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Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 9:18:25 AM

mgomez

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Joined: 6/7/2013
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Hi I'm new to this forum and I need some advice... I'm building a wine room for my home. It gets pretty warm in my location and I need a good cooler for my room. I've been looking at Whisperkool, Cellarpro, which look good, but are kind of pricey. I'm looking at Breezaire too but I'm not sure of the quality of that brand. Any suggestions?

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 9:49:13 AM

ericindc

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Joined: 7/6/2012
From: District of Columbia
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Well as someone who built a crappy wine celler, I have a few recommendations. If its above ground level and abutted by habitable rooms, make sure you have a good vapor barrier and insulation. I have had good luck with my Breezaire, its an older breezaire unit from about 10 years ago that I got used. Works pretty well even considering its age. I would get the wine bottle probe adapter if its a newer unit and make sure you size it appropriately. Dont get a unit too small for your space and dont get one that is too large.

Oh, and 2 more thing that I didnt think of until I built the cellar: 1. Water drips... Have a plan for managing the water, if you are in a basement with concrete or brick, you will have lots of condensed water. You will need to figure out how to deal with it. I just use a bucket. Doable, but it's overflowed more than once when I forgot to empty it. No bid deal since my cellar is in the corner of an unfinished basement but if it is on the main level, you will have issues. 2. Exhaust. If you are venting into a habitable space or an unfinished basement, that area will get hot. They dont recommend mounting it on an outside wall, so think about trying to vent the exhaust outside via ducting if you can. If you vent to an air conditioned space that will work, but you will be paying double.

Good luck!

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Just waiting for my Grand Cru to age.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 9:55:45 AM

ChrisinCowiche

Posts: 7856
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
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Hi mgomez, welcome to the forum. Search on "breezeair" and "Whisperkool". Lot's of threads and discussion of the various cooler brand over the years.

Also, please add your location to your profile. This helps us know where you are building the cellar. Hot climate vs. cool climate really affects the demand these units see.   Ground level , below grade constructions, location in house or basement, too help to determine heat load for a cellar/wine rrom.

Finally, if you don't have it already, I recommend, this book,   http://www.amazon.com/dp/1891267000   Best source out there, imo, for explaining the whys and hows of building a proper wine room with proper insulation, moisture barrier, humidity control, etc...

I've got a passive cellar myself that I'm on summer two of monitoring temps.   So far no spikes that make me think I should add a cooler.

< Message edited by ChrisinSunnyside -- 6/7/2013 9:57:12 AM >

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 11:10:29 AM

champagneinhand

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Joined: 5/30/2011
From: Upstate New York, California born.
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I'm in the same area of thought with Chris and Eric. Build bigger than you first planned on. I can vouch for Whisper lol being a product most people are very happy with. A definite yes to vapor barriers and proper drainage. I have mine passive right now but can hook up a drainage hose to drain in the gap of the floating basement. Racking will absorb a lot of moisture which is great for drier Winters. Insulate well, possibly look into specialized insulated wall board if space is and issue. Think about the future value f your wine cellar as it adds up over the years. In less than 7 years my cellar value is above both our modest cars values combined. Insurance is something to think about. Many insurers will want a cellar walk through. Not all, but mine did. Get a good door with a good lock. Many here like punch pads. I have a dead bolt. Enough pass codes already. In my passive with heavy humidity, gaps for the cellar to breathe is mandatory. I have to ducts running through the floor joists and I left about an inch around the ducts so air can move in and out to my basement.
It works for my passive.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 12:32:12 PM

jerry6

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What humidity level is recommended ? The room I keep my wine in has a temp of between 56 -63 year round , not sure the humidity level , guess it's between 35 and 50%

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 12:45:49 PM

JerryL

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Joined: 12/27/2012
From: Kenmore, Wa
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I have a Breezaire in my home-made cabinet, it has worked for two years without an issue. It's generally cool where I live and the cabinet is well insulated, so it is not taxed.

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Post #: 6

RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 1:45:46 PM

Wine_Strategies

Posts: 3833
Joined: 4/28/2009
From: Castle Pines N., CO. or Italia
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quote:

ORIGINAL: jerry6

What humidity level is recommended ? The room I keep my wine in has a temp of between 56 -63 year round , not sure the humidity level , guess it's between 35 and 50%

recommended is 60-75%, but that's ideal, not absolutely necessary -- unless you're hardocre, have lots of really expensive bottles and plan on ageing the stuffing out of them. for the casual collector, lower levels are just fine (light, vibration and big temp swings are much more of a concern, AFAIC)

this might help to know what your conditions are like temp and humidity monitor, $12

< Message edited by Wine_Strategies -- 6/7/2013 1:49:16 PM >

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 1:56:57 PM

ChrisinCowiche

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Thanks Tim! I just ordered one of those! Love the daily max/min feature.

My current method is an old standard mercury thermometer that is hard to read, and obvously doesn't tell squat about humidity.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 3:19:02 PM

Redrunners

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From: Glastonbury, CT
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quote:

ORIGINAL: ChrisinSunnyside

Thanks Tim! I just ordered one of those! Love the daily max/min feature.

