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Wine Cellar Innovations (WCI) has been manufacturing custom wine cellars since 1984 and here are some things they say need to be considered when planning a wine cellar.
A custom wine cellar is not an impulse buy, but one that is carefully thought out and researched. The average wine connoisseur will want to investigate the proper construction materials needed to build a wine cellar and carefully review the storage options they have available.
The proper environment for a wine cellar is 55-58º with 55-75% relative humidity. To ensure your room is capable of maintaining this environment you will need specific construction materials. The walls and ceiling should have water-resistant dry wall (green board) or paneling material capable of withstanding the high humidity. WCI offers shiplap paneling made of premium clear redwood.
It is also extremely important that you install a vapor barrier on the warm side of the cellar walls and ceiling to reduce the volume of humidity that is transferred through the wine cellar.
The door must be exterior grade with a threshold and weather stripping all the way around for a tight seal. Flooring is normally ceramic tile as it is easy to clean in the event a bottle is accidentally dropped. Vinyl flooring should not be used, as the glue underneath will lose its bond with the high humidity. It is also acceptable to install hardwood flooring as long as you leave a ½" gap around the perimeter of the room for expansion.
Last, but not least, you will want to install the proper lighting. Recessed lights can be used if they are thermally fused and can be insulated around. WCI recommends there be sufficient light for the customer's aesthetic and practical needs. Excess light is detrimental to wine and lights should only be left on during the short periods while the cellar master is in the room.
When the room has been properly prepared you will need to concentrate on how you want to store your wines. Your cellar will be a reflection of your collecting preferences with a custom mix of individual bottles, case storage, and highlighted displays. WCI accommodates your wishes and incorporates them into the cellar.
The final criteria to consider is the materials utilized for the racking components. WCI manufactures the majority of their wine cellars out of redwood. The forest industry's pamphlet, "The State of the Redwoods Today" states that, "its heartwood is one of only three softwoods recognized by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory as possessing a natural resistance to decay. No other readily available softwood shrinks less than redwood, meaning that it is less likely to warp, split, cup and check with age and exposure to weather. Redwood is rated higher than other woods in its resistance to flame and in its insulation values."
Other cellar manufacturers find it prohibitive to offer redwood because WCI's purchasing power has limited the available supply of this exquisite wood of preference.
WCI also offers Red Oak and Honduran Mahogany as standard options but they will manufacture cellars with other materials as long as those materials are not aromatic and can withstand the high humidity environment of a wine cellar. One such material that WCI does not recommend for wine storage is cedar.
Think, if you will, about entering a closet that has cedar lining. Can you recall the pungent odor that greets you upon entering the space? As wine "breathes" through its cork, this odor will penetrate through this opening and taint all of the wines with the taste of cedar. This and other woods with such properties will not be utilized by WCI.
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