Fine wine matters and experts predict the market is set for further growth…

From restaurant quality wines to vintage collections, the growth of at-home consumption and entertaining has led to high demand in the wine market. Fine wine is no exception with Bordeaux Index, the world’s largest fine-wine trader recently toasting a surge in sales with investors snapping up rare vintages as they look for investments that will outpace inflation.

With varying and high-end price tags associated to vintages listed on the Bordeaux Index platform such as the 2019 La Clarte de Haut Brion priced at £330.00 per case of six to £13,000 for a dozen bottles of Champagne’s Salon Le Mesnil 2012 it is of no surprise that the growth of the wine cellar trend has also closely followed. With such investment in fine wine, it is of essence that wine is stored correctly to increase its longevity and a wine cellar is considered a stable for many oenophiles (connoisseurs of wine).

This coupled with demand from high-end homeowners who have added this unique feature to their ‘check list’ when looking for a luxurious abode. With Wine Cellar HQ recently reported that in a survey of house sales homes with wine cellars sold for 31% higher than those without.

A wine cellar has the potential to be the ultimate statement piece and a focal point of design, adding high value to your home in the process. There is so much more to designing a wine cellar than practicality and the spike in homeowners adding wine cellars, wine rooms, wine lounges and wine walls to their homes means that the era of the wine cellar is big business. The outlook for 2022 is that this increase will continue as more people take an interest in storing the high value produce correctly. When it comes to constructing a wine cellar design, planning and proper construction are key to success. Taking a holistic approach to designing and constructing your wine cellar is important to avoiding problems that may occur later down the line.

The most important part of a functioning wine cellar or wine room is what happens behind the walls. In order to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity levels for wine storage and to prevent condensation and mould from forming, having proper insulation and a solid vapor barrier is crucial. Industry standards are in place and include the use of specific materials and applications methods to ensure the safest storage for your collection and for your home overall.

Now for the technical part – a key component to proper wine storage is refrigeration. When selecting an
appropriate size refrigeration unit, you should take into account the: cubic feet of the space, ceiling and floor, bottle turnover, distance between the refrigeration system and the wine cellar and lighting plans. R factors in the walls are key and the thermal resistance value of a material is a critical rating. If the walls don’t reach an R-value of at least 20, and the floor and ceiling don’t reach at least 30, there will be cold air lost to the rest of the home.

Once these elements are considered you can think about electrical needs, ductwork, line sets, thermostat, sensors and seamless integration of supply and return air into the wine cellar.

Cellar doors can come in all shapes and sizes and can be made of many materials from solid wood to frameless glass. Whatever material is used for the door for your wine cellar needs to be decided when you first start the planning process. Give the door the same attention you would give an exterior door that protect the rest of your home from the climate outdoors.

While wine cellar racking comes in an abundance of options, it is important to lead with a comprehensive plan for construction of the wine cellar. Once that is done, then you can approach the interior design with the confidence that you fully understand the necessary elements of a functioning wine cellar and how to seamlessly integrate them into the design.

When it comes to creating your dream wine cellar or storage space the experts all seem to suggest the same thing: plan ahead and mind the details. With this formular there should be less chance of rework that costs time and money.

We are loving the range of sleek, designed ‘wine rooms’ and cool collections trending, a perfect way of ensuring these valuable assets are not only on show but are stored at the right temperature. A wine cellar is the ultimate go to for accommodating a growing wine inventory and the best way to incorporate your wine collection into your everyday life through integrating it into your living space.