Wine Storage – Home Wine Cellars and Commercial Wine Cellars

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There are different ways of storing your wine collection, but if you are a serious wine collector, a wine cellar is an ideal place to keep your vintages.  A wine cellar is equipped with a wine cooling system that controls the climate of your storage room.  Wine cellars can provide the most conducive environment, where the taste and flavor of your wines are preserved and enhanced over time.

There are advantages to building a wine cellar in your own home.  To start with, it offers convenience.  Having a well-stocked wine cellar at your disposal means being able to pair your meals with one of your fine wines at any given time, and no more last-minute stops to the liquor store when you have guests to entertain.

Storing your wines in a home wine cellar can also increase their value, should you decide to sell your collection down the line.  The climate-controlled environment of a wine cellar helps keep the quality of your wines intact, and the wine labels in pristine condition.

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago - Under-the-Stairs

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago – Under-the-Stairs

The interest in incorporating home wine cellars into the architectural design of a home is gradually increasing as more and more people engage in wine collecting.  Home wine cellars add value to the home – in the monetary and aesthetic sense.  They are also a great place to entertain guests and show off your wine collection.  A home wine cellar is not only a safe haven for your wine collection, it is also a reflection of yourself.

Basement wine cellars and spiral wine cellars are two common types of home wine cellars.  Basement wine cellars, as the name implies, are located in the basement of your home.  Installing a cooling unit and keeping the walls, doors, and ceilings well-insulated should help maintain the ideal environment for storing and aging your wines.

If space is limited and you are on a tight budget, a spiral wine cellar is an answer to your storage woes.  Spiral wine cellars are cylindrical structures that are installed into an opening.  This type of home wine cellar can be submerged in any part of your household – the kitchen, dining area, or even the garage.

Home wine cellars are usually built by private individuals who embark on collecting wines for personal enjoyment and as a form of investment.  A private wine cellar is the best location to keep your investment from harm’s way.

On the other hand, commercial wine cellars are mostly used by restaurants and bars.  These wine cellars have larger storage capacities compared to home wine cellars.  Commercial wine cellars can hold anywhere from around 300 to an unlimited amount of wine bottles for commercial wine displays and storage.

Commercial Custom Wine Cellar at the Loft 610

Commercial Custom Wine Cellar at the Loft 610

Like home wine cellars, most commercial wine cellars are incorporated into the design of the store or restaurant, which enhances and elevates the appearance of the establishment.  It is an elegant way for restaurants to display their collection of fine wines to their regular diners.

These wine cellars also have built-in cooling units to help stabilize temperature and humidity in order to ensure that wines are stored in optimal conditions.  Commercial wine cellars are a lot more expensive to install than private wine cellars and they require larger space.

Building a Wine Cellar – What are the Key Elements Involved?

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There are plenty of reasons wine lovers would want to invest in their own wine cellar.  For starters, a wine cellar is equipped with a climate control system that allows your wine collection to age in optimal conditions.  Having your own wine cellar also provides convenience, which means no more running to the nearest liquor store whenever you feel like pairing your meal with your favorite brand when you have guests to entertain.

There are several key things that you need to consider before building a wine cellar.  The first is to establish a budget that will guide you through the selection process of your materials and design elements.

Location is also one of the primary things to consider because it will influence the cost of maintaining your wine cellar in the long run.  Hence, you must choose the coolest and most humid place to build your wine cellar.

Dave's Custom Wine Cellar Chicago Illinois

Dave’s Custom Wine Cellar Chicago Illinois

Next, determine the storage capacity of your wine cellar.  This will help you decide which type of racking system to use.  Your wine cellar must have enough space for additional wine bottles in case you decide to increase your inventory.

Another important element to consider is climate control.  Temperature and humidity should be regulated at all times to ensure that your wines will age well.  Installing a wine cellar cooling system and proper insulation will most certainly get the job done and keep the climate conditions in your wine cellar balanced.

US Cellar Systems offers wine cellar cooling units both for residential and commercial wine cellars. You can check out their products at their website http://www.winecellarrefrigerationsystems.com/.

A wine cellar not only provides a safe haven for your wine collection but also reflects your personal taste.  Although the main goal of wine cellar construction is to create an ideal environment for your wines, do not neglect the aesthetic aspects of the structure.  Design elements such as flooring materials, lighting, and furniture contribute greatly to the overall appearance of your wine cellar.  What better way to entertain guests and showcase your wine collection than in a wine cellar that exudes charm and elegance?

Custom Wine Cellar Goldberg Project

Custom Wine Cellar Goldberg Project

Wine cellar design is all about giving your storage room a personality.  It combines architectural structure and design schemes in order to create a tasteful environment that is conducive to your wine collection.  Wine cellar design involves picking out the right material for your cellar flooring, the type of lighting system, and furniture style.

There are various types of flooring materials that you can choose from cork, wood, and vintage barrels among them.  If you are eco-conscious, then cork flooring is suited for you.  It is naturally resistant to mold or insect infestation and it can help reduce noise and vibration.  Wood is another popular flooring material because it can match an array of decoration schemes.  It is also very sturdy and highly durable.  If you want your wine cellar to have an old-world appearance, then vintage barrels are the flooring material for you.  Vintage barrels feature distinct markings that add to their unique appeal.

