A home wine cellar doesn't have be a cellar -- it can be anywhere you collect and store wine for future use. It's a must for those planning to accumulate stocks of the best, most long-lived wines.
As we mentioned in the Storing Wine section, a cellar can be a large closet, space under a stairway, or a specially constructed, insulated room with wine racks, temperature control, and other wine accoutrements. The essential conditions are that the space be protected from sources of heat, direct sunlight and vibration, and conducive to the maintainenance of a steady, year-round temperature. A bit of humidity is okay, but actual moisture is not.
In determining your cellar needs, overestimate how much wine you're likely to collect in coming years (you'll be surprised how quickly your cellar fills up once you get the wine bug), and decide how much you want to invest in storing it. The better and more valuable the wine, the more important it is to have good storage conditions. Wine can be stored in the cases it's shipped in, but most are cardboard cartons that may collapse under the weight of other cases, so wooden or metal racks or bins are advisable, designed and arranged to maximize cellar space. Place the wines you're likely to drink sooner within arm's reach, stashing long-term agers behind or below them.
Make sure your cellar is well-lit, easily accessible and spacious enough that you have room to maneuver. An inventory system is helpful, so you can keep track of the wines you have, how much you paid for them, who you bought them from, etc. You might also consider a cellar log to record your impressions of wines you taste at different stages of their development.
What to put in your cellar? Well, that depends on your tastes, pocketbook, and patience. Serious collectors gather the finest French Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, the best California Chardonnays and Cabernets, classic Italian wines, and a selection of vintage port and other superior dessert wines. Others who simply want a stock of tasty, affordable wines to drink in the near term will seek out the best values from the world's leading wine-producing regions.
We think that How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar by Richard Gold (about $25) is one of the best books on the subject. And we've listed the phone numbers and Website addresses of some companies specializing in outfitting home wine cellars.
| The Wine Enthusiast: |
1-800-356-8466 Website: www.wineenthusiast.com
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| Design Build Consultants: |
1-800-820-9463 e-mail: evang@customwinecellars.com
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| Le Cellier: |
1-800-876-8902 e-mail: bacchus@provintech.com |
