Wine cannot age gracefully if stored in poor conditions. It should be stored in an environment where the temperature and humidity are stable. The basement is an ideal place to build a Texas home wine cellar because it is the cooler area of your home. However, always keep in mind that important components must be installed in order to achieve the optimum conditions needed by wine to mature properly.
Requirements in Building a Basement Wine Cellar in Texas
Basement Wine Cellar
Wine needs a cool environment to preserve its quality. Too much heat exposure can ruin wine’s flavour, aroma, and overall complexity.
The basement of your home can be an ideal place to store wine.
You can build a complete wine cellar in your basement, which is usually a cooler part of the house as compared to other rooms at the ground level. It is easier for builders to stabilize the temperature and humidity in basement wine cellars. A custom wine cellar in your basement can be made in any size that you have the space available.
Lighting System and Wine Cooling System
Wine Cellar Lighting and Wine Cooling System
While planning your basement wine cellar, also remember that it would require some lighting and a cooling unit. Lighting is an important part of the wine cellar ambience. Led lighting and recessed air lock ceiling lights often work well in custom wine cellars for the home.
At Wine Cellar Specialists, we recommend the LED lighting system. It is known for its low heat emission, which can protect wine from being damaged.
Standard lighting fixtures are not ideal for illuminating wine storage spaces because they emit too much heat.
A dedicated circuit for cooling unit will need to be available or installed. The wine refrigeration system plays a very important role in wine ageing. Using standard home air conditioners can result in wine oxidation.
Oxidized wines have an unpleasant flavour and smell. You don’t want your favourite vintages to become undrinkable due to temperature fluctuations and unstable humidity levels. Investing in a quality wine refrigeration unit is recommended.
Wine Cellar Specialists offers commercial-grade wine cooling systems from trusted manufacturers: Wine Guardian, WhisperKool, CellarPro, and US Cellar Systems.
Proper Insulation for Texas Wine Cellars
Complete construction of the walls, floor and ceiling with a vapour barrier and the proper amount of insulation must occur. Make sure you are adding the correct wine cellar door to completely seal the room.
Proper insulation of refrigerated wine cellars is important because it can prevent moisture build-up. A poorly insulated cellar will force your cooling unit to work harder and may result in breakdowns and high-energy bills.
Seek Professional Help for Your Next Project.
The help of professional wine cellar designers can make it a lot easier to create beautiful and safe wine rooms. At Wine Cellar Specialists, we have years of experience in designing residential wine cellars. If you want to have a wine cellar, you can use any spare room in your home, such as your basement. Our creativity and passion in building climate-controlled wine cellars helped us complete installation projects with satisfaction.
Mistakes in wine room construction can be avoided if you work with the right company. We, at Wine Cellar Specialists, have extensive knowledge in proper wine storage. We have designed functional custom wine displays and installed Texas wine cellars with the proper components. Before the wine room installation, there are important questions that need to be answered, to ensure that our clients will be happy with the beauty and functionality of their wine rooms.
Questions That Needs to Be Answered Before Custom Wine Cellar Installation
A Wine Cellar Must be Built by a Professional
Yes, wine cellars are a good investment, especially if you are a wine connoisseur. Consider your wine collection. Maybe you don’t know how you became a collector.
A couple of bottles you bought for dinner became a case for a week’s vacation with friends and all of a sudden you’re reading labels and asking about vintage and years.
What’s next? Worrying about storage temperature. If you don’t think about it, that special bottle you’re saving for a golden anniversary or for when that promotion goes through may not taste as special as you are hoping.
Once your thoughts turn to storage temperature, it’s time to think about a wine cellar of your very own.
Some questions you may have, or at least some questions others at the start of their wine cellar process have had, and some answers. Of course, your situation is unique to you. Some of the questions may not apply. Remember, we’re here to help. Call us at 972-454-0480, or you can e-mail us at info@winecellarspec.com.
Is special construction required?
