Wednesday, March 27, 2024

How To Keep Wine Cellar Cool

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The Most Extensive And Finest Product Line In The Wine Cellar Industry

How to Build a Wine Cellar | WhisperKOOL

Our studies show that 50% of all wine cellars are installed with regular air conditioning equipment which can harm valuable wine collections. CellarCool Cooling Systems are designed exclusively for maintaining the ideal environment for the proper aging of wine within a cellar. Precise temperature and humidity are essential for a prized wine collection.

Install A Vapor Barrier

There is always a risk of condensation building up within walls and ceilings, and this is especially true with a wine cellar. The warmer air on the outer side of the wall causes water to form along the cool, air-controlled interior wall of your wine cellar. Trust us when we tell you you dont want that! The moisture can reduce the effectiveness of your wall insulation and cause mold, rot, and structural issues in the long run.

Now, if you live in an especially cold climate, the opposite may be true. Its possible that your temperature-controlled wine cellar will actually be warmer than the surrounding areas. If thats the case, you will want to install your vapor barrier to the interior wall of your home wine cellar instead.

Most Air Conditioners Cant Reach Wine Storage Temperatures

When storing wine, maintaining the optimum temperature is perhaps the most important consideration. If wine sits at an ambient temperature thats too high, it will cook. Imbibers can expect an overall flattening of the wines flavor and aroma. And on the flip side, wine thats kept too cold can suffer from similarly detrimental effects.

That ideal temperature for wine is typically around 55 degrees. Most regular home air conditioners cannot reach temperatures below 60 degreesand some ACs cant even get below 65!

Temps in the 60s may feel cool to us, but its a little too warm for that special Cab youve been saving. Consider that the main goal of effective wine storage is to minimize the aging process excessive heat is largely the number one factor that contributes to the aging of fine wine.

For more on this, check out our article on Proper Wine Storage Temperature.

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Dont: Store Your Wine Upright For Long Term

For the same reason its recommended to store wine on its side is why it is not recommended to store it upright. When your bottle is upright, the wine is not hitting the cork. The cork will then begin to dry out, resulting in a musty, malodorous wine. With that said, it is okay to store your wine upright for a short amount of time, which is why many some convenient or liquor stores can get away with it they are banking on a timely sale of the bottles. I wouldnt recommend keeping bottles upright for more than a few weeks.

How Do You Insulate A Basement Wine Cellar

Summit Wine Cellars

wine cellarinsulatingwine cellar

How do you insulate a wine cellar?

The most common vapor barrier is 6 mil polyethylene sheeting . You should wrap this material around the entire wine cellar on the outside of the insulation. Airtight seal: When the wine cellar door is closed, there should be no airflow entering or leaving the space.

how do I convert my basement into a wine cellar?A Step-By-Step Guide For Building a Wine Cellar in Your Basement

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When To Use A Wine Fridge

Storing wine in a wine fridge is for anyone who wants to ensure their wine get the best protection for long term cellaring and experience wine as it has been enjoyed traditionally in France or at traditional cellar conditions.

A large wine fridge like ours may not be for everyone but I have listed some of the different sized options that you might want to look into below.

  • 170 bottle Vintec fridge
  • 148 Bottle Vintec Wine Fridge
  • 50 Bottle Vintec Wine Fridge
  • 20 Bottle Vintec Wine Fridge

While I can vouch for Vintec, Ive never used Triomph but Im including the 28 bottle storage cabinet as a cheaper option for you to explore if Vintec seems a little beyond your range.

Wine Fridge Pros
Come in a range of sizes and can be built into cabinetry Expensive
New models operate silently. Older second-hand models may be noisy.

If it looks like youre going to run out of room, what better incentive to get onto enjoying those beautiful bottles.

Dont: Keep Your Wine In Your Kitchen Fridge Long Term

Many people think the way to remedy the temperature conundrum is to keep their wine in the refrigerator, but unless you are using a wine refrigerator, this can be equally harmful. Your average kitchen refrigerator is not only too cold for your wine, stunting its development, but it also dries out the wines cork. Have you ever left an uncovered tomato in your fridge? Notice, how the tomato shrivels up in the span of just a day or so? This is because, unlike a wine refrigerator, your kitchen refrigerator removes humidity as it cools. Corks must remain moist in order to do their job properly. A dried out cork leads to a musty smelling, corked wine.

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Is A Wine Fridge Noisy

Having slept next to this fridge for over 10 years, I was able to sleep without issue and can confirm new models are effectively silent and unless it is 2am in the dead of night, with your ear right near the unit youre not going to hear a thing out of them!

A word on if youre looking to purchase older second-hand models, naturally as technology improves mechanics also improve this means some older models may be a little noisier, which may be something to consider depending on where the unit will be stored.

