Wine Cellar Construction Considerations
Having a home wine cellar is always a great ice breaker when friends and family come to visit. Just the idea of being able to enter your own home wine cellar and host a small wine tasting party, can make you feel like you have climbed the social ladder to a quite comfortable level. However, looks can be deceiving, as the only way quite a few people can actually afford to add a wine cellar to their home, is if they use the do-it-yourself method.
Once the decision has been made to build a wine cellar of your own, a little education in wine storage, as well as wine chemistry and just wine in general is a must. Do not skip this part, it comes before anything else, and can make all the difference in the world in the functionality of the finished product.
For starters, you will need to know at what constant temperature and humidity percentage that wine can be successfully stored at. Wine is sensitive to changes in temperature, and especially abrupt or large fluctuations. The chemistry of the wine can change over time when this happens, as the expansion and contraction of the cork will ultimately lead to wine seeping out and wine killing air to seep in. Air is the number one enemy of wine. Another little know fact, is that wine should never be shaken or be exposed to a lot of movement. When this happens, make sure the wine is able to rest for at least a few hours before opening.
After you have familiarized yourself with all of the pertinent information about wine and wine storage guidelines, there are a few things to keep in mind as far as doing things in order as you begin the construction. If you are building your wine cellar in a basement and using a concrete floor, you will need to lay down a concrete sealer for insulation purposes. You will want to do this first, so any fumes that might get locked in and permeate the interior are aired out. Any above ground floors will need to be insulated with R-19 fiberglass insulation with a 6 mil. polyethylene sheet as a vapor barrier.
Just keep in mind that before any of the finish work is started, including walls, the room needs to be well insulated. A lot of the do-it-yourself books do not emphasize the importance of doing this. Interior walls should all be R-12 and exterior walls should be R-19, and either will need the poly vapor barrier. Just make sure that the room is airtight, Check around vents, outlets and pipes for leakage. A solid core door is required with weather stripping completely surrounding the jam area.
These are just a few tips that you should really concentrate on in order to have the best wine cellar experience. For the main part of the build you will need the book "Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar". The book is very easy to understand and has easy to follow instructions. It also provides the materials list and what tools you will need before starting the build. Many successfully built home wine cellars have come out of the use of this book.
Once the decision has been made to build a wine cellar of your own, a little education in wine storage, as well as wine chemistry and just wine in general is a must. Do not skip this part, it comes before anything else, and can make all the difference in the world in the functionality of the finished product.
For starters, you will need to know at what constant temperature and humidity percentage that wine can be successfully stored at. Wine is sensitive to changes in temperature, and especially abrupt or large fluctuations. The chemistry of the wine can change over time when this happens, as the expansion and contraction of the cork will ultimately lead to wine seeping out and wine killing air to seep in. Air is the number one enemy of wine. Another little know fact, is that wine should never be shaken or be exposed to a lot of movement. When this happens, make sure the wine is able to rest for at least a few hours before opening.
After you have familiarized yourself with all of the pertinent information about wine and wine storage guidelines, there are a few things to keep in mind as far as doing things in order as you begin the construction. If you are building your wine cellar in a basement and using a concrete floor, you will need to lay down a concrete sealer for insulation purposes. You will want to do this first, so any fumes that might get locked in and permeate the interior are aired out. Any above ground floors will need to be insulated with R-19 fiberglass insulation with a 6 mil. polyethylene sheet as a vapor barrier.
Just keep in mind that before any of the finish work is started, including walls, the room needs to be well insulated. A lot of the do-it-yourself books do not emphasize the importance of doing this. Interior walls should all be R-12 and exterior walls should be R-19, and either will need the poly vapor barrier. Just make sure that the room is airtight, Check around vents, outlets and pipes for leakage. A solid core door is required with weather stripping completely surrounding the jam area.
These are just a few tips that you should really concentrate on in order to have the best wine cellar experience. For the main part of the build you will need the book "Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar". The book is very easy to understand and has easy to follow instructions. It also provides the materials list and what tools you will need before starting the build. Many successfully built home wine cellars have come out of the use of this book.
