| Congratulations on your move from wine lover to | | | | you will be able to find one that will work. |
| wine connoisseur. If you are planning to buy a | | | | 4. Build It |
| wine cellar this guide will give you some | | | | If you decide to build your own wine cellar |
| information on buying the perfect Weather strip | | | | remember that north walls are best because they |
| wine cellar equipment. | | | | get the least amount of light. You can use the |
| 1. Storage | | | | first floor of your house, a garage, or in some |
| Bottles should be stored on their side so that the | | | | cases even a crawl space depending on the ability |
| cork remains moist and they should also not be | | | | to keep temperature constant. |
| exposed to vibration or temperature change. It | | | | The first stem in starting to build your wine cellar |
| should be maintained at a constant 50 to 55 | | | | is building the frame. You need to frame the |
| degrees with a humidity rate of 70%. | | | | outer walls of the basement with 2" x 6" studs . |
| 2. Size | | | | Then you will need to insulate so that you can |
| Size matters and if you choose to buy a larger | | | | keep the room a constant temperature. Don't |
| wine cellar you need to make sure the unit will fit. | | | | forget your door is going to have to seal tightly |
| Consider the space you have to work with, the | | | | so you will need to weather strip it. The drywall |
| size and weight of the unit and make sure to add | | | | you use should be resistant to moisture. |
| the additional weight for the wine which averages | | | | Start thinking about the design of your racks |
| about 3 pounds per bottle. | | | | before you actually begin construction. Decide |
| 3. Types | | | | what type of racks you want and what material |
| There are different types of wine cellars. If you | | | | you want to build them out of. Have a look at |
| live in a house where you have a spare room | | | | existing pre-fab racks to get some ideas. |
| that you can turn into a wine cellar you are very | | | | You will also need to invest in a wine cellar cooling |
| lucky. Don't skimp and make sure it will hold at | | | | unit so that you can maintain the correct |
| least 500 bottles of wine. Build it well so that the | | | | temperature and humidity. A cooling unit is very |
| bottles don't come crashing down. That would be | | | | similar to an air conditioning unit. Your wine should |
| a real shame. | | | | be maintained at around 50 degrees and the |
| For many of us we don't have that extra space. | | | | humidity should be around 70%. |
| Not to worry you can buy a free standing wine | | | | There is a great deal of wine cellar |
| cellar which can be placed in a house or even an | | | | Weatherstripping equipment available on the |
| apartment. They are available in many different | | | | market so whether you build from scratch or buy |
| sizes so no matter what your space limitations | | | | pre-fab you've got plenty of options. |