A homeowner in La Jolla, California, had a custom wine cellar that was built in 2008. However, his growing collection required a larger wine storage space. He approached Vintage Cellars, one of our most trusted dealers in wine room construction, to add new sections to accommodate more bottles. Learn how this awesome project was completed.

Expansion Project for a High-End Residential Wine Cellar

Challenges cannot be avoided when building a residential wine cellar. One of these challenges is to create a design that will accommodate the growing collection of the homeowner.

Vintage Cellars, one of our wine cellar dealers, built a custom wine room for their customer who lives in La Jolla, California. The first installation was completed in 2008. After 5 years, they started the second installation for the expansion of the wine cellar because the owner loves to buy wines in bulk.

Vintage Cellars needed to double the size of the existing wine cellar to accommodate the growing collection of the client. The original wine room could store 1,100 bottles. After incorporating various racking styles and adding new sections to the racking, they were able to provide a storage space for 1,624 bottles of different sizes.

Custom Features of the Expanded Residential Wine Cellar

The client’s home interior was built with wood and glass. All of their furniture and cabinetry were made of Sapele Mahogany.

This wood has a medium to reddish brown color, which makes it a favorite construction material for wine racks. When stained, its grain patterns look more attractive.

The contractor and architect of the house gave Vintage Cellars a palette to match the existing woodwork.

Stability and durability are other characteristics of Sapele Mahogany. It is also safe to use in climate-controlled wine cellars in La Jolla, California, because it is scent-free. This will prevent unwanted odor from affecting the overall quality of the wines.

Wine Rack Styles for Maximum Storage Capacity

CAD drawings were created to provide the homeowner a better visualization of the completed wine room. The 3D images, which are in black and white, show the dimensions of the room, wall elevations, and bottle capacities of the wine racks.

On this project, Vintage Cellars widened some of the racking sections and added new bottle openings for increased bottle capacity.

Elevation 1

Upon entering the wine cellar, the racking to your right is Elevation 1. A VC-style cover was placed at the top section to conceal the evaporator of the wine refrigeration system. Individual wooden wine racks were installed on both sides.

At the middle section, there were diamond bins, which allowed for bulk storage. Since the client collects large format bottles, Vintage Cellars needed to open up a couple of spaces below the diamond bins.

They added coved trays, which could store larger bottles (as big as 9 liters). They were designed to display two bottles in each section, in cascading heights. With this racking style, the wine labels can be seen easily. There’s no need to flip the bottles to see the content and description.

An LED lighting system was installed above the coved trays for a dramatic visual effect. This lighting system is a cost-savvy option because it consumes less energy than other types of bulbs. LED lights are also known for their longer lifespan. When it comes to safety, they can protect your collection because of their low heat emission.

Elevation 2

In the next area of this custom wine cellar in La Jolla, California, Vintage Cellars installed three columns of horizontal display wine racks. This section has a depth of 4 ¾ inches and has solid sides and fixed coved trays. Since the bottles were stored on their sides, the wine labels were facing out.

With a depth of 8 ¼ inches, the middle section of this racking was designed to provide space for the client’s mini car and decanter collection. The glass shelves are adjustable for easy organization. To highlight and add appeal to this area of the cellar, mirror and lighting were installed at the back.

Now, the racking in Elevation 2 can accommodate 117 magnums and 36 standard bottles.

Elevation 3

For the next wall, Vintage Cellars added three more sections of custom cabinets with scalloped neck supports and two sets of single bottle wine racks. After the expansion of the racking, the racking in Elevation 3 can hold 384 standard bottles in individual racks and 34 bottles in the custom cabinets.

The weight of the cabinetry was very heavy. To ensure that the racking would not give up, Vintage Cellars installed large steel supports under the double-deep tabletop. The big space below the tabletop provided an excellent storage area for the client’s wines in boxes.

Elevations 4 and 5

The racking in the last two walls of the wine room was also expanded. In Elevation 4, the wine racks can now accommodate 98 magnum bottles. Another VC-style cover grill, which hides another wine cooling evaporator, was installed at the top section.

After adding new sections, Elevation 5 now provides bottle openings for 288 wines in individual racks, 26 in the custom cabinets, and 16 in the coved trays.

Hook Ladders for Easy Access of Wines in La Jolla, California Home Wine Cellars

It’s difficult to access wines placed in high areas of the wine racks. To provide the client convenience, Vintage Cellars added a hook ladder during the first installation of this home wine cellar in La Jolla, California.

This type of ladder can be transferred from one wall to another wall through a railing that is attached to the racking. The owner needs to lift it if he wants to access hard-to-reach bottles in another room.

Since the ladder was very tall, it would also be difficult to move it to another area in the cellar. Vintage Cellars decided to add a second ladder to allow easy access to the wines.

Considering Your Own Project? We Can Help You.

If you’re planning to start your own wine cellar project in La Jolla, California, Vintage Cellars can help you. Their designers and installers have extensive experience in the construction industry. Call them today at +1-800-876-8789!