How to Turn an Unused Closet into the Perfect Wine Cellar

Even in today’s tight economic times, there is one thing that everyone likes to have around- a good glass of wine. Whether you fancy a sweet red or dry white, you need a place to store your collection, and a wine cellar is the best place to keep them organized. You don’t really need to devote a whole room in your basement to the endeavor, though. Really all you need is some simple woodworking skills, the ability to handle insulation, and the right kind of attention to detail that can make your home wine cellar the envy of the neighborhood.

It isn’t necessary to use an entire room for a wine cellar, unless your wine collection is well in excess of two hundred bottles. As most ordinary folks tend to keep considerably less than that on hand, all you need to keep your collection safe and out of the way is a marginally unused closet. You probably need to get rid of some of that junk, anyway, so now’s the perfect time. What’s more important, anyway, your great aunt Mildred’s smelly old fur stole or that bottle of 1998 Stags Leap cask 23 Red that you won at the office Christmas party last year? You’ve just got to get your priorities straight! So, now that you’re convinced that you can’t live without a wine cellar in your home, here’s what you need to know to get one started.

First off, you don’t really need a climate controlled storage area. Your home itself will remain more or less at the correct temperature, and so a refrigeration unit, while a fine luxury for larger wine cellars, is easily replaced by simply refrigerating the bottle you wish to drink before you drink it. Table wines, ports, and others which require room-temperature service don’t need to be bothered with that at all. Secondly, if you intend your wine cellar to be a permanent installation, you should consider using high-end wood such as Teak or Mahogany, perhaps even Oak or Maple. It will add to the beauty and resale value of your home should you choose to sell, and makes a statement as to how important your wine cellar is to you.

Be sure to incorporate some display shelves at 45 degree angles for ease of viewing and for the appropriate angle with which to keep the corks on your wines wet. Take these few things into account, and before you know it, you’ll have your wine cellar up and running, and the envy of the neighborhood, to boot!