![]() Jim Cash, founder of Revel Custom Wine Cellars in East Lansing, Mich., got his start in the sector by designing his own home cellar. Fortunately, there are many reputable firms across the country offering everything from in-depth consultations to full-service jobs comprising fabrication, delivery and installation. Due to the complexity of the undertaking, setting up a cellar is beyond the scope of most do-it-yourselfers. Then there's lighting, load-bearing shelving and more. Otherwise, creating your cellar will likely involve at least the installation of a dedicated cooling system and insulation of all surfaces (including the floor and walls). If you happen to live over a network of readily accessible subterranean caves, all the better. Think of a wine cellar as a room-size refrigerator: a sealed environment capable of being held at a constant temperature and humidity. Consider their advice your own private consultation on the wine room of your dreams. For this guide, we spoke to cellar owners and designers about their experiences and the lessons they've learned. As with any significant investment, the risks of building a wine cellar can be mitigated by seeking the advice of experts and individuals who have gone down the path before you. Costs can be high, and losses-due to ill-considered construction or reckless purchasing-severe.ĭiPippa, an advertising executive and TV show creator, has cultivated a globe-spanning collection of elite wines.įoreknowledge is key. A temperature- and humidity-controlled space, often stocked with rare and expensive bottles in need of consistent care, the private cellar is an exercise in precision and discernment. ![]() This pivot from interest to passion marks the point of inflection from make-it-up-as-you-go-along wine storage in basements, boxes, nooks and crannies to a dedicated cellar that functions not only as housing for prized wines but as a domestic centerpiece for entertainment, relaxation and continuing education.īut for all the pleasures a home cellar can provide, it is not devoid of pitfalls. "My friends ask if I'm crazy, but I tell them these are experiences I'll have for the rest of my life." On my 50th birthday, I spent $10,000 on a '61 Petrus and a '61 Mouton-Rothschild and shared them with my father," he says. Mark DiPippa, an ad agency founder and creator of financial-literacy television program The Centsables, tells a similar story: "In the early 2000s, spending $50 on a bottle of wine was amazing to me. "This collection is something we've been putting together for 10 years." "We wanted a space to show off our bottles but also protect them," she says. Ultimately, a basement renovation provided the impetus to install a dedicated wine area. "Soon, the boxes were becoming really overwhelming, so I bought some cheap racks online, and all of a sudden we have walls full of racks." "Originally, we kept the wines in boxes in our basement," she says. But the size of the collection fast outstripped her ability to store it. Before you know it, a closet is overflowing, but your collection is just getting started.ĭina Given, a writer and health-care executive living in Lebanon, N.J.-"farm-and-horse country," she says-began acquiring well-rated yet affordable wines in the mid-2000s, including a particularly memorable Schild Shiraz 2004 from Australia. You taste with friends, broaden your palate, find yourself drawn to specific regions and producers. A couple of bottles stowed in a kitchen rack a case for your birthday maybe a splurge on an auction trophy. Note: This article originally appeared in the July 31, 2017, issue of Wine Spectator.
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