Custom Wine Cellar Lighting

Custom Wine Cellar Lighting

Your choice of lighting should be enough to allow you to read the wine labels, but not too bright to cause heat in the room and damage your wines.  Wine cellar furniture pieces like wine racks and tabletop counters should complement the look of your wine cellar, as they will give your storage room a very stylish and classic environment.

2012 Builders Association Award – Wine Cellar Specialists – Dallas & Chicago

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Builders Association Awarded Project Dallas Custom Wine Cellars

Wine Cellar Specialist +1 (972) 454-0480  – Were pleased and surprised to receive the 2012 Dallas Builders Association Award for our innovative Dallas Texas wine cellar design project.

This award is given to local companies in the Dallas Texas area.  Wine Cellar Specialists have design offices in both Dallas and Chicago.

This residential custom wine cellar project was a kitchen pantry renovation.  All the original structure, walls, ceilings, and shelving were removed and replaced with mahogany custom wine racking, a wine cellar cooling system, and a purpose-built wine cellar door.

The room layout itself was an inspired wine cellar design making use of limited space to create both looks and maximum storage.  Click on the images to see the full story behind this stunning and affordable Dallas-based custom wine cellar.

Have a home wine room conversion project of your own you wish to get started? Contact Wine Cellar Specialists

Dallas Texas Office: +1 (972) 454-0480
Chicago Illinois Office: 773-234-0112
and get a free 3D Design Package

Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems Chicago, Basic Components

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Get a clear understanding of how the cooling system in your wine cellar works. At Custom Wine Cellars Chicago we are always on the lookout for helpful content that helps our clients understand all about their custom wine cellars. We think this video by Dan Phillips of US Cellar Systems does a great job of explaining the basic processes of a cooling system.

Wine Cellar Cooling System – How It Works

Enhanced Video Transcription, Wine Cellar Cooling System – How It Works

Hello, my name is Dan Philips owner and technical adviser for US Cellar Systems. Today we’re going to go over the basic components of a wine cellar refrigerated system and how refrigeration systems work generally.

This will give you a basic understanding of how the cooling system for your wine cellar operates.

The Primary Components of a Wine Cellar Refrigeration System Are:

  1. The Compressor
  2. The Condenser
  3. The Metering Device
  4. The Evaporator Coil

The refrigeration cycle starts with the compressor, which brings in a low-pressure, low-temperature gas from the evaporator coil.  It then compresses the gas into a high-pressure, high-temperature gas and then forces it into the condenser.

The condenser condenses the high-pressure, high-temperature gas into a high-pressure warm liquid.  It does this either by moving air across the coil or by using some other medium that can be used to take the heat out of the refrigerant.   Then this high-pressure warm liquid will move through the system to the metering device.  The metering device causes a drop in pressure where the gas goes from a high-pressure, high-temperature liquid to a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid.

It is this change in pressure from, low to high that causes it to get very cold.  The liquid, on moving into the evaporator, thus absorbs heat from the room in just about the reverse process of what the condenser does by the warmer air coming in across the evaporator coil.  The ambient heat in the air is being absorbed causing the air to cool, this cooler air is then returned back to the room.

Dan Phillips US Cellar Systems Owner & Expert – Wine Cellar Refrigeration Units

This process turns the liquid refrigerant back into your low-pressure, low-temperature gas and it returns back to the compressor to repeat the cycle.

Visit US Cellar Systems at WineCellarRefrigerationSystems.com to find a reseller near you or call +1 (562) 513-3017.  US Cellar Systems is a Trade Only wholesale supplier of innovative wine cellar refrigeration equipment.

We will provide advice to homeowners and design consultants and can put you in touch with professional installers should you have a custom wine cellar or commercial wine display cabinet project.

Chicago Custom Wine Cellars – Design and Construction

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Chicago Custom Wine Cellars Design and Construction

Just about any room in your Chicago home can be converted into a high-capacity and great-looking wine cellar.

A residential ‘custom wine cellar’ by definition means creating a unique place in your home to store your wine collection with the racking customized to the shape and size of the room.

There is, however, much more to create a custom wine cellar than that. A true wine cellar will be climate controlled, efficient, and potentially also a place to show off your wine collection by creating a beautiful display.

On this blog, Custom Wine Cellars Chicago will, through a series of articles, talk about all aspects of creating and using customized wine cellars. In this article, we will focus on the first step, ‘picking the right room to convert in the first place. We will discuss the primary things to think about when making this initial decision.

The bottom line is that the room you pick to convert can make a significant difference to the annual cost of maintaining your wine cellar’s climate-controlled environment.

In most climates, a wine cellar cooling system of some kind will need to be installed. This is particularly true for Chicago but also relevant to most locations in the U.S. This is because wine needs to be stored in a stable environment of about 56 degrees Fahrenheit, 13 degrees Celsius. Steady humidity of about 60% is also an important factor. Most homes vary dramatically outside of these levels, through day/night and seasonal cycles.

