Tag Archives: home wine cellars

Chicago Wine Cellars – Wine Barrel vs. Cork Cellar Flooring

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WC FLOORING CHICAGOWine cellar flooring is an important aspect of a Chicago wine cellar design.  It can greatly enhance the overall décor and ambiance of a wine storage room.

Wine cellar flooring comes from different materials such as wood, stone, tile, cork, and reclaimed wine barrels.  The only flooring material that is not ideal for wine cellars is carpet.  The cool environment of the storage space can promote mold growth in carpet fibers.

When deciding on the material for your wine cellar flooring, keep in mind that it should be strong enough to hold the total weight load of wine bottles and wine storage racks.  Although there are many flooring options available for Chicago custom wine cellars, two stand out among the rest – wine barrel flooring and cork flooring. It is because these flooring options are not only attractive but also eco-friendly!

Two Types of Chicago Wine Cellar Flooring

 Wine Barrel Flooring 

WINE BARRELWine barrel flooring comes from reclaimed oak wine barrels.  Oak wine barrels typically have a life span of about ten years.  After these wooden containers have fulfilled their purpose, they are dumped in landfills, sold as firewood, or used as planters.  However, a creative and environmentally friendly solution turned these seemingly useless old wine barrels into unique flooring materials.

Reclaimed wine barrel flooring has exceptional features and characteristics that create a one-of-a-kind appearance in any wine storage room.  Each component is unique and incomparable to anything else in the world.

Wine barrel flooring brings in an old-world vibe and provides an elegant touch to your wine cellar.  There are three kinds of wine barrel flooring:  stave, wine infusion, and cooperage.
Stave flooring is manufactured from the outer part of the wine barrel.  It has beautiful distinctive markings that come from removed metal hoops.

Infusion wine cellar flooring is produced from the inner part of the barrel.  This wood retains the natural color of the wine which provides it with various shades of red burgundy to white.

Cooperage wood flooring is the top and bottom part of the barrel.  It prominently displays winery brandings and markings.

Cork Flooring

Aside from sealing wine bottles, cork can also be used as a flooring material for residential custom wine cellars. This material is produced from the bark of cork oak.  Like reclaimed wine barrels, cork flooring is regarded as an eco-friendly product because of its recycling and sustainability features.

WINE CORK FLOORING

There are benefits to using cork flooring for your Chicago wine storage room.  For starters, cork has natural properties that make it highly resistant to mold infestation and less prone to decay. Cork has an excellent cell structure that makes it act like a natural shock absorber.  Another benefit to cork flooring is that it has natural insulation, as well as sound-absorbing properties.

Cork flooring is a lightweight material that is durable and affordable.  It is available in different colors and patterns that can match any décor.  Cork wine cellar flooring provides ease of installation and maintenance.

Wine barrels and cork are the material of choice for eco-minded wine collectors.  These flooring products have a lot to offer in terms of beauty and functionality, not to mention contributing to the betterment of the environment.

Tips On Choosing The Right Custom Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Chicago

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The Different Types of Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems

Wine is a very sensitive beverage. It needs to be stored in the right conditions because it will spoil otherwise. A custom wine cellar with a quality wine cellar cooling unit installed can provide the ideal conditions for wine storage. On the market, there are various wine cellar cooling systems to choose from. Learn about the 3 basic types of custom wine cellar cooling systems and find out which is the right one for your home wine cellar.

1. Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems

Oftentimes, Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems are the most efficient way to cool a custom wine cellar. In most cases, cooling unit condensers are very noisy and take up a lot of space. With a Split Cooling System, the condenser is placed in a location outside the cellar, where heat and noise are localized, while the evaporator, which is quiet, is placed inside (or near) the custom wine cellar. You need to have a licensed HVAC/R technician install Split Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems.

Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems can either be:

a.       Ductless

The Ductless Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems do not need venting into an adjacent room because the condenser, which is the part that produces heat, is placed in a separate location. There is no ducting connecting the units. Instead, what connects them is a simple line set, which is comprised of small copper tubing and some electrical wiring.

b.      Ducted

Ducted Split Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems have benefits similar to those of ductless systems. What differentiates them is that with the Ducted Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems, there is no visible equipment inside the custom wine cellar at all. Cool air is efficiently ducted to and from the custom wine cellar. Unlike the ductless types, the evaporator is not inside the wine cellar at all in the ducted types.

2. Ducted Self-Contained Cellar Cooling Units

Ducted Self-Contained Cooling Systems can be installed up to 25 feet from the wine cellar. The cool air is blown into the custom wine cellar and the heat is exhausted to the outside of the home through a duct. This type of wine cellar cooling can be a little bit noisy, depending on how it is installed.

3. Self-Contained Through the Wall Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Units

Among all the custom wine cellar cooling units, self-contained through-the-wall cooling units are the most cost-effective as well as the easiest to install. These units can even be installed without the help of a licensed HVAC/R technician. The units are simply mounted on the wall of your custom wine cellar. One of the disadvantages to having this wine cellar cooling system is that it makes a lot of noise.

One end of this cooling system produces cool air and blows it into the residential wine cellar. The other end of the system absorbs the heat from the cellar and takes it out into a room adjoined to the custom wine cellar. It is important to remember that the adjoined room should be at least twice the size of your cellar unless the heat is exhausted into another area.

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.