Tip: How To Preserve The Label On A Wine Bottle

Avoiding Big Problems : Keeping On Top Of Your Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Repairs

Ive seen many labels begin to fade and even lose their adhesive over time. But in all honesty, I use this next tip most often when I have a very special signed bottle that I want to keep intact. Say you have that precious bottle of 2015 Kerr Cellars Reserve Red signed by Cristie Kerr. Even if its in a temperature-controlled cellar, you still want to keep it safe. Wrap the entire bottle in Cling wrap, this will protect the label and wine forever. I have done this for years and it works perfectly.

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Your Wine Cellar Stops Cooling Now What

First you need to know that wine cellar cooling is a specialty, it falls in a niche between refrigeration and air conditioning. Aside from the specialty of the cooling of the wine, you need to know that there are caustic properties of wine, even when still corked. You need an expert with wine cellar cooling experience that can address the details of wine cellar cooling and the caustic properties of wine.

Now that you called for help and help is on the way, you need to determine what you are going to do if anything, to keep your wine safe. Of course your course of action depends on the size and value of the wine collection, the time until the technician can arrive to evaluate your cellars cooling issue or the time to correct the issue and the emotional attachment you have to your wine collection.

There are a couple of things you can do to protect your wine. We suggest one of the following temporary solutions if you are concerned about your wine.

Relocate your wine to a cooler location, take care not to place it near a radiator, heating vent or other location where the temperature is not constant. It may seem like a cool location until the heat comes on. Constant temperture is arguably more important than a cool location where the temperature varies during the day. Extended periods of heat or heating and cooling of wine is a problem .

If you need help with temperature, contact Cold Craft, Inc.

Dont: Keep Your Wine In An Area Of Harsh Interior Lighting Or Direct Sunlight

One way to ease the selection and viewing of your collection is with lighting. The type of lighting used is very important. Your average household lighting gives off heat, which as we now know, is not good. Sunlight and UV Rays are even worse for your wine. Keep your wine away from windows or other sources of natural light. Your best bet for a light source is LED. LED lighting creates a soft glow without giving off any heat.

Follow these easy steps and your wine will thank you. We guarantee it.

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Do: Store Your Wine Somewhere Convenient

Although it may be good for the wine, its not practical or convenient to store your wine in that upstairs closet, away from harmful elements. Whether open or closed, wine is meant to be a conversation starter and a way to bring people together. Its important to keep it somewhere convenient and easily accessible, ever at the ready to be retrieved and opened.

How Do You Insulate A Wine Closet

Commercial Wine Coolers

While there are several options for insulating, closed-cell foam is the best way to insulate and vapor barrier your wine cellar. The advantage of using closed cell foam is that when it skims over, it forms its vapor barrier. There is no need to install plastic sheeting as other options may require.

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Tips For Organizing Your Wine Cellar

No two wine cellars are alike. How you organize your wine cellar or cooler will depend on your wine collection size and personal preference.

Respect the grid.

A grid system will allow you to track and locate bottles with ease, regardless of your collection size. Give each column of wines in your collection a letter and each row a number, similar to an Excel spreadsheet. This will allow you to note the exact location of each bottle in your collection.

Valuables out of view.

Temptations going to be an issue! Place bottles that you intend to age for extended periods in the back of your wine cooler or on shelves out of reach. Thatll keep overexcited hands away from them. As well, put bottles that you intend to consume sooner in more accessible positions.

Organize by Style

For wine lovers just starting to build their collection, organizing your wines by style is a good option. Grouping wines by white, sparkling, red, rosé, and dessert styles is ideal if you only have a handful of wines from each category.

Organize by Price

If you buy wine randomly by whim and do not expect your cellar to get bigger than 200 or so bottles, try organizing by price. This is great if youre just getting started with cellaring and are experimenting with many styles and regions to hone your tastes.

Organize by Variety

For medium-sized collections that focus on new world producers organizing by variety works well.

Organize by Region

Organize by Producer

Use a Wine Inventory App

How Do Cellar Cooling Units Work

Wine cellar cooling units are meant to cool your cellar and remove humidity from it. The temperature and humidity levels in your wine cellar can fluctuate daily, so it is important to have a cooling unit that keeps the temperature and humidity levels steady. They work by cycling the warm air through the compressor. The compressor pressurizes the low-pressure gas turning it into high-pressure gas. When the high-pressure gas leaves the compressor, it enters the condenser. The condenser works by changing the gas into a liquid and as the pressure decreases, so does the temperature, introducing cooled air into your cellar. Excess humidity is removed through drain lines or the cooling units system of evaporation. The optimal temperature for a wine cellar is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Some more advanced wine cellar cooling units will keep the temperature constant in even the coldest or hottest climates.

