Chicago Wine Cellars Benefit Well From Quality Wine Cellar Cooling Units

Written by CustomWineCellarsChicago

Wine cellar refrigeration systems in Chicago are an essential aspect of wine storage. Wine cellar cooling units help make sure that the temperature and humidity in your residential wine cellar in Chicago are kept at the ideal ranges. Wines cannot mature well if they aren’t kept in the ideal temperature and humidity ranges.

Residential Wine Cellar Project in Long Grove, Chicago, Illinois

A beautifully designed wine cellar in Chicago by Baroque Designs LCC is an example of a wine storage room that can provide the ideal conditions for wines.
This residential wine cellar is built in a home in Long Grove, Chicago, and can accommodate more than 1000 wine bottles.
Wines can be stored in many different ways, but when it comes to huge wine collections, custom wine cellars are the best place to keep them. The huge home wine cellar was built in a renovated billiard table room that is 15 x 17 feet.

Custom Wine Cellar Chicago – Unique Design

The residential wine cellar in Chicago was uniquely designed and built by Baroque Designs LCC. The wine cellar had a classic feel with a medieval design. The stonework was done in the wine storage room up to the 10’ ceiling. The wine racks were handmade from reclaimed barn wood, which was obtained from their local supplier. Four niches that were 2’ high and 6” deep in the corners of the wine racks were included, to showcase magnums. The wine racking was made to accommodate individual storage and a diamond bin was included for bulk storage.

Wine cellar doors are also an important part of custom wine cellars because how they are built may affect the temperature and humidity conditions inside the wine storage rooms. A purpose-built wine cellar door imported from Europe was installed in this beautiful home wine cellar in Chicago, Illinois.

A classic design wine tasting room is another beautiful feature of this Chicago residential wine cellar. The tasting room has a table and a few chairs. A reclaimed wine barrel head from Sonoma Valley in California was used as décor in this tasting room. The barrel head had the client’s name customized on it.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration System Chicago – Effectively Installed

Every home wine cellar in Chicago needs a wine cellar refrigeration unit to help make sure that the temperature and humidity are kept at the ideal levels. Wines will get damaged if there are constant fluctuations in these levels.

For this wine cellar project in Long Grove, Chicago, Illinois, US Cellar Systems provided an effective wine cellar refrigeration unit and had a licensed HVAC technician install the unit. The unit was a 300 cubic feet capacity Ductless Split Type Cooling unit.

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois White Under Staircase Project

Written by CustomWineCellarsChicago

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois White Under Staircase Project – Processed Video Transcription

Under the Stairs Custom Wine Cellars Chicago IllinoisThe White custom wine cellars Chicago Illinois present several situations. It was a cellar that is created under a stairway so the ceiling is slanted. The room is also very odd-shaped, as you can see. So we needed to design something that worked well.

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois – Overhead Plan View

We also wanted to have our cooling unit in this area and blowing down from the ceiling. We are going to take a look at each elevation.
Elevation A is right when you come in the door; elevation B is the left wall; C is the back wall; D is the grill cover and box; E is the right wall. We used a lot of horizontal wooden wine racks in this design.

Elevation A is our first horizontal rack. It is 13 1/2 inches deep which means that it will hold three bottles deep in the horizontal rack from floor to ceiling.

Elevation B – Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois White’s

We move on to elevation B. We have individual bottles with a high reveal display row, we have waterfall wooden wine racks down with the slant of the ceiling and we included some molding along the top edge.

Here you can see where the grill cover and box are up above in the center. You can see that these Mahogany wine racks are 13 1/2 inches deep. We do have a 1 1/2 inch toe-kick and base molding.

As we go along, elevation C is the very back wall. It is a horizontal rack that is only six inches deep for a single bottle.
Elevation D is the grill cover and box with the grill going directly down for the cooling unit, which was a RM 2600 split system. Elevation E is single deep, only six inches deep going down and ‘waterfalling’ with the slanted ceiling again.

Elevation E – Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois White’s

Elevation F is a triangular-shaped quarter round. It is not a rounded piece but a piece with a flat front that segmented the two elevations A and B together.

3D Drawings – Waterfall Design Wooden Wine Racks

Waterfall Wooden Wine Racks System

You can see how this all works out. This brings the two walls together. Our horizontal displays are all lattice displays, and I’m going to show you that in the 3D drawings.
Here, you can see that they are lattices. There’s your grill cover and box with the air blowing down from the ceiling and you can see these in the 3D as well.

Now, I want to show you some photographs. Here is looking into the wine room. We used a Tuscan wine cellar door. It’s a square door, we used arched glass and an operable hand-forged wrought iron wine cellar door.

