HOW TO BUILD A WINE CELLAR
Expert tips for building a sommelier-worthy wine collection
You’re starting to gather a collection of high-end vintages. Your kitchen cabinet is overflowing. You’ve got nowhere to store the excess bottles. What to do?
Choose a room in your house — whether the basement or a large closet — and turn it into a proper storage area or cellar, says Derek Hersey of Rosehill Wine Cellars in Mississauga. Here’s a guide to creating the right space for your vintages:
Create the climate
Wines need to be stored at between 12˚C and 14˚C, says Hersey, and you want the temperature to stay steady or it could interfere with the aging of your wines. For between 50 to 200 bottles, a temperature-controlled wine fridge or two will work fine. If you need storage for 300 bottles or more, you’ll want to consider building a cellar.
If you want to construct your own cellar, you’ll need to install mold-resistant drywall, adequate insulation, a moisture barrier and an airtight seal to replicate an environment similar to a fridge, says Hersey. Rosehill Wine Cellars use doors made from California redwood as their preferred choice because it’s like cedar but without the smell. The door needs to have weather stripping and a door sweep to keep air from entering or escaping the cellar when the door is closed. Humidity also needs to be kept at 50 – 60 per cent. “We’re fortunate here in Ontario,” Hersey says, “because we have a steady humidity that doesn’t need adjusting, unless you have an exceptionally wet basement.”
Lighting is also a factor, he adds. “We recommend LED lights that tend to stay cool and don’t emit much light.” If the cellar room’s temperature is hotter than 14˚C, he recommends clients consider purchasing a cooling unit. He also cautions about paint. “Use water-based varieties so the fumes don’t contaminate the wine.”
Stack and rack
You’ll want to lay down your bottles on their sides in the racks so that the wine keeps the cork moist and the wine can breathe. Dry, cracked corks allow outside air in, spoiling the wine. Keep bottles out of the light. Sunlight especially damages wine and makes it age before its time. And don’t move the wine once stored. Jostling can interfere with its proper aging. Most cellar owners stack their vintages by country and then by wine-growing regions.
Keep a journal
It’s a good idea to keep track of your wines by entering the label and date of purchase in a journal so you’ll remember to uncork them at the right times. Smartphone wine apps like Vivino are also helpful. With the app, you can take a photo of the label, get instant ratings and prices as well as user reviews. You can also enter your own impressions of the wine.
Get insurance
Floods and power outages can be the bane of your wine cellar. Make sure you buy enough insurance to cover the costs of replacing your bottles in case of a disaster.