Chicago Wine Cellar Experts – Discuss Wine Room Construction and Design Ideas

The room you select therefore needs to be structurally converted with appropriate insulation, correctly installed vapor barriers, and sealed around all access points in order to maintain this environment continuously. Getting this wrong can lead to higher costs due to:

  1. An overpowered Wine Cellar Refrigeration Unit that otherwise might be necessary
  2. A cooling system that runs far too much due to climate leakage, can lead to excessive cooling costs and the cooling system breaking down through over usage
  3. Mold forming in the room over time
  4. Your wine collection not aging correctly or even spoiling

These are common problems caused by custom wine cellars being installed by general builders and inexperienced contractors.

It’s important to take all these factors into account when starting a home wine cellar project.

For example, selecting a room that is poorly insulted on a south-facing external wall can therefore be a maintenance nightmare.

Getting a great wine cellar design can make a big difference to the overall capacity of your wine room, how good-looking the final result will be, and most importantly how stable it is.

The design plans of the wine cellar should include all factors important to your wine cellar, not just the racking. Consider insulation, vapor barriers, a wine cellar door that will seal and withstand the difference in climate over time, and lighting that will both look good but not upset the climate by generating too much heat.

In future articles, we will discuss these topics in more depth and many other aspects of wine cellar design. Up for discussion will be aesthetic choices of materials and products you can make use of to make your wine cellar one that stands out from the crowd.

Some of the topics for future discussion:

  • The correct size and type of wine cellar cooling system
  • The size and use of your wine room
  • The floor of your wine cellar
  • Wine cellar lighting ideas
  • Planning for the wine your cellar will need to store
  • Different types of wine racks
  • Sizes: 750ml, magnum, smaller split or half size
  • Materials, wood species, metal types
  • Styles, standard, display, ‘X’ cube, ‘X’ bin, horizontal label forward, solid, lattice, case storage, waterfall displays, and many more
  • Special features, display tables, arches, hand-carved features
  • Purpose-built wine cellar doors
  • Glass walls
  • Budgeting and growing your wine collection
  • Wine parties and entertainment
  • A wine cellar as a feature in your home and its impact on resale value

Clearly, there is much to think about from both aesthetic and engineering perspectives when building a wine cellar.  Everything starts with a great custom wine cellar design that takes into account where your room is situated in your home, its current construction, and how you plan to actually use your wine cellar.

Some experienced Wine Cellar Designers, Construction Experts & Resources:

Chicago Wine Cellars Experts
Wine Cellar Designs Dallas
Coastal Wine Cellars California
Wine Cellar Designs New York
Wine Cellar Designs & Accessories San Francisco
International Wine Cellars Florida

Wine Cellar Refrigeration Experts

Wine Cellar Cooling Installation California
Wine Cellar Refrigeration Equipment for the Trade

Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois Ideas and Examples for your Chicago Home

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Custom Wine Cellars Chicago Illinois Design Ideas

Beautiful but affordable custom wine cellars are installed in residential homes in and around Chicago Illinois.  Check out these example local home wine rooms, they all have something in common.

All these wine cellar rooms were recently installed by local Chicago-based wine cellar builders for people passionate about their wine collections.  Chicago itself seems to be a hotspot for home custom wine cellars and wine enthusiasts generally.

See the Naperville custom wine cellar, it shows how a dull and old-fashioned corner of a basement room can be converted into a stunning wine room and entertainment area.  Complete with a wine cellar refrigeration system and glass walls, this wine cellar is both economic and great looking.

See the Palos Heights custom wine cellar, designed with unfinished premium redwood racking and concealed wine cellar lighting, this wine room is quite unique.  Check out the wine barrel table, solid display arch, and ‘X’ bin bulk storage displays. Wine cellar specialists love this wine cellar design.

See the downtown Chicago residential wine room, a wine cellar builder’s favorite type of design challenge, this room had a very odd shape.  See how size and shape constraints can be turned to aesthetic advantage. Getting really good 3D design drawings showing all elements and features of the racking layout becomes a critical part of the process to get a great result.

How do you start the process of creating and designing a custom wine cellar of your own?

Work with a wine cellar builder specialist who offers a really good, and ideally, free design process.  Their responsiveness and willingness to work with you in the design phase is a good indicator of the quality of work you can expect when the project starts for real.

Tip, ask for some example wine cellar design drawings of real wine cellars the builder has already created to give you ideas for your project.

Chicago Custom Wine Cellar Ideas

Consider curved racking using reclaimed wine barrels for a unique look.

Have a contemporary home?  Consider metal wine racks for a very modern look.

Entertain a lot?  Consider splitting your wine cellar into two parts, one cooled for the wine and one for enjoying your wine with your friends.

Use unique concealed lighting to make your special wines stand out.

Not sure what to buy your husband for your next anniversary? Consider giving him a wine cellar design and a budget!

No room for a dedicated wine cellar in your home?  Consider converting a section of your garage into a wine cellar.