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The Importance of Wine Cellar Insulation

Custom wine cellars are the perfect place to store wines, because they are able to provide them with the ideal conditions, so that they age properly. Wine cellar insulation is an integral part of the ability of a wine cellar to do this. A wine cellar in Orange County that does not have proper insulation is practically useless. Some people build their own residential wine cellars without any vapor barriers. If you are a genuine wine lover, you need to understand the importance of proper insulation and vapor barriers.

Problems Caused by Poor Custom Wine Cellar Insulation

Many problems can arise from a poorly built custom wine cellar. You will have to deal with mold problems and/or the need for more moisture. Also, if your cellar is poorly constructed, your wine cellar cooling system will have to use up more energy to function. This will wear out the wine cellar cooling unit fast!

Moreover, a wine cellar in Orange County that is poorly insulated will have problems providing the right humidity for wine storage. Ideally, the humidity level in a wine cellar is 55 to 75%. Humidity is very important in a custom wine cellar in CA, because it helps keep the wine corks moist. Wine corks shrink when they become dry, and when they do, air can get in and ruin your wine.

Thermal Insulation, Air Barrier and Vapor Barrier

There are many kinds of wine cellar insulation. One of the best kinds is Closed Cell spray foam, which is also referred to as medium density or 2 pound insulation. This product is liquid that turns to foam and expands to 20-30 times its liquid size, creating an air-tight seal. Once it has expanded, it seldom needs trimming, with little to no waste. This type of insulation is very durable and is able to increase the shear and racking strength effectively. This product is a Code Approved Vapor Barrier and has a permeability rating 45ng. It is also a Code Approved Air Barrier and Thermal Insulation.

Other Factors That Help Creating Proper Wine Storage

Wine insulation is one of the most important things in creating the right storage conditions for wine storage. Along with good wine cellar insulation, you need to have your residential wine cellar designed and built by a professional. You also need an efficient wine cellar cooling unit to keep the temperature and humidity inside the storage room at the ideal levels.

Coastal Custom Wine Cellars provides more tips on how to create the perfect resting place for your favorite wines. They also have wine cellar professionals who can provide you with a free consultation and design of your dream custom wine cellar in Los Angeles, California.

Home Wine Cellars Orange County California – A Wine Enclave Fit for a Wine Geek

Wine Cellar Construction Orange County California Project

Wine Cellar Construction Orange County California Project

California wine geeks not only love collecting different kinds of wines, but also throwing wine tasting parties and hosting wine dinners at their custom home wine cellars Orange County California.  The main goal of wine cellar construction is to create the best possible environment for long-term storage, as well as design a comfortable space for entertaining.

More often than not, the most dedicated and passionate wine collectors install a private wine room in the confines of their home because it affords them access to their vintages at any time, while also allowing them to grow their collection.  Home wine cellars Orange County California are designed and constructed with the aesthetic preferences, storage needs, and budgetary requirements of the client in mind.

Home Wine Cellars Orange County California – The Wine Racks Used 

This particular wine cellar construction Orange County California project demonstrates how a simple room can be converted into a climate controlled wine storage space that can accommodate 2, 772 wine bottles.  For maximum storage space, home wine cellars Orange County California builders installed a combination of custom and semi-custom wooden wine racks, constructed in Premium Redwood.

Wooden Wine Racks

Wooden Wine Racks – Orange County California Project

The integration of different styles of wooden wine racks with varying bottle openings, ranging from 375ml, 750ml, and 1.5 liters, allowed the collector to organize and display wine bottles of different sizes and shapes.  Premium Redwood was the material of choice for the racking system because of the wood’s natural beauty, durability, non-aromatic quality, and resistance to decay.

Wooden wine racks for this custom wine cellar construction Orange County California project include a high reveal display row that runs across the back wall and continues along the left wall.  Concealed LED ribbon lighting dramatically highlights the client’s favorite wine labels on the display column.  It also features a tabletop made from the same wood material as the wine racking, coated with a clear lacquer finish to protect against spills and stains.