You can see the Mahogany wine racks here. We used Mahogany, unfinished Mahogany wood. The grill cover and box are right there blowing down.

Here you can see it a little bit closer. You can see that we do have the lattice horizontal displays rows, where it is lattice wood rather than solid. We have the high reveal display row with LED lighting up above.

Tuscan Wrought Iron Wine Cellar Door & Mahogany Wine Racks

Here you can see the back wall with the horizontal racks displays rows again, another picture of the displays or close up there. This is the wrought iron wine cellar door, the hand-forged wrought iron, and you can see the full door, from the front to the back of the wine cellar.

Mahogany Wine Racks, Horizontal Display

Hope you’ve enjoyed walking through the White custom wine cellars in Chicago Illinois. This was actually put together and constructed by AMM construction. Thank you so much!

Chicago Wine Cellars – Reading & Understanding Wine Labels

Written by CustomWineCellarsChicago

Drinking wine is a common part of social activities, especially for wine enthusiasts. No dinner or party is complete without a glass or two of wine to complement the food and lively conversation.

For wine lovers and collectors, it is essential to understand not just the taste and flavor of the wine, but also its producers and the region where it came from. It is interesting to note the kinds of wines that collectors have in their wine cabinets, wine racks, or wine cellars.

A basic lesson in wine is reading the wine bottle label. By reading the wine label, one will find a lot of information on the wine he is about to add to or pick from his Chicago custom wine cellar.

For those who don’t have a home wine cellar, it is easy enough to get table wines from wine stores, but it is important to have a basic understanding of the wine labels just in case the wine clerk is not adept to answer your queries.

You will also be assured of the quality of the wine you are buying as certain features are written on the label. A collector’s wine bottles in his residential wine cellar are a pure joy to show off to friends and acquaintances, especially if one knows how to read or what to look for in wine labels. This is probably the true test of one’s knowledge of wines.

Buy Quality Wines for Your Chicago Wine Cellar – Learn How to Read a Wine Label

There are five basic elements written on wine labels. These are the vineyard, vintage, appellation, bottling, and alcohol content.

Vineyard
The vineyard is where the wine is produced. The name of the vineyard tells the buyer its reputation. Sometimes for wine collectors, the name of the vineyard is enough motivation to buy or collect a particular wine bottle.

Vintage
The vintage is the year the grapes were produced and not the year the wine was bottled. Looking at the year together with the appellation and vineyard or producer will tell the collector if the wine is good to be aged for years or not. However, in most commercial wine cellars or wine stores, wines are ready to be consumed and not aged too long as this may affect the quality of the wine.

Appellation
Wineries in certain regions possess qualities that dictate the kinds of grapes that will be produced. Grapes grown and harvested in Napa Valley are different from the grapes grown in other areas.

In most wine-producing countries, vineyards are bound by government laws in the usage of the grapes used in the wines they produce. For example, if 95% is required by law, it means that 95% of the grapes used must be produced in the vineyard indicated on the label and the remaining 5% can come from other areas or regions.

To indicate good wine made from high-quality grapes, it is important to look for these phrases on the wine label:
France: Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC)
Italy: Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) or Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC).
Portugal: Denominacao de Origem Controlada (DOC) or Indicacao de Proviniencia Regulamentada (IPR)
Spain: Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOC) or Denominacion de Origen (DO)

Other wines have these on the label:
Grands Cru or Premiers Cru means the wine is produced in a high-quality vineyard from a region in France
Gran Reserva means that the wine is bottled for 5 years
Mis en Bouteille au chateau / Domaine / a la propriete / Gutsabfüllung (estate bottled) means that the wine is bottled by the producers themselves and not by a different entity.
Vieilles Vignes (old vines) means that the wines used are harvested from the vineyard with old vines, usually more than 40 years old in existence. These old vines produce grapes with richer flavors but in lower quantities.

Bottling
Details on the bottling of the wine are crucial. Usually, good wines are those with grapes grown and harvested by a reputable vineyard and bottled by the same producers. Some vineyards have others bottle their produced wine and this must be indicated on the label.

Alcohol content
The alcohol content is the amount of alcohol contained in the wine. It also indicates the body and sweetness of the wine. Wines with an alcohol content of 14% and above are more full-bodied and tannic. Wines with an alcohol content of 11% or below are sweeter and lighter. This information can also be used by wine drinkers to know how much alcohol enters their system.

To be familiar with the appellations and vineyards, wine enthusiasts must educate themselves by reading books and other materials about them. One can then take a trip to the nearest wine store to test his knowledge of reading wine labels as this is crucial in obtaining quality wines for your Chicago custom wine cellar.