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How To Store Wine To Let It Age

If youre interested in trying your hand at cellaring wine, you dont need an actual wine cellar to do it. Not many people have a stone-lined basement grotto they can outfit with hundred of shelves for keeping wine bottle for a long time. You might not even have a basement at all, let alone one that remains at a steady temperature for your collection. Fortunately, you dont have to build a bona fide wine cellar to store quality wines for their entire lifespan. Our wine refrigerators are an affordable solution for smaller spaces because it affords a lot of control over storage conditions and it can look great in your kitchen or bar area while keeping your wines close at hand for convenience. To understand how to age wine in a wine cooler, youll need to look for the following features to make sure you can provide optimal conditions for wine aging.

Temperature

Wines were originally aged in underground cellars or even caves because these places tended to maintain a steady temperature year round. An unheated basement without any windows or doors to let in outside air typically hovers around 55 degree Fahrenheit, and its no coincidence that this is also the perfect temperature for storing wine. This is cooler than room temperature but significantly warmer than conditions in a typical kitchen refrigerator, which is usually set at 38 degrees. Set your wine cooler between 52 and 57 degrees for the perfect temperature to keep wine aging well.

Humidity

Bottle Position

UV Rays

Tips For Storing Wine In Hotter Climates

How To Build A Wine Cellar | WhisperKOOL

One of the biggest challenges faced by wine collectors is how to properly control the climate of your wine room. Wine collectors in hotter or more humid areas have a particularly hard time with climate control and preventing wine heat damage. Below are 6 tips for wine rooms and how to keep your wine collection at its peak quality.

06/04/2020

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Coolbot For Wine Cellars

You can build an affordable wine cellar using a CoolBot and a standard air conditioner. Whether you are a restaurant sommelier working on your wine room or just want a temperature-controlled space for storing your home wine collection, the CoolBot can be a great solution for your wine storage needs. Traditional wine storage systems are expensive our customers would rather invest in amazing wine to stock their cellar than an overpriced cooling system. Build your wine cellar with a CoolBot and a standard air conditioner and save.

Tip: How To Keep Wine Cool Without A Wine Cellar Or Fridge

One of the best discoveries I made was while I lived in Australia bearing one of their notoriously hot summers. I was storing my beloved Penfoldscollection at my first apartment which was nearly as warm inside as it was outside. I tried many tactics to keep the bottles cool, from wrapping them in aluminum foil, covering them in towels, I even tried storing them in the bathtub which I dont recommend. Thats when the lightbulb went off, store the wine bottles in terracotta pots!

It might sound crazy, but it works! You can pick up terracotta pots at any local home improvement store. The reason this works so well is that porous clay is naturally cooling. In fact, it was used to cool food and beverages long before refrigeration existed. Place a towel over the pot with the wine inside to protect it from sunlight. If the pot needs extra cooling, add a small amount of sand and water to the bottom of the pot. The evaporation cools the inside of the pot even further. Ive even used this trick as overflow for wine that wont fit in my Eurocave.

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How To Turn Any Room Into A Wine Cellar

The reason why wine cellars are cellars is because they tend to have a good balance of the three major factors for long-term wine storage: low light, constant temperatures, and a steady, moderate humidity.

So turning a room into a wine cellar is really just about figuring out how to bring the magic of the cellar into another room.

If you do have a free room downstairs, thats always a better choicechances are, itll be cooler. And of course, the amount of effort youll have to put into monitoring light, humidity, and temperature will vary depending on where you live . But we can give you some guidelines on how to at least cellar-ify a room in your place so it makes for a comfier home for your wine collection.

drop!

The UV light issue may be the easiest: dont start your makeshift wine cellar in a mud room, or anywhere with too much light. Been looking for something to do with that depressingly windowless room? Well, now youve got it. Theres not a lot of damage a lightbulb can do, but its a good rule of thumb to keep light levels low generally. Enough so you wont knock over your wine rack, but not so much that your bottles are warming up under the steady hum of some fluorescents.

Make Sure The Room Is Properly Sealed

Unique Wine Cellars

Nothing will ruin your wine collection faster than the elements. If youre a serious collector, you want to keep your wine in a controlled environment. This includes control over the light, heat, and humidity levels of your home wine cellar. Check the area for any light, air, or water leaks. This includes making sure the ceiling has a minimum of R-19 insulation. It also means ensuring the proper flooring.We recommend sealed concrete floors for your home wine cellar. Carpet, wood, and unsealed concrete are too porous and permeable, which will allow moisture to pass into your wine cellar.

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Passively Cooled Wine Cellars

Passively cooled wine cellars are built in rooms that are naturally humid and chilly. Usually they are surrounded by 2 or 3 walls of earth and located in climates known for temperate weather year-round. These wine cellars have little maintenance cost and won’t fail even if the power goes out. Unfortunately, if there is variance in temperature/humidity where you live , you likely will need an active wine cellar.

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