Wine Will Age Properly in the Right Environment
The fluctuation of temperature is the number one cause of wines going bad. You want your wine cellar to have a constant temperature of between 55 degrees and 58 degrees, and maintain a humidity of between 50% and 75%. The temperature in most homes hover around 70 degrees, and the humidity in most homes is somewhere between 20% and 30%.
Of course, where you live, and the temperature and humidity outside probably affect the temperature and humidity in your home.
The proper insulation and vapor barrier in the walls are the first steps to creating a wine room. These will keep the wine cellar humidity at the ideal range by preventing the warm air from leaking into the wine room.
Without proper insulation, molds and mildew can build up in your wine cellar, which can damage the integrity of your racking and walls. This can also damage the wine labels.
The next step is to find out which climate control system is right for you. After the assessment of your needs, Wine Cellar Specialists will be able to recommend the type and brand of wine refrigeration system that suits your storage requirements. This will stabilize the temperature and humidity in the wine room. Regular air conditioners don’t have the capacity to provide the right environment that will help the wine to age gracefully.
Yes. However, keep in mind that where you install your wine cellar will affect how much you spend on its upkeep going forward. Also, heat, light, and vibration can affect your wine. Pick a spot without windows preferably (so you don’t have to worry about covering them) and away from any noise is best. The type of climate control system you can use also depends upon where your room is located. Consult a Wine Cellar Specialist.
When does the cooling unit go in?
Normally, your refrigeration system goes in after the drywall is installed. However, you will want to run the electrical and drain lines during your wall construction.
Do I need to install special flooring?
Texas Wine Cellar Flooring
Yes. You need to install flooring that can withstand high humidity. Carpeting just will not do, since it may likely rot.
Concrete is OK, as long as it is sealed properly. Porcelain or granite tiles, cork, or hardwood flooring is most often recommended.
Custom wine cellar lighting is key to achieving a moody and dramatic look
While it’s fine to opt out of installing lighting for your custom wine cellar, we highly recommend adding a bit of decorative lighting to improve the overall ambient of the space. Furthermore, it adds some pizzazz to your wine collection. With LEDs, you don’t have to worry about the heat it produces. It won’t affect the temperature and the state of wine bottles, thanks to the low-power nature of LED. Alternatively, you can install a chandelier to illuminate the entire room space. The combination of warm lighting and dark-shaded bottles creates a soothing look and feel for a Texas custom wine cellar. What’s even better is that it works and blends well whether it’s traditional, modern, or contemporary custom wine cellars.
How to properly light a Texas custom wine cellar?
If you are planning to add lighting decorations to your wine cellar, you need to know how to install lights in a wine cellar the right way. Aside from chandelier or ceiling lighting, you can try the backlit style. With the bulbs hiding behind wine bottles, the illumination creates a silhouette effect that dramatically adds mood to a wine rack. Sometimes, the color of the wine makes everything a lot more interesting. Another style that’s popular nowadays is accent lighting. All you need to have are several LED strips and run them along the shelves. You can get creative and find the best spots for accent lights. This is one of the best ways to light a custom wine cellar, especially if you want wine racks to be the focal point.
I don’t want to build my wine cellar. Can anyone do it?
Wine Cellar Specialists Texas
Yes, most likely. A blanket statement like anyone can build your wine cellar is difficult to back up. If your builder follows proper Texas wine cellar construction and enclosure guidelines, then yes, anyone can help you.
The materials your builder will need for your wine cellar are easy to find and often used in other home projects. But you should ask any builder you consider for the job if they have experience with wine cellars, and if not, if they work with anyone who does.
When it comes to installing climate control, many units will require a licensed HVAC/R contractor.
The most affordable builder, or the builder who promises to have your wine cellar finished in the shortest amount of time, may not be the best builder for your job. Think long-term appreciation, not short-term satisfaction. We, at Wine Cellar Specialists, will create your wine cellar from start to finish… or work with your builder to help educate him on the best methods when building your room.
