Has your wine cabinet ever reached maximum capacity? Have you ever found a bottle you love so much you’ve thought, “Man, I could buy a case of this! But where would I keep it?” Have you ever thought, “if only I always had a bottle of champagne on hand for those big life moments?” If this is you, it may be time to consider a wine cellar. Many wine lovers see, and begin to dream of having their own wine cellar. But what are some things to consider when deciding to put a wine cellar in your own home?

A major appeal to a wine cellar is having a specific, designated space to store your wine! This not only keeps your wine temperature controlled, but also protects it from too much light, humidity swings, and other external factors. Many things affect the aging process of wine such as vibration, temperature, humidity, and light. Temperature is a great place to start when it comes to creating the ideal environment for your wine! There are two ways generally to have control of the temperature in your wine cellar. The first one being an active cooled wine cellar. This entails installing a climate control system that will maintain an ideal temperature for your wine. The other option is a passively cooled wine cellar. Passively cooled wine cellars do not have installed climate control, but are put in underground to regulate large temperature changes.

A major aspect of your wine cellar to consider is capacity. If you have 500 bottles or a goal to collect 500 bottles, take into account that that number will fluctuate as you drink through the bottles, as well as take in more. If you start with 500, build enough racks for 800-1000 bottles. It is always better to have extra space rather than not enough. You don’t want to build a wine cellar that fits the number of bottles you start with, and end up storing any extra you obtain in your pantry, or tucked behind your dinner plates.

Take into account what your “collecting- style” is. You may think you only need space for 300-400 bottles, as you are just starting out your wine collection. But consider how that collection will continue to expand? When you find that incredible bottle that has everything you love in a bottle of wine for a great price, you want to have the space to store a case of that wine! What if you find a bottle that you want to age for many years? You will have enough space for those bottles to age to their finest point, all while leaving enough space for the wines you keep and go through regularly!

Many people have their favorite kind of wine, or at least a preference when it comes to red, white, rose etc. Wine bottles come in all shapes and sizes, and most wine racks are not designed to accommodate all varieties. If you want to be able to have a stockpile of prosecco, you will have to make sure to have at least a section of wine racks that can fit their large, unique shape. If you tend to prefer red wine, have the majority of your racks fit a standard wine bottle size, but add a few rows for larger bottles. Another option is to also install a few diamond bins to store those irregularly sized bottles whenever you happen to obtain them.

Your wine cellar can be as simple or extravagant as you desire and there are endless options when it comes to size, organization, and design. They can be customized to fit any style of home, and are a delightful addition to any home!