A luxury home isn’t truly complete without luxury gadgets and amenities. One of the amenities that are most sought after by our clients is top-of-the-line wine storage, and one of our more recent projects was designed specifically with this need in mind. Our Bird Key ranch features a number of inspired choices, which include beautiful interior windows that allow the residents to see into a brand new, energy-efficient, wine storage room. So, as we were reminiscing on all of our favorite parts of this project, we thought we’d share some wine storage planning tips for all of the wine drinkers who are thinking of incorporating that particular taste into their home’s design.
If you consider yourself a wine connoisseur, you probably already know that serving temperature plays a big part in how wines smell, taste and feel when you drink them. Even the best wines can be ruined due to improper storage. Temperature really does make all of the difference, but regular refrigerators are too cold to store most wines, and room temperature is too warm.
The best way to properly store wine is with a temperature-controlled wine cellar or refrigerator. If you’re wondering what features to look for when shopping around for the most energy-efficient wine storage to keep your luxurious collection at its best, we have just the list for you. Here are a few key points to consider:
Where will your wine storage be located in your home?
Before you start designing or shopping, know exactly where you are going to set up your wine storage unit. You don’t want your storage area in the garage or near appliances that give off heat, like an oven, regular refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher or washing machine and dryer. The temperatures in these areas fluctuate too often and will affect how often your cooler has to run, which will shorten its lifespan. Wine storage cellars and refrigerators are only designed to keep wine below a certain temperature.
You also want to make certain that your wine is stored in a well-ventilated area. Avoid closed-off spaces, as cooling storage units give off heat and suck in the air. If it’s placed in or built in a poorly ventilated space, the storage unit will only be able to suck in its own hot air, making it work less efficiently, ultimately shortening its lifespan.
How many bottles do you plan to store?
Once you decide where you will be setting up your wine cellar or cooler, determine how many bottles you want to store. Know how many you want to store to drink and how many you want to age. Wine storage units range in capacity from 6 bottles to more than 300 bottles, and a true sommelier knows to create a storage space slightly bigger than what you think you will need. This extra space will also give you enough air space for ventilation so that your storage unit runs more efficiently.
Design with insulation in mind.
Insulation is key to your storage unit running efficiently. The better insulated you keep your wine cooler, the less often it will need to run, and therefore the less energy it will require. Look for a high R-factor in insulation when designing or shopping around for materials (R-factor is how insulation is measured).
Do you need one or two temperature zones?
Most wine storage coolers and cellars are built so that you can set the temperature to your preference. There are also those with two separate thermostats so that you can set half of the unit to one temperature for one type of wine and the other half to a totally different temperature for another type. If you have a smart home and want to continue using such technologies with your appliances and amenities, you can also set up your storage unit to have easy-touch temperature control that can be changed anywhere, anytime for ultimate energy-efficiency.
You’ve already put a lot of time, money and effort into building your perfect home, so the same care should go into finding the perfect storage for preserving your wine collection. Cheers to finding the perfect wine storage solution for you!