So you’ve decided to build a wine cellar in your home. Do you know the environment to create in your wine cellar to best protect your wine? Learn all about it and more in this, the first in a series of blog posts about creating an ideal environment in your wine cellar.
Achieving Optimum Temperature and Humidity Levels for Graceful Wine Aging
Wine Guardian Cooling Unit in a Teas Home Wine Cellar
Your Texas wine cellar should constantly be at a temperature of about 55 degrees. As important as temperature is, so is humidity. Keep the humidity in your wine cellar somewhere between 50 and 75 percent.
Too high of a humidity can cause mold and mildew and your labels to fall off. Too low a humidity can cause your corks to dry out, air can seep into your bottles, and your wine can be ruined.
Do you live in a low-humidity area? Some types of climate control units help to regulate your humidity by adding moisture, others simply get rid of excess humidity. Some wine cellar owners like to add a humidifier to their cellar while others might want a fountain.
The poor man’s method is a container of water across the room from the cooling unit. The unit will pull the moisture through the room. Most areas of the country do not need any type of humidification.
When cooling a Texas wine cellar with the liquid mass of the wine in the bottles, the humidity naturally rises. Your cellar will automatically have a higher humidity than it will have outside the room. The vapor barrier in the walls, floor and ceiling helps to keep the humidity inside the room. This is why most cooling units are made to get rid of the excess humidity.
Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Wine Cellar Cooling unit
Picking a wine cellar cooling unit is where you need to be sure to consult an expert. He or she is best able to help you pick something that will work for your wine cellar. Many things are considered when deciding what you can use.
Where in the house or building is the cellar located?
Do you want to see the unit or not?
Are you OK with hearing the unit or not?
How big is your wine room?
What is the amount of insulation in the room?
What is the type/style of wine cellar door installed?
The size of the room, the amount of insulation, even the style of the door being used are all factors in determining the size of unit you can use. Your cooling unit expert at Wine Cellar Specialists can do a free heat load calculation for you by plugging in all the factors needed to determine the correct BTU’s necessary for your unit. All cooling units need to have a dedicated circuit and all units will have a drain line for excess condensation.
Types of Wine Cooling Units Recommended for Texas Wine Cellars
Self Contained or Through-the-wall: A unit that is mounted through the wall (hence the name). It pulls air from the adjoining room and also releases hot air into the same room. This separate room must be heat and air conditioned and be at least two times the size of the wine cellar. Some of these systems can have the hot air ducted to another area. Consult your expert.
Ductless Split System: Called a “split” because the evaporator coil is in the room where the unit is. It is connected to the condenser in another room or outside the home via 2 copper lines. If you live in a climate where you have winter days of below 40 degrees, this must be taken into consideration when choosing your unit. Some units can withstand these temperatures. On others you must add a low ambient kit for cold weather.
Split-air handler or Ducted Split System: This system requires ducting to the wine cellar from the evaporator coil, which can sit in another room, closet or attic. The evaporator is connected to the condenser via 2 copper lines. The condenser can be in another room (at least 1-2 times the size of the cellar) or outdoors. Again, if placing the condenser outdoors, be sure your wine cellar expert knows your climate temperature fluctuations year round to be sure your unit has everything for the conditions it will be in.
Water-cooled system: This system uses cold water to cool the coils in the unit, and is installed in an indoor space. By using water, no refrigerant is needed or used, and an air handler creates the cold air you need in the room. This type of unit is usually only used when the building has a water reservoir in place that circulates through the building and can be tapped into. You do not want to hook this up to a regular city water and sewer system.
A climate control system will do more than simply circulate air in your cellar. The right system will help protect your wine by maintaining constant wine cellar temperature and humidity. The fluctuation of temperature and humidity is the biggest cause of ruined wine.
More Wine Cooling Tips
Wine Cellar Specialists, a wine cooling expert in Texas, always make sure that the room is prepared for the installation of the wine refrigeration system. They install the proper amount of insulation, a vapor the barrier, and sealing components for the door and flooring.
