored in a dark place with 50% to 70% humidity and a temperature of 7 degrees to 18 degrees C. The closer you can get to such conditions; the lesser money one will have to put into the cooling unit.

Therefore, most people prefer to construct their cellar for wines in their basement. Though temperature and humidity factors are ideal, it is also vital to keep the area free of vibrations that may spoil the wine. 

So, take care that the cellar is not impacted by vibrations caused by factors like washing machines also located in the basement. So, the cellar must not be constructed in a basement that also features a laundry room.

How much space? 

After identifying the location of one’s cellar, it is crucial to ascertain the amount of space you need. Take note of your current collection and evaluate what you hopes to accomplish from your wine collection in the future.

Are you hoping to store a modest collection of highly precious bottles? In this case, the cellar could be as tiny as 25 square feet. You can store ten to fifteen bottles of wine per square foot in the cellar.

In other cases, you may be aiming to store thousands of bottles from most wine regions in the world. For this, you will need a generous amount of space for your collection of around 100 to 500 square feet in size. In this space, you can adequately store 1500 to 5500 bottles at one time. However, it is important to remember that bigger-sized cellars will be tough to maintain and should ideally be reserved for commercial wine sellers.

Proper sealing

The wine collection stores are at the highest risk of spoilage from the elements. All serious collectors will store wine in controlled conditions. This comprises of control over humidity, heat, and the amount of light entering the cellar.

Ascertain whether the area has any water, air, or light leaks. The ceiling should have a minimum of R-19 insulation. The flooring should also be suitable. Experts recommend sealed concrete floors for the home cellar.

Vapour barrier

Especially with cellars for wine, there is a danger of build-up of condensation within ceilings and walls. Such moisture can lower the effectiveness of the wall insulation and lead to rot, mould, and even structural issues in the long term. So, installing a vapor barrier like plastic sheeting must be considered.

Furring strips

An extra layer of protection from moisture in the cellar is the use of furring strips. This includes thin strips of foam or wood used to elevate surfaces and free space for the insulation of walls.

Proper lighting

The cellar for wine can be damaged by exposure to UV rays. This can be caused not only by sunlight but also by light bulbs like fluorescent tubes. For low UV lighting, opt for sodium vapour, LED, and incandescent bulbs.

In sum, these are all tips for constructing a wine cellar. With such tips, you will be well on your way to finishing the wine cellar of your dreams.