Wine needs an effective wine storage solution. If you plan to start a wine collection of your own, you should invest in a good wine storage solution. Here are some tips when starting your own wine cellar in Orange County, California.

Why a Wine Cellar is Essential to Every Wine Collection

There is no point to starting a wine collection if you do not have an effective wine storage solution. Wine is a beverage that can easily go bad if it is not stored properly. Among the different kinds of wine storage solutions, a wine cellar is the most ideal type. Have a wine cellar built in your own home, to make sure that your wines are safe and aging tastefully. This article will discuss a few of the Dos and Don’ts when it comes to starting a residential wine cellar in Orange County, California.

The Dos of Starting a Residential Custom Wine Cellar in Orange County, CA

When you’re starting your own home wine cellar in Orange County, here are some things that you should do:

1. Do Have an Estimate of the Size of Your Wine Collection

One of the essential considerations when planning to build a wine cellar is how big you want to be. The size of a home custom wine cellar depends on how much room you need for wine storage. Have a realistic estimate of the amount of wine you intend to collect. Some people are satisfied having 5 to 10 bottles, but there are those who collect upward of a thousand wines. It is also recommended to anticipate the growth of your wine collection. Build your wine cellar with adequate space to accommodate a growing wine collection. Generally, most people need more space than they first thought.

2. Do Apply Proper Insulation to Your Wine Cellar

A climate controlled environment is a vital aspect of proper wine storage. Fluctuating temperature and humidity levels are one of the worst enemies of wine. Regardless of how expensive your temperature control equipment is, or how efficient your wine cellar cooling unit is, if you have not applied proper insulation within your wine storage room, you can never achieve consistent temperature and humidity levels. The mylar or bubble wrap insulation is becoming more common these days, because it has no nasty glass fibers for your to worry about, and it gives a good R rating without taking up much volume.

Ideally, there are two common methods for applying vapor barriers and insulating wine storage rooms, and these are spray foam or a 6 mil vapor barrier and fiberglass batts. Although spray foam is more costly, it does prevent any possibility of puncturing a vapor barrier by a screw, running wire or with plumbing inserted during the cellar construction. With non-shrinking closed cell spray foam, screws or any object that punctures will not compromise the enclosure. The foam will simply expand to fill all the crevices, to ensure a tight seal in the wine storage room. There is no need for a 6 mil vapor barrier when using spray foam. Regardless of what method you use, make sure that there are no air gaps in between the insulation and drywall.

3. Do Remember that Balance is Essential in a Wine Collection

Many wine experts advise novice wine collectors not to start their wine collection for aging wines. Instead, start a collection for drinking, or else you will be stealing from your future stocks as early as the first year from when you started. Moreover, make sure that at least some of the wine in your residential custom wine cellar is for guests and not just for your own enjoyment. You want to make sure that when you have friends and guests visit, you can entertain them with some of your wine. Lastly, your collection should include both wines that are ready to drink, and wines that are to be opened when they have reached maturity.

4. Do Keep in Mind that Your Taste Will Change

It is said that when you start your wine collection, start first with wines that appeal to your taste. You do not need to rely on reviews and other people’s opinions of what good wine is. Although this is true, you should keep in mind that your taste in wine will change. It is important to make sure to leave room for whole new regions and styles of wine. But then again, just like tip number 4, keep in mind not to stock too heavily in any one area.

5. Do Choose a Wine Racking System that Offers Flexibility

When choosing wine racks for your custom wine cellar in Orange County, California, choose those that can cater to wine bottles of different sizes. It can be very frustrating to buy a case of magnums, Champagnes and other large-sized wine bottles, only to find that you wine racking system can only cater to regular sized wine bottles.

The Don’ts of Starting a Home Custom Wine Cellar in Orange County, CA

The following are tips on what NOT to do when starting your own home wine cellar:

1. Don’t Build Your Custom Wine Cellar Just Anywhere

Wines are easily damaged by heat. Therefore, it is imperative that you do not have your home custom wine cellar built in an area close to a source of heat, like a water heater or a stove. Consider carefully the location of your wine cellar before beginning its construction.

Too much vibration is another thing that can negatively affect your wines. Although  not disastrous, too much vibration will keep the wine from aging well, because the process of long chain polymerization will be interrupted. Do not build your wine cellar near any appliance that produces vibration, like a washing machine. Also, wine cellars should ideally be constructed away from the area in your house where the center of activity is going on, like the living room.

2. Don’t Store Anything with Foul Odor Near Your Wine

This is something that is commonly overlooked when designing a wine cellar in California. Off smells can permeate the corks of wine, and alter its flavor negatively. Never store any paint, thinner, or any chemicals with foul odors near your wine. Also, the stains and finishes you choose to apply on your wine racks shouldn’t exude any strong odors.

3. Do Not Take for Granted the Design of Your Wine Cellar

Besides making sure that your wine cellar in Orange County, CA is functional, you should also give importance to its design. The aesthetic appeal of your wine cellar should be part of the considerations during the planning phase of your wine cellar construction. Have your wine cellar designed by a professional.