Wooden Wine Racks for Home Wine Cellars Orange County California

Wooden Wine Racks for Home Wine Cellars Orange County California

In order to achieve optimal storage capacity, wine cellar construction Orange County California builders incorporated single bottle storage racks with a depth of 23 inches on the left side of the wall, and a combination of single and double deep racks on the back wall.

Bottle racking with small and large openings provides additional storage space for splits and magnums, respectively.  To accommodate the client’s Pax Syrah collection, 7 columns with 4” x 4” bottle openings were added to the leftmost side of the racking frame on the right wall.

Wine Cellar Cooling as Part of the Wine Cellar Design and Construction Process 

Maintaining a stable wine storage environment is a crucial element of wine cellar construction.  An efficient custom wine room requires proper wine cellar cooling, which will help facilitate the aging process by regulating temperature and humidity levels inside the storage space.

Wine Cellar Cooling Unit with Wooden Grill Cover

Wine Cellar Cooling Unit with Wooden Grill Cover

wine cellar cooling split system from US Cellars was installed to help achieve the ideal climate conditions.  The Rack Cool Series wine cellar cooling unit is designed to eliminate fan noise and heat discharge.  The evaporator was mounted within the racking frame, while the condenser was placed in a remote location.

A specially made wood grill box cover keeps the refrigeration equipment hidden from view.  Constructed in Premium Redwood, it blends well with the rest of the wine cellar furniture, and creates a smooth and even appearance.

Home Wine Cellars Orange County California Project by Coastal

Home Wine Cellars Orange County California Project by Coastal

A properly constructed custom wine room must satisfy several prerequisites of wine cellar construction, such as properly installed insulation, vapor barriers, and an exterior grade entry door.  Satisfying these conditions will help create a wine cellar environment that is conducive for storing and aging wines.

Napa Valley and Old Napa Valley Oak Wine Barrels for Wine Cellar Flooring California

Napa Valley – A Premiere Viticulture Region 

Napa Valley is considered one of the premiere viticulture regions in the United States and around the world.  The Mediterranean climate of the valley as well as its geography and geology are ideal for growing different wine grape varieties.  It is one of many valleys in Napa County in California, and by far the most popular.  Napa Valley is approximately 30 miles long and five miles wide at its widest point, and about 95.6km from San Francisco, the leading cultural and financial center of Northern California.

Napa Valley - Famous Wine Growing Region

Napa Valley – Famous Wine Growing Region

The first commercial winery in Napa Valley was The Charles Krug Winery, which was founded in 1861.  Its establishment sparked the growth of vineyards and wineries in the region and by the end of the nineteenth century more than 140 wineries were established.  Some of the original wineries are still in existence today including Chateau Montelena, Beringer, Far Niente, Mayacamas, and Schramsberg.

Napa Valley came to prominence as a wine producing region when a Napa Valley Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap won top honors at the Paris Tasting of 1976.  This blind tasting competition pitted Napa Valley produced wines against the top wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.  The region’s unexpected triumph catapulted Napa Valley wines to international recognition.

Growers and vintners of Napa Valley have taken eco-friendly steps to preserve and enhance the agrarian character of the region.  They have developed environmentally sound farming and production practices to help protect the agricultural environment of the area, as well as minimize water and energy consumption, waste and pollution.

Napa Valley Oak Wine Barrels for Wine Cellar Flooring 

An excellent example of their environmentally sustainable practices is recycling out of commission Napa Valley oak wine barrels wood components and turning them into high quality products, such as wine cellar flooring, wine racking, countertops, and furniture.  Napa Valley oak wine barrels are discarded by wineries after they have used up their wood flavor, which is an essential component in the winemaking process.