My current method is an old standard mercury thermometer that is hard to read, and obvously doesn't tell squat about humidity.

That is the same one I have in my cellar - works great.

Easy to read and nice to be able to see the daily variations in temp and humidity.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/7/2013 3:44:02 PM

champagneinhand

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I just have a plastic piece with an alcohol thermometer and a rotary dialed hydrometer. My cellar is a humid one. Only in some of the peak Winter weeks does humidity fall below 50%. Most of the time it rides between 65%-70%, but creeps up on 80% in the summer/transition to Autumn when the A/C and heat sit on idle. I usually crack the door open in these months.

I have had only part of a label come off at those high humidities. It was the year part of a 2003 Louis Jadot, Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots. No big deal as it didn't fall off until I was pulling the wine and my hand caused some torque on the upper area while still in the dampness. I like the humidity. I think many of my wines are aging at a slower rate because the sit below 55F in Winter and 65F-66F in the worst parts of the warm months. Just be sure you don't bring any type of fungi in when you are building. Up her its best to inspect all your studs, as some mold do get on them if the have been in the rain, then brought in to dry. I found ones with mold/mildew at both Lowe's and Home Depot. I rubbed sprayed wine sulfur (Potassium metabisulfite) in a solution over most of the area before I even started and had both dehumidifiers running to make it as dry as possible while building. I haven't had any kind of Mildew/Mold yet, but I always check. I should say I have had a couple of German Auslese that were corked sloppily (no surprise there) that have had a touch of the botrytis under the capsule. That's fairly normal. Zillken was the offender, both times.

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As I age my finger tips seem to be bigger, my iOS keyboard seems to be less kind, and my need for wearing reading glasses has never been greater. I hope you are forgiving and can read between my lines.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/13/2013 11:22:01 PM

ckinv368

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From: Dallas, TX
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I have a Breezaire and it has worked well for me and is very reliable. Not cheap, but very reliable.

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When in doubt, sip your dessert.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/14/2013 10:24:09 AM

champagneinhand

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From: Upstate New York, California born.
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quote:

ORIGINAL: ckinv368

I have a Breezaire and it has worked well for me and is very reliable. Not cheap, but very reliable.

This is good to know. If I relocate to Charleston, it looks like I will have to build a cellar out of a den or an extra bedroom. They don't have any professional wine storage facilities. The closest I have found is in Charlotte, NC a 4 hour drive. I will definitely need a good cooling unit, but we still have to look for houses next year. Whisperkool, are nice and quiet, but really expensive!

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As I age my finger tips seem to be bigger, my iOS keyboard seems to be less kind, and my need for wearing reading glasses has never been greater. I hope you are forgiving and can read between my lines.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/17/2013 6:02:14 PM

mclancy10006

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From: Cape Cod, MA & Bellevue, WA
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So individual racking or diamond bins? The diamonds seem to be a better use of space, but individuals seem to be better for pulling bottles.

pros/cons of each?

-Mark

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Post #: 13

RE: Wine Cellar - 6/17/2013 7:30:09 PM

champagneinhand

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From: Upstate New York, California born.
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

So individual racking or diamond bins? The diamonds seem to be a better use of space, but individuals seem to be better for pulling bottles.

pros/cons of each?

-Mark

I think Ideally you want a mix of both. I have now, but would find them useful for case purchases as they really take a lot of room on individual racks.
Racking systems aren't inexpensive any way you look at it. I think maximizing storage capacity is nice too, but I really like horizontal racking better than the vertical systems. They aren't as pretty, but efficient and sturdy.

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As I age my finger tips seem to be bigger, my iOS keyboard seems to be less kind, and my need for wearing reading glasses has never been greater. I hope you are forgiving and can read between my lines.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/18/2013 9:20:29 AM

Bob in NC

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Joined: 1/17/2009
From: Charlotte, NC
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

So individual racking or diamond bins? The diamonds seem to be a better use of space, but individuals seem to be better for pulling bottles.

pros/cons of each?

-Mark

This depends on how you buy your wine and organize your cellar. The diamond bins are best for when you have several bottles of the same wine; otherwise you are digging out bottles from the bottom of a bin. For me, I use the diamond bin space for the everyday drinkers that I buy by the case. The diamond bins are efficient use of space until you start drinking down those wines to the point you have one bottle left in one of the diamond bins; but then you can consolidate the smaller quantities into one bin to free up a bin(s) for reloading.

For wines that I'm aging, I like the slotted columns. I organize that portion of my cellar by the year I plan to drink the wine - designated columns for each year. I will spread a multiple bottle purchase over several years I plan to drink that wine. I do move wine bottles from one year to another (back or forward) if I drink one bottle and think it needs more or less aging then originally thought.

Others organize their cellars differently. My method works for me because I don't lose track of wines that might getting over the hill, as has happened to friends of mine.

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RE: Wine Cellar - 6/18/2013 9:50:07 AM

dsGris

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From: Portland, OR
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I mostly buy from 1-3 bottles now so individual works best. A few killer deals lately just stay in the cases until they are needed to fill spaces that open up.

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Post #: 16