Wine cellars have come a long way over the years. In ancient times, people would store their wine in pottery and bury it in the earth to keep it cool. A few millennia later, they were taking advantage of cold, sunless catacombs. But today, we don’t have to pick up a shovel or visit a long-deceased relative to improve our wine’s flavor, aroma, or complexity – you can have effective and elegant storage solutions in your own home.
During an addition in Weston, we installed wine storage in the basement. For this project, it was important to control the humidity levels in the space. This isn’t just about keeping the corks from drying out; if too much moisture were to build up, the client could have ended up with a mold problem. Picking the right spot that doesn’t get much light, but also stays dry, is the way to go if you aren’t using active climate technology. We made sure that the chosen area had the right climate so that the wine cellar would age like a fine year of pinot noir.
That said, modern construction techniques and technology mean you can keep your bottles safe anywhere in your home. Plenty of clients opt to have a small wine chiller right in their kitchen. You can also include a wine chiller in your dry bar, or make use of some space for passive cooling like our Dover client. It’s certainly a less traditional route to take, but the convenience and reliability may make it worth the trade-off, depending on your priorities.
There’s a great middle ground if you don’t want to dedicate a big part of your basement to your collection or don’t have a big enough kitchen to house it all. You can use the area under a staircase, which typically doesn’t see much light. You could also clear out a closet and add some shelving specifically designed to keep your bottles level and safe. We recently created a wine storage solution under the basement stairs in our client’s Holliston home.
Want to take your wine collecting to the next level? Let us know what you have in mind, from a custom wine closet to a full-on wine cellar! Our designers are equipped and ready to design your luxury wine cellar.
