Many homeowners in the Austin area have wine cellars in their homes today, and some are thinking of having one constructed. The fact is, there are several important things to keep in mind to ensure your wine is properly stored and protected. It isn’t as simple as building a box and putting in wine racks! As trusted Austin wine cellar insulation experts, we have a few tips to help make sure your project ends successfully.
Proper wine storage requires that your wine collection is protected from direct sunlight, excessive heat, high humidity, and vibration. While this may all come naturally for those with a deep cellar, most homeowners don’t have this luxury. If you are having a wine cellar constructed, proper insulation, refrigeration, and a vapor barrier are all things you want to keep in mind. Lighting is also a consideration.
If your wine cellar is being built into an existing room in your home, you want a location that’s dark. Why? Sunlight can degrade your wine, affecting its quality. The next factors to consider are temperature and humidity. The sweet spot as far as temperature goes is about 55 to 60 degrees, but the biggest concern is fluctuations in temperature. If the temperature fluctuates too much, it will cause the gas in the wine to expand and contract, which pushes and pulls on the cork.
When it comes to relative humidity, 60% is ideal although it can be slightly lower or slightly higher, never more than 70%. A wine cellar that’s too humid can affect not only your wine, but labels and glue as well. On the flip side, when humidity levels fall below 50%, the corks in your wine bottles will dry out, which could result in a loss of liquid (wine). It may also affect the quality of your wine.
Keeping your wine cellar dark is important, but you do need some type of light for when you are using it. LED or other low heat lights are recommended, as some types of lighting not only emit substantial heat, but contain damaging UV rays. Never light your wine cellar with fluorescent lighting.
Last, and possibly most important of all, is a vapor barrier. What is a vapor barrier? At its most basic, it’s plastic that is installed on the outside of your wine cellar’s insulation. A good vapor barrier will prevent condensation and the resulting mold that could damage wine racks, bottle labels, and more. It is essential to make sure moist air does not enter your cellar!
If you are thinking a wine cellar would be a good addition to your home, give HabiShield a call today. Our Austin wine cellar insulation professionals will answer your questions and help make certain your project is one you will be happy with for years to come!