Chicago Wine Cellars – the Right Way to Fill the Wine Glass

Written by CustomWineCellarsChicago

When serving wine to your guests, it is essential that you know the right amount to pour into the wine glass. After picking a good quality wine from your wine cellar, wine rack, or wine cabinet and popping the wine bottle open, should you fill the wine glass up to the rim, halfway, or less than halfway? These are the questions you have to ask yourself when serving guests during a dinner party in your Chicago home wine cellar or serving wine in a restaurant.

Many articles that I have read regarding the proper pouring of wine in the wine glass discuss this differently. Many have a variety of opinions on how much should be poured into the wine glass. Nonetheless, I have here a summary of what these different articles have been saying for everyone’s reference.

Chicago Wine Cellars – the Right Amount of Wine in a Wine Glass

When buying your wine in a bar or a restaurant, you have three main goals. First, to get your money’s worth. Second, savor every sip you take of your wine. The third is to enjoy the aroma of the wine as you swirl it in your wine glass.
Many restaurants and bars that offer wines have various stands on how much wine should be poured into a glass. It is said that in most restaurants they usually pour about four to five ounces of wine into a wine glass.

You may also request for your wine to be placed in a carafe so that you can pour your preferred amount of wine. This is not only to get value for your money but also to limit your alcohol intake. Despite the fact that wines are said to be beneficial for one’s health, too much of anything is bad. Hence, one should drink in moderation.

I have read one article which states that for red wine glasses, the amount of red wine to be poured is at least 1/3 full. Moreover, sparkling wines should fill about ¾ of the glass, and white wines should be at least half of the glass. Others follow the rule that a wine glass should be filled to the widest part of the bowl.

In general, most bars or restaurants do not have a standard measurement for the amount of wine to be poured into a glass. The reason for this may have something to do with the culture and tradition in the area.

When serving your guests during an occasional dinner party in your Chicago residential wine cellar, you must ensure that their glass is filled less than halfway. This is to allow them to swirl the wine to release desirable aromas and to decrease the risk of spilling.

Chicago Wine Cellars – Guide to Hosting Wine Tasting Parties

Written by CustomWineCellarsChicago

Wine tasting parties are often engaged by enthusiasts and collectors to enhance and explore their experience and knowledge about wines and sometimes even to “show off” and display their collection in their wine cellars and wine storage cabinets.

Hosting a wine-tasting party need not be a chore or a burden. It could be (or should be) a fun and exciting activity. A wine-tasting party is similar to a book club where participants discuss the merits of a book and express their thoughts about what they read while also being open to other participants’ views and opinions. Below are some tips to guide you in hosting wine-tasting parties in your Chicago home wine cellar.

Wine tasting is best done with people who are not necessarily your good friends, but with people you are comfortable with and who share the same interest and appreciation of wines. When done at home, it is a good opportunity to display one’s collection in his or her Chicago custom wine cellar to fellow enthusiasts and share information.

Wine Tasting Parties in Chicago Home Wine Cellars – Tips to Follow

It is important for the host to determine what kind of wine tasting party he or she wants to give. Is it formal with rating and scorecards? Or is it informal where tasters can express their opinions and views freely?

Scorecards should indicate what tasters are focusing on, otherwise, guests can be given blank index cards to encourage them to take notes and thoughts to be shared with the group.

Is it a round table kind of wine tasting where guests are seated while discussing the merits of the wine? Or is it a free-flowing party where participants freely roam around and assess the wines and at the same time discuss the paintings on the walls and the wines in the host’s Chicago home wine cellar?

For the number of participants, 8-12 is a good number since the size is neither too small nor too big that one hesitates to share his views. It is also important to determine the number of wines to be tasted and whether it is a blind tasting or not.

Usually, 6 kinds of wine are used in wine tasting. Each person is served approximately 2 ounces of wine. Blind tasting occurs when the host decides to cover the label of the wine bottle with a brown bag and discuss its characteristics and merits.

It is not necessary for the host to prepare a full course meal to cap off the wine tasting. Finger foods can be served and shared after the wine tasting so as prolong the enjoyment of the party with fellow enthusiasts. During the tasting itself, bland or neutral tasting biscuits or bread can be served to cleanse the palette in between wines. Servings of light cheese will also do the trick.

The host must also prepare enough wine glasses for the guests. Each wine can be poured into one glass to be discarded right after, or a bucket with water for rinsing can be prepared for cleansing in between wines to avoid contamination of flavors. Guests are advised not to wear too much perfume which could distract wine tasters from smelling the real aroma of the liquid.

No matter how the host wants to stage his wine tasting party, what’s important is the sharing of ideas and thoughts with people with which one shares an interest and appreciation. Wine tasting parties are different and unique activities meant to be learned from, enjoyed, and enhance one’s experience.