While everyone wants their cellar to look fantastic (see Wine cellars: Beauty over function), there are numerous functional elements which need to be considered in any design. Loren Root, who is a Personal Cellar Manager at Vinfolio, offers some practical advice:
Double-deep bottle racking maximizes space and provides better bottle stability (loose bottles in bins can be precarious).- Minimize display rack angle to ensure the wine remains in contact with cork.
- Use a larger standard bottle rack size - 4.5 inches is best to accommodate the full range of 750ml bottle sizes but you will lose some bottle storage capacity.
- Avoid using shelves/bins for mixed bottle sizes - The moment you pull a bottle out of a group of mixed-size bottles, others will typically shuffle around, triggering one or two bottles to move down or even slide forward (potentially onto the floor).
- Use wood or rubber-matted floors - This provides some protection against breakage if you drop a bottle. If you use tiles, dark grout conceals the inevitable stain a little better.
- Minimize diamond bins - Airflow and consistency of temperature/humidity throughout the cellar is improved with individual bottle racking.
- Position double-deep bins for easy access - While useful if you buy wines by the case, don't locate them at floor level -- your back will thank you.
- Plan for odd bottle sizes - Ensure you create rack or shelf space for half bottles, magnums, large format bottles, and Champagne (note: Champagne fits into the 4.5 inch racks noted above).
- Storage in center islands or display tables - Add shelves or double-deep racking below the counter/table surface for increased capacity.
- Choose rack material/design carefully - Labels will be scuffed moving wines in and out of racks (fact). Some materials (like metal) are less forgiving than others or and some designs with sharper outward-facing edges tend to chew up your hands (and labels). The stability of the bottle in the rack should also be evaluated (e.g., the rack shown at the right might not be the best choice if you live in earthquake country).
Note that Vinfolio is not in the business of designing cellars (other than providing input in an advisory capacity as a Personal Cellar Manager to a client). But if you're in the market for a cellar designer, here are some suggestions from our "Other resources" page on our site.
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