Encompass Blog

Last week we held a complimentary wine storage seminar in Vienna. Along with the great complimentary wine tasting, our guests learned a lot about wine storage options, considerations for larger collections and general words of advice.

If you weren't able to make it, or would like to download the handout from the seminar, take a look...

Four Options for Small Wine Collections

Short of building a whole wine cellar, there are affordable, functional and attractive options for storing wine in your home.

1. Simple Wine Rack
   Free-standing or built-in.
2. Beverage or Bar Center
   Glass front cabinets for glasses, wine racks, and an under-counter wine cooler.
3. Larger bar including a free-standing wine cooler
   Dual temperature versus single temperature.
4. Strictly functional wine storage
   Create space under basement stairs or convert a secondary closet space. No aesthetic elements are necessary.

Considerations For Large Wine Collections

When planning a solution for large wine collections, the following functional and design items must be addressed:

• Racking system: plastic, terra-cotta, metal, wood and functional accessories (pull outs, diamond rack, case storage, etc.)
• Size of bottles: magnums, half bottles, longer bottles (some white wines)
• Door to cellar: needs to be exterior grade, glass versus no glass
• Security system
• Floor covering: tile, wood
• Seating or counter top area
• Decorative lightning versus task lighting
• Catalog system: smart wire, laser scanning/bar codes into computer
• Vapor barriers
• Insulation: more is not necessarily better
• Coordination of mechanical systems: working within the tolerance of your household HVAC
• Plumbing: floor drain, sink

Words of Advice

An Encompass client with a considerable wine collections share some lessons learned:

• Buy broad across many varietals to see what you like before socking cellar to its full capacity.
• Don't overstock from the get go. Start small.
• Allow for more space/racking or build larger than you think you'll need.
• Consider venting outside versus venting inside.