The design and construction of a custom wine cellar in Vancouver, Canada should be well thought out, so that it can meet the essential requirements for proper wine storage. The following are the basic parts of a custom wine cellar and how they should ideally be.

1. Wine Cellar Walls & Ceiling

Wine cellars in Canada should be properly insulated. Wine cellar insulation should be at least R20, so that the temperature and humidity levels are kept from fluctuating. The interior walls of your custom wine cellar should be as inert as possible. Many wine cellar specialists would advise choosing Urethane for your cellar insulation, because it is efficient in sealing the walls and ceiling. Mineral wood is good to use too, but it should be properly protected from humidity, because otherwise it will lose its capacity to insulate after some time. Rigid insulation panels are a good idea as well.

To maintain the level of humidity in the wine storage room, a vapor-seal is essential. Make sure that your vapor-seal sheets overlap and are secured with adhesive tapes.

The paint used on the walls and ceilings of your wine cellar should be of mold-resistant latex. Bathroom paint is the best option.

In order to make room for a wine cellar cooling unit to be installed, avoid cellars that are completely surrounded by concrete.

2. Custom Wine Cellar Door

In order to ensure that the temperature and humidity in the wine cellar are stable, an insulated door equipped with weather stripping should be utilized. Cellar doors ought to be at least R16 insulation. Tell your wine cellar designer to have a window or a thermal glass on your door so that you may be able to see your wine collection inside the cellar without needing to open it.

Some people opt to have a lock on their wine cellar door, so that they can control access to the wine cellar. This also is a good idea, so that you can control how often the wine cellar is opened. Constant opening of a wine cellar in Vancouver, Canada can cause temperature and humidity fluctuations that are harmful to your wines.

3. Wine Cellar Flooring

There are various options to choose from when it comes to custom wine cellar flooring. The material you use should be resistant to humidity. Stones, ceramic tiles and marble are humidity resistant materials. If you want to use wood for cellar flooring, make sure that it is sealed properly, so that it won’t absorb humidity.

If you plan to construct your custom wine cellar in your basement, you can make use of the soil’s natural humidity by putting holes through the concrete basement floor. But before that, you have to make sure that the soil is not water logged and that there is enough drainage beneath the basement’s foundation to avoid water infiltration. You may also put holes in the cellar walls to increase the humidity level by 1 to 2 degrees. Don’t forget to cover the holes in order to keep insects out.

4. Custom Wine Cellar Lighting

The lighting you choose for your wine cellar in Vancouver, Canada should be that which generates minimal heat. Heat can damage your wines. The best type of lighting for wine storage rooms is LED. Some wines are not favorable to light. Light dimmers are recommended, so that you can adjust the light as needed.

5. Wine Cellar Cooling System

A quality wine cellar refrigeration unit can set the temperature and humidity inside your custom wine cellar to the ideal levels. There are various kinds of wine cellar cooling units. A wine cellar specialist can calculate the heat load in your wine storage room, so that you can identify the appropriate wine cellar refrigeration system for your cellar.

Wine is one of God’s gifts to men. It is a wonderful beverage, meant to be enjoyed and shared with friends and family. It is one of tastiest beverages. In order to make sure that wine tastes good, it is very important that you understand the essentials of wine storage. Here are the basics to keeping wine.

KEEP WINE COOL

There is nothing more damaging to wine than heat! When the temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, wine ages prematurely. This, in turn, causes it to taste awful. The ideal temperature range to store wine in is between 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

COOL IS GOOD BUT TOO COOL IS HARMFUL

A regular household refrigerator is not ideal for wine storage. The average refrigerator is configured to store perishable goods and other food items. The temperature in a regular fridge can fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature this low can cause the wine corks to eventually dry out, thus allowing air to seep into the bottle and ruin the wine.

Wines should never be kept in locations where they could freeze. Wine expands when it turns to ice. When it expands, it may push the cork out of the bottle.

To provide the right temperature for wine, you need a custom wine cellar with a wine cellar refrigeration unit installed. Only a wine cooling unit can provide the right temperature for wine storage with minimal to no fluctuations.

LIGHTS OUT PLEASE!

Ultraviolet light is another enemy of wine. Ultraviolet light degrades the quality of wine by causing premature aging. This is the reason why wine bottles are dark tinted; wine has to be protected from this kind of light. Sunlight and fluorescent lights emit ultraviolet light. LED lights are the best option for custom wine cellars in Miami, Florida.

HUMIDITY MATTERS

Ideally, wines should be kept in a wine cellar in Florida that has a humidity level anywhere between 50 to 80 percent. Too humid of a location can allow mold and mildew formation. Although mold and mildew may not necessarily affect wines that have been sealed properly, it can most certainly damage wine labels. Humidity levels that are too low can dry out corks and cause the oxidation of the wines.

GO SIDEWAYS!

Having your wine bottles rest sideways on your wine racks has two benefits. First, it makes sure that the wines are in constant contact with the corks, to prevent them from drying out. Second, horizontal wine racking saves a lot of space. This is especially good for those who want to store hundreds to thousands of wines.

NO SHAKING

Constant vibrations can be damaging to wines because shaking speeds up many chemical reactions in the wine. This, in turn, causes wine to age prematurely. Keep wines in a wine storage room that protects it from vibration.

Wine Cellars International provides more tips on how to build the perfect wine storage rooms for your beloved wines. They offer various kinds of custom wine cellars in Miami, as well as different designs of wine racks.