The bottle costs the same whether you drink it or not. Regardless of whether your goal is to showcase your collection or to preserve the wine for future consumption, the wine cellar design will ultimately determine how you enjoy each bottle.

Consuming wine and collecting wine are similar yet very different hobbies. While a casual wine consumer may have a well-trained palette and a selection of favourite wines, a collector will treat their collection like art – researching, collecting, and preserving bottles over a number of years to consume at just the right occasion… or maybe never at all.

Plan Wine Cellar design with Millwork

Setting up wine rooms, wine cellars, and wine display reflects the needs of a collector. When designing these spaces, we first evaluate the primary purpose of a wine cellar: preservation. Understanding the value of the collection is of the utmost importance. For smaller or starter collections, self-contained refrigeration systems and standard shelving units are a convenient and cost-effective way to store wine. To incorporate a display element, climate-controlled units with glass doors can be incorporated into the millwork.

Proper Climate Control

For collections that hold a higher value, significant investment in the space is required to ensure precise climate control and effective design for light, vibration, and humidity. For optimal preservation, wine should be stored in a space that is exposed to little direct light, is well insulated, and has good humidity control; light and heat can prematurely age the wine. This is why basement or below-grade spaces are where most wine cellars are housed.

Beyond the considerations for the preservation of the wine, the wine cellar space should convey a certain atmosphere. The consumption of wine is not meant to be rushed but rather, a bottle should be opened, given time to breathe, and enjoyed slowly. As such, the space should encourage guests to relax and unwind. A space where wine is selected, uncorked, and served, should feel sophisticated yet relaxed, polished yet approachable.

A unique element that can be incorporated into the design of a wine cellar or bar is a wine dispenser. Whether the collection is small or large, it affords the collector the opportunity to open the bottle without concern for whether or not it will be consumed right away. Which brings me back to where we started… the bottle costs the same whether you drink it or not. So enjoy it, all of it!

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