Napa Valley Oak Wine Barrels

Napa Valley Oak Wine Barrels

Oak trees used in wine barrel construction are devoid of knots and seams, and guarantee a watertight seal.  The inherent traits of oak trees ensure that the structural integrity and strength of the wood material will remain intact for a long period of time.  Reusing retired wine barrels results in the creation of products that are highly exceptional in terms of durability, style, and functionality.  These are just some of the reasons most wine cellar builders recommend Napa Valley oak wine barrels in building wine cellar flooring California.

Wine Cellar Flooring California from Old Oak Wine Barrels

Wine Cellar Flooring California from Old Oak Wine Barrels

Wine barrel flooring is one of the most popular products created out of reclaimed Napa Valley oak wine barrels.  There are three types of recycled oak wine barrel flooring designs:  wine barrel stave, wine barrel infusion, and wine barrel cooperage.

Wine barrel stave forms the outside part of the barrel and features the unique markings from the metal rings that once held the barrel in place.  Wine barrel infusion is the inside part of the barrel that displays beautiful staining caused by the wine it previously contained.  Wine barrel cooperage is the top and bottom part of the barrel, which bears the logo and insignia of the winery.

Wine cellar designers and builders such as Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, Wine Cellar Specialists and Wine Cellar International use old oak wine barrels from Napa Valley as a wine cellar flooring material. Wine barrel flooring is, in fact, one of the most preferred types of flooring, because of the distinctive air that it can create.

Wine Barrel Flooring – Best Flooring for Wine Cellars 

Wine Barrel Flooring - Best Flooring for Wine Cellars

Wine Barrel Flooring – Best Flooring for Wine Cellars

Napa Valley old oak wine barrels are the best flooring for wine cellars because they lend a unique character to the space.  The combination of all three wine cellar flooring California designs creates diverse shades that bring a one of a kind appearance to a custom wine room.  Reclaimed oak wine barrels from Napa Valley not only enhance the wine cellar design, but also evoke a sense of wine history in the storage space.

Hosting Wine Tasting Parties in California Wine Cellars

WINE TASTING OCT15So now you have a beautifully set up wine cellar with stunning wine racks holding your splendid wine collection. Besides taking an inventory of your wine and managing your collection, the best use for your California wine cellar is to host a wine tasting party!

Wine tasting parties are easy to organize and fun! But how does one go about planning for a wine tasting party?

 

Essential Tips for Hosting a Wine Tasting Party

Formal or Informal

Since you already have a wine cellar, you have at least one thing taken care of – the location. Now it’s time to decide whether you want the party to be formal or informal. If your circle of friends are wine connoisseurs in their own right, then you should probably host a formal party. But, if they are people who are just beginning to discover wine, or you just want have an entertaining and unique night with friends, an informal party is your best bet.

WINE TASTING THEME OCT15The Wine and Theme

The first and most important thing you should prepare is the wine. Choose at most five different varieties of wine because too many types might overwhelm the palette. It’s okay to have both red and white wines, but make sure you serve the lighter ones first. Make sure also that you take out the wine from storage for a bit of time before you start serving them.

Opt also, for a theme among the wines that you will be serving. Try selecting vintages that come from a particular region or wines of the same kind.

 

Wine Glasses

Next, let’s talk about wine glasses. If you’re serving both white and red wines, make sure your guests have two glasses each. Do not rinse the glasses in between tasting as even a tiny drop of water can dilute the wine and affect its taste. Make sure that you have wine cellar racks built with storage for your stemware. This will provide convenience for you as the host.

Typical of any wine tasting party, not all wines may be to your guest’s liking. Make sure you have a dump-away bucket for people to dispose of wine properly.

Food

Have water, bread, and crackers available. Not only does this provide refreshment and nourishment, they also function to cleanse the palate. Of course, wine is best paired with cheese. Make sure you serve a good selection of cheese that goes best with your vintages.

 

WINE AND MUSICMusic

With all these ready, take care of other touches such as wine coasters and music. You can personalize the wine coasters so that it matches the theme of your party. You can even use them as an invitation for your friends. Create a good playlist of mood music too, to set the right atmosphere for your party.

