VINTAGE DECOR

There’s a new kind of trophy case in town — and the best part is, it’s full of wine.

Advancements in wine storage and trends in contemporary architecture have put wine collections front and center in high-end luxury homes in ways once reserved for fine art and rare books.

The glass-enclosed rooms and cases can hold hundreds and sometimes thousands of bottles, chicly displayed in customized temperature- and humidity-controlled environments behind protective UV-resistant glass.

“It’s not so much about being a showoff,” said Jamie Kasza, founder and president of Stact, a modular wine storage company, in Vancouver, Canada. “I think when you’re passionate about [what] you’re collecting … people don’t want to bury it in the cellar.”

Kasza said one residential project included a 4,200-bottle wine storage tower designed with two parking spaces on top to showcase the homeowner’s exotic sports cars. Kind of like the Bat Cave, but with wine.

Whether towering over a vaulted loft space or built into an entire wall, the new direction in personal wine storage represents an industry disruption in the centuries-old tradition of cellars.

Luxury real estate agent Sam Real at Nest Seekers International agreed with Kasza and said, for many high-end developers, customized, glass-fronted wine storage has become a staple.

“It’s something that can add value to the property itself,” Real said. He said his company is building two homes in Doheny Estates that are expected to sell for between $25 million and $35 million each. They both have wine rooms.

“We are about to bring a property to market in ... a gated community in Beverly Hills … and there’s a 700-bottle wine room in that one,” Real said. “We just sold a Cape Cod-style home in Brentwood that was about 6,000 square feet, and we had a 554-bottle wine cellar in there as well.”

Real said evidence of the growing trend can be seen in the flats of West Hollywood, Miracle Mile and Hancock Park. “These smaller homes are not necessarily doing wine rooms, but they’re still doing enclosed glass cases that showcase the wine.”

Bottom line, it’s a focal point that raises the bar of a well-appointed home. In this case, quite literally.

Stact Wine Displays Inc. THE WINE tower of this home stores 4,200 bottles and also doubles as a showcase for exotic sports cars. The new direction in personal wine storage is all about displaying your passion.

Mona Shield Payne Photography A MODULAR storage system from Stact makes a bright focal point via ambient lighting.

Stact Custom by CellArt A GLASS-ENCLOSED WALL displaying wine bottles is both functional and eye-catching.

Stact Wine Displays Inc. BOTTLES can be stored corks out or labels out in a peg-based storage system from Stact Wine Displays.