A wine cellar protects wine from heat, dryness, and light. It can be a room or cabinet, and can be passive or active. Wine rooms can be built by specialists or DIY. Small electric wine cellars are available, and self-storage facilities offer temperature and humidity controlled environments.
A wine cellar is a room, or in some cases a cabinet, intended to store and protect wine. It can vary in size, cost, and effectiveness. In recent years, a number of convenient options have appeared on the market, which allow even the occasional wine drinker to store their wine.
In order to protect the wine, a cellar can protect itself from the three traditional enemies of bottled wine: heat, dryness and light. A good cellar keeps the wine at a fairly low temperature, with a fair amount of humidity and in relative darkness. Furthermore, a good cellar protects against any drastic fluctuations in temperature or humidity, which can damage the wine very quickly.
The term cellar is often used to describe any place intended to protect wine for an extended period of time, but should strictly refer to an actual underground cellar. A cellar that sits above ground is more properly called a wine room, and the small refrigerators that many people use in their homes are wine cabinets.
Within the realm of a true winery, there are two main types: passive wineries and active wineries. A passive cellar would be found somewhere that is naturally cool and humid and doesn’t change wildly with the seasons. Deep natural caves are often used as passive cellars, but artificial earth cellars can also work well in the right environment.
Active cellars use insulation, monitoring and cooling systems, artificial humidifiers and seals. These cellars can be very expensive, depending on their size, but allow for a more dynamic construction. They can also be a more ideal form of protection for fine wines.
A wine room or home cellar can be built by a specialist company or in a do-it-yourself way. Many people find they can convert a spare closet into a functional wine cellar without spending too much time or money. The most important thing is simply to keep the wine fresh and at a constant temperature. Ideally, the wine will be stored somewhere around 10°C (50°F), with variations of no more than a few degrees throughout the year.
Many companies now also offer small electric wine cellars, which are actually wine cabinets or refrigerators. These come in different sizes and at different price points. The smallest one can hold just a few bottles, while the largest stand-alone ones can hold more than 100 bottles. The cheapest cellars only regulate the temperature of the wines, with some having two different “zones”, one for the red and one for the white. More expensive cellars also keep the wines at a constant humidity, which may or may not help protect the natural corks from drying out and damaging the wine.
Some companies will even come to your home and convert a closet or spare room into your basement. They install additional insulation, temperature monitors, and some type of humidifier. Many consumers find these conversions can be surprisingly affordable.
Another alternative to a traditional cellar exists for those who want to protect their wines, but don’t want to invest in excavating their own cellar or looking for a natural cave. Many self-storage facilities offer temperature and humidity controlled environments for a monthly price. This can be a surprisingly effective way of protecting large numbers of wines for years, although it’s a good idea to ensure that the temperature range is truly stable and ideally find a unit that offers some sort of insurance for the goods you store there. .
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