 

 

Wine Tasting Table

wine tasting table is an essential part in your wine cellar. It is where you arrange the wines, food, and other accessories during a wine tasting party. It can also function as an extra storage space for keeping extra bottles and as a focal point of your wine cellar.

 

Do you want to host wine tasting parties but don’t have a wine cellar yet? Wine Cellars by Coastal is the name you can trust in wine cellar construction. They have completed several custom wine room projects in California and New Jersey. Request a FREE 3D wine cellar design by clicking here or visit their website at http://www.winecellarsbycoastal.com/.

Custom Wine Cellars Orange County Wine Geek Part Two

Custom Wine Cellars Orange County Wine Geek Part Two – A Processed Video Transcription

Custom Wine Cellars Orange County Wine Geek Part 2
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The Wine Cellar Construction Process

Tim: People produce a lot of pictures where there’s nobody in it and it’s always good to give it scale and perspective if there’s somebody in the picture.

Leslie:  We’re talking about my liquid children and they’re in the photo.

Tim:  Indeed.  So we’ve got some great pictures from start to finish.  We could just take a quick tour of the wine cellar construction process.  These are all to do with the cellar, right?

Wine Cellar Construction Orange County California

Wine Cellar Construction Orange County California

Leslie:  Yes.  Basically what I did was took some pre-photos.  These were the kind of things that I was sharing with Jerry.  I think I remember sharing this exact album with Jerry that basically said ‘here is what my house looks like; here’s the wall, here’s this situation, here’s that situation,’ just to give him an idea of what I was thinking about doing and where.  So that was the wall, the one that you’re really on and it even says in the comments that I really wanted to ditch that wall.  My goal was to ditch that entire wall which didn’t happen and honestly saved me probably $30,000.

Tim:  That’s a reasonable amount.

Leslie:  The AC amount would have been huge because it would have been this nice, clear open and then the wine cellar construction amount on top of it.

Tim:  I’m guessing that it’s useful to see the house as the wine cellar design is done.  It helps to make sure that the style of the cellar is in keeping with the style of the house.

Pre Wine Cellar Construction Photos

Pre Wine Cellar Construction Photos

Jerry:  Certainly with color schemes and the species of the wood.  If the home is more contemporary styling then typically there’s a stain or a topcoat or a clear coat finish put over them.  Some homes are a bit more rustic and have distressed areas like distressed flooring, beams in the ceiling, so we would use something like we used at Sea Smoke.

Tim:  In these pictures, does it give us an indication as to where the cellar is in relation to the rest of the house?

Leslie:  Yes and no.  The very first photo you see is my front door.  You’re looking at my two front doors while one front door is missing, my living room, and then the wine cellar which has obviously now been replaced with a wine cellar door.

Tim:  Is that here?

Before Photo - Wine Cellar Construction in Orange County CA

Before Photo – Wine Cellar Construction in Orange County CA

Leslie:  Yes.  That’s my custom wine cellars Orange County now.  I did the same thing when I renovated my house because I do so much work in social media and everyone loved the experience so much that I thought I had to do this.  On my one bulletin board, it’s actually the most viewed thread this year that people have been watching.  I mean, who doesn’t love watching change happen, fun change like this?

Jerry:  That’s a great picture of the custom wine cellars Orange County there.  That’s the closet that we’re utilizing.

Tim:  Oh, okay.  Now I can relate it to those wine cellar design drawings.  We’re looking sort of this way and that’s where it’s built into the closet.  Very good!

Leslie:  I don’t miss that ugly fan one bit.  I was so happy with the day I asked to be able to throw it out and they actually let me.  So that was great.

Jerry:  You retained that beautiful flooring, though, did you not?

Leslie:  Yes, the flooring is still in there.  My concern is that I tried my best to see if it had plastic underneath it because it is an on concrete slab, so I just have to hope that whoever installed the item before me did indeed put it on plastic below it.  So far it’s been fine.  So we’ll see.

