What is a Wine Cellar?
In simple terms, a wine cellar is a space devoted exclusively for the storage of bottled (or barreled) wine. Wine is a perishable food product and will spoil if improperly stored. A wine cellar will protect the fermented fruit product from potentially harmful external influences such as sunlight, vibration and fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
Opulent, custom-built wine cellars are one of the more recent trends in home design and construction where wine aficionados can safely store, age and display their bottled wine collections.
WINE CELLARS THROUGH THE AGES
Wine cellars today are patterned after wine storage facilities dating back thousands of years. The world’s oldest purpose-built wine cellar dating to 1700 BCE was unearthed in 2013 in Tel Kabri, Israel. It measures approximately 4.5m x 7m (15’x 23’) and contained 40 large earthenware jars that could hold the equivalent of 3,000 bottles.
In many parts of the Roman Empire (27 BCE to 476 CE), the Romans protected and stored their wine in the cool underground catacombs in the region. In Reims, France, huge Roman-dug chalk mines dating back to the 4th century are still being used today to store champagne and wine. Another French cellar or wine cave dug by monks from the 14th-16th century holds 700,000 bottles and 2,000 wine barrels is located in Meursault, France. In France and in other parts of the world, the practice of using underground storage still continues today.
Throughout the millennia all the various methods of wine storage had common elements: cool temperatures, humidity control and protection from vibration and sunlight. Although much more technologically advanced, these are the same essential features contained in today’s custom-built wine cellars designed to your specifications by Luxury Elements.
PASSIVE AND ACTIVE WINE CELLARS
As previously mentioned, the four common essentials to preserve wines are: cool temperatures, controlled humidity, protection from sunlight and vibration. Both passive and active wine cellars incorporate all of these requisites but using different methodology; one naturally and the other by artificial means. Depending on your storage needs, space availability and desired location, a decision will have to be made to determine which is type is correct for your particular situation, a passive wine cellar or an active one. Luxury Elements can assist you in determining what type is the best for you and your wine collection.
Passive – A passive wine cellar is usually an underground storage space that is not climate-controlled by artificial means. The underground temperature in today’s typical basement is about 50-55 degrees, making it an ideal location for wine storage. This is why so many people opt for a passive wine cellar built in their dry, unheated basement. Another advantage of a passive cellar is that it does not rely on cooling equipment to keep wine at its optimum temperature and humidity. This means those pesky power outages need not be a concern. Additionally, a passive cellar is environmentally-friendly with only an insignificant carbon footprint due to any installed luminaire. All things considered, a passive wine cellar is a practical, cost-effective solution for storing a wine collection.
Active – With an active wine cellar, the temperature and humidity levels are maintained at an ideal balance by artificial means, i.e., a climate-controlled wine cooling system. As you know, temperatures and humidity levels too high or too low can compromise the quality of wine. An active wine cellar must be properly constructed and insulated in order to maintain the proper temperature and humidity levels. An active wine cellar can be built as a stand-alone room, a converted space such as a closet or unused bedroom, or as a glassed wine wall or under-counter cooler, etc. The possibilities are only limited by your needs, imagination and budget.