Installing the Proper Insulation and Vapor Barrier Can Protect Both Your Wine Cooling System and Wines
Climate-controlled wine cellars must be insulated by a professional to prevent the environmental factors from damaging your wine. The R factor (thickness of insulation) depends on the thickness of the walls and ceiling. R19 is the minimum insulation that must be applied the interior walls of your wine cellar. For the ceiling, above ground floor and any exterior walls, R-30 insulation is recommended.
Wine Cellar Door with Proper Sealing Components by Wine Cellar Specialists Texas Builder
Wine cellar builders should be using closed cell spray foam as insulation and vapor barrier. Before the foam is sprayed, any seams should also by polysealed. Proper vapor barrier and insulation can help to prevent mold growth by sealing the wine cellar and allowing the proper sized cooling unit to work efficiently. When closed cell foam is used as your insulation in the correct thickness, another vapor barrier is not necessary.
Some contractors use plastic sheeting applied to the warm side of the walls. At Wine Cellar Specialists we only recommend closed cell foam. Plastic sheeting is too easy to be compromised over time and can then allow moisture to enter the room, causing mold or mildew issues.
With the appropriate insulation and vapor barrier installed, your Texas wine cellar can store your collection safely for years to come. It also allows your wine cooling system to function properly, preventing significant expense. Your wine cooling unit may not work correctly, overworking the refrigeration system, if your wine cellar has not been properly sealed.
Sealing the Door and Flooring
An exterior grade door must be used in a cooled wine cellar. It must be equipped with weather stripping on all four sides of the doorjamb. It will prevent unwanted entry of the outdoor air. It is also imperative to add a threshold or bottom sweep to the door. Our wood and iron doors have the option of an automatic door bottom which is a great way to seal against the loss of air from your wine cellar.
Your floor will need to have a vapor barrier and insulation if it is above ground. Flooring should be made of a solid material applied to a level surface. Ideal flooring materials are ceramic tiles, hardwood, and marbles.
Need Help? Contact a Wine Cellar Cooling Expert.
Wine Cellar Specialists offers quality cooling systems for Texas wine cellars. Contact them at +1 (866 ) 646-7089!
We couldn’t be more thrilled! Check out some of our awards and their corresponding projects:
We had a start to finish excellent experience with Wine Cellar Specialists. After talking to a couple of carpenters about converting a closet into a small wine cellar I wasn't very confident they knew what they were doing so I started looking for expertise and found Wine Cellar Specialists.
I had my consultation with Brad Cupp and he was very passionate about their business and options
Steve Gee
We had a fantastic experience with Brad Cupp and Wine Cellar Specialists-Dallas. They converted an under-the-stair closet into a fabulous refrigerator cellar that holds about 400 bottles of wine. The attention to detail and craftsmanship was well worth the time it took to complete this job. You don't always get what you pay for, but in this case, I truly believe that we did. Thank you for an exceptional job.
Timothy Martin
Wine Cellar Specialists provided us a custom black iron/glass door as the main feature to our new wine cellar. The quality is excellent and the look is just what I asked for. Thanks so much.
Aiden K
I purchased a wine cellar door from Wine Cellar Specialist and had the pleasure of working with Alex. She helped me design a custom door that was absolutely beautiful. This was a very big project and she was so kind and professional and held my hand throughout the whole process. It was an amazing experience. I researched other companies before choosing Wine Cellar Specialists and it was their customer service and attention to detail that made my decision so easy. I highly recommend them for any wine cellar project.
G
Gary Anderson
Great experience with the process and progress completion - Brad Cupp dons well in coordinating and communication. All the sub contractors were good to work with and were attentive to cleaning after work. Plus the important end result was a wonderful wine cellar that can accommodate over 700 bottles of wine in relatively small area. Highly recommend!
Dallas 
Complete construction of the walls, floor and ceiling with a vapour barrier and the proper amount of insulation must occur. Make sure you are adding the correct wine cellar door to completely seal the room.
