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john kump and his wife worked with blue grouse to convert a basement suite bedroom into a wine cellar to store their collection.
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although archeological evidence suggests that winemaking originated in mesopotamia around 6000 to 4000 bc, the ancient romans were arguably the connoisseurs of the craft (they had their own wine god, bacchus, after all). to preserve their nectar of the gods, they stored it in huge ceramic containers which they buried up to their necks in the ground to ensure a consistent temperature.
today’s oenophiles have better options, from simple racks to wall-mounted shelving units to elaborate, dedicated rooms of glass, brick or stone in a naturally cool basement (that is, underground, but without the digging).
sketch out a space
before taking your vision to virtual, consider the purpose of your wine storage space, says todd senft, owner of vancouver-based the cellar. “is it for a display case? is it for aging a highly valued collection? or is it for investment purposes, because many people invest in wine, buying and selling it like stocks. so, the purpose determines the size of your wine storage space.”
for the casual consumer who wants to store 50 or fewer bottles, sometimes a simple wooden or metal rack on the counter or a cabinet in the corner of the room will do the trick. just be sure to keep it away from your stove, fridge, in-floor heating and strong lighting, all of which emit heat and will age wine too quickly. uv light can actually destroy it.
the cellar designed this custom wine cellar that holds hundreds of bottles.
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for something bigger but still budget-friendly, senft suggests consulting a kitchen cabinet company who can create a simple storage unit that doesn’t require a cooling system. or you could purchase a basic modular wood rack for a dozen bottles that could nestle into a narrow alcove. a free-standing steel rack with pegs will showcase plenty of bottles without taking up a lot of space. a wall-mounted rack, or wood racks that rest on the floor with some anchoring, are also cost-effective and not too complicated, says adrienne gavard, president of north vancouver’s blue grouse wine cellars. “you can really build up from there in terms of your esthetic preferences. but if it’s just to store wine properly you don’t technically need wine racks; they’re just better for organizing your wine.”
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she says a basement space that will accommodate a cooling unit, however, is preferable to store your precious pours long term because there’s no heat gain through the walls. ideally, temperature should range between 13 c to 15 c, says senft, and between 60 to 70 per cent humidity.
going underground
when john kump and his wife were gifted some bottles of very fine wine and advised to let them rest in optimum conditions for 10 years, they scouted their coquitlam house for options. they decided to convert a basement suite bedroom into a wine cellar to store their fancy new wine, along with about 750 bottles they’d accumulated during covid.
although the established room saved them from having to build new walls, they knew they still needed professional help with the design and technical details. “we did some sleuthing online, found blue grouse, checked out their gallery, and found some things we really liked,” says kump.
in addition to racks and shelves, blue grouse installed the cooling unit. “the refrigeration is the most complicated part of building a wine cellar,” says gavard. kump’s new cellar needed to be insulated and vapour-barriered, with electricity to power the unit. “also, you usually need a drain line for the cooling unit, and proper ventilation into open space.”
kump’s wall-mounted maple wood racks fit snuggly against the existing walls. with textured stone or brick, however, a wall-mounted rack wouldn’t lie flat, says gavard. “in that case, we would mount [racks] from the floor to the ceiling.”
a wine cellar designed by blue grouse.
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and although glass wine cellars are popular, she says they are a choice of form over function. “they’re not as efficient when it comes to climate control because of the thermal loss through the glass. but we do calculations to size the cooling equipment to compensate for that. choosing a dual pane insulated glass is more efficient than a single pane and frameless glass, which is still the more popular option.”
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senft relies on suppliers who specialize in a specific type of glass that has uv protection, as well as insulating factors. “we did a wall unit that was open to a staircase of three floors,” he says. “the staircase was completely open so if you stood on the top stair you could look down and see into the top of the wine cellar. the ceiling and two walls were glass, and only two walls were insulated.”
he says good wood options include mahogany, white oak and redwood because they’re durable, mildew-resistant and stable. “softer woods expand and contract, absorb the moisture and start to crack. more budget-friendly are pine or alder. cherry and walnut are also popular.”
both gavard and senft advise being mindful of your wine space’s flooring. gavard says to avoid carpeting because of the humidity and the potential for mould. while many people opt for cork flooring to cushion a dropped bottle, senft avoids it because it’s soft and high heels can cause tearing on the surface. experts generally recommend tile, vinyl, slate or marble, all of which stand up to moisture.
senft says his professionally installed wine cellars range from $40,000 to $250,000-plus, depending on the extent of the work. gavard says blue grouse’s range from the very basic, non-enclosed non-temperature-controlled installations for as little as $2,000 up to a fully renovated, custom-designed, high-end refrigeration system for over $100,000.
display as décor
a wine wall display cabinet for 150 to 200 bottles designed by the cellar. glass fronts are appealing, but thermal loss must be managed.
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if you’d prefer to showcase your collection rather than bottle it up in a basement, the experts recommend making it a focal point of your home décor.
“if you have fewer than 50 bottles and you’re not collecting expensive wine or keeping it for long, you can make a nice display which can double as a work of art,” says gavard. “buy the racks you really like and install them on your wall or enclose it in glass and skip the refrigeration component.”
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most wine cellar builders and designers, including the cellar and blue grouse, offer plenty of information, including diy options, on their sites to guide you, as well as free consultation.
proper illumination helps shine a light on your collection and keep it safe from overheating. “choose led, not halogen bulbs, to avoid heat inside the wine cellar,” says gavard. “having your lights on dimmer is a nice touch as well.”
as for how to organize your bottles, options include sectioning for region, varietal, date, or size. you’ll also want to keep track of inventory, which vintages have matured, which have increased in value, and monitor conditions.
of course, there’s an app for that. smart wine cellar systems let you check temperature and humidity remotely via your smartphone and will alert you if conditions change. software programs can also help organize, track consumption and even offer pairing advice and wine reviews. some of the more popular apps include cellartracker, vivino and vinocell.
“most of the cooling systems we sell have an option to integrate with smart home systems so you can monitor your cellar’s conditions remotely,” says gavard. “a lot of the cooling system manufacturers have also integrated [platforms like] nest, ecobee, or honeywell which you can use as a thermostat or controller.”
ultimately, if you’re handy, have the right tools, and understand the intricacies of lighting and temperature, you can certainly build your wine cellar yourself (with the exception of the more complicated cooling system).
kump, however, is glad he turned to the experts. “getting help from a professional is important because there are technical aspects around the cooling and insulation. it has to be done right.”
also, he recommends sizing your cellar bigger than you think you’ll need, “because once you get into it, you can accumulate bottles pretty fast.”
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cheers to that.
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