Tim:  This is the April 1st picture.  This is a picture of your completed custom wine cellars Orange County on April 1st?

Leslie:  Yes, absolutely done!  Absolutely!  I keep the wines in the trash bags that you see in the corner.

Wine Cellar Insulation – Installation of Vapor Barriers

Tim:  What are they doing here?  Ripping out all the insulation in there?

Leslie:  All of the drywall had to come down and all the insulation.  Obviously I didn’t think it through but it had to come out of the ceiling as well.  So this was day one and all they did on day one was rip it down and take out all the insulation, and then of course we had closing the window, taking the AC out.  We had to cap the AC and move it.  All that fun stuff.

During Wine Cellar Construction

During Wine Cellar Construction

Actually my power went off that day.  It was pretty funny.  This is the wall where the AC sits now.  You’ll see that you can see half and then not.  The top actually goes to my bedroom because I’m in a tri-level house.  So that leads to my closet and that leads to my bedroom and below is walk-in storage that goes the entire width of my house.  It’s kind of funny when this photo was taken.  I had no idea just how much my bedroom fed into that level, but that’s how much it feeds into it.

Tim:  You’re so good, so many pictures.

Leslie:  Oh, I tried.  So April 4th was a fun photo.  I came home and I’m like, “Wow, that’s interesting.”  Obviously the day that the window came down, it actually had termite damage on the window and they were going to enclose the entire window again and I said to them no because if I do sell the house in the future and if they don’t like wine, I want to try to be able to put this room back.  So they actually just reframed it and I think two or three photos in from here, you’ll see that they actually reframed it to still be a window.  My hope is that it never happens or happens many, many, many, many years down the line, but it is actually framed within the dry wall to be a window again if needed.

Jerry:  That show’s it all boarded up and framed up.

Tim:  Clearly thinking ahead there.

Framed Up Window to Ensure Airtight Seal

Framed Up Window to Ensure Airtight Seal

Leslie:  Well, you know, the thing is that I either depreciated this house by quite a bit or I appreciate it for someone who buys this house in the future.  My hope is that I live here many, many, many years from now very happy and all that good stuff.  If I was looking for a house and I saw a custom wine cellars Orange County like this, I would probably think about changing cities to head to a house and I realized that those people might be out there, but not everyone’s like that.

Tim:  April 4th, April 6th

Leslie:  A little bit more progress with the wine cellar construction.  They closed up the window which for the longest time they forgot to paint which was pretty entertaining.  This was interesting; they started to put up the insulation and forgot to put up the vapor barrier.  I remember calling Jerry and saying, “Jerry!” He was like, “Oh yeah, no, no, no, no, no!  The vapor barrier needs to go up.”  So they started putting the vapor barrier up and then they realized that the paper had to come down because you can’t have the vapor barrier and then paper because it creates a double vapor barrier.  I learned quite a bit during this wine cellar design and wine cellar construction process.

Jerry:  The vapor barrier needs to be behind the insulation in this process.

Leslie:  And it wasn’t happening.  So you’ll see in this photo they just started putting up the vapor barrier and then they had to rip down all the paper.  Thank goodness I was posting this.  In all honesty, I love my contractor but he wasn’t aware of a couple of things that he should’ve been aware of and a lot of my friends on a wine bulletin board are actually wonderful in helping out.

Tim:  So now we’re on April 7th.

Leslie:   It’s scary that I remember these days.  You’re not going to see too much changes here, just the paper being removed in some places, more insulation being added, and then after this the lights were put in and were actually working.

Tim:  April 9th through 14th

Vapor Barriers for Wine Cellar Insulation

Vapor Barriers for Wine Cellar Insulation

Leslie:  This is a cute story.  This is when the process was going so weird that I didn’t know what to do and I was going out of town.  I was going to be in Arizona for the weekend.  As you know I love taking photos of everything, so I got a little concerned because I was going to be out of town.  So I left my little Sony portable camera in the room and all the contractors when they came in to work actually took photos when they were done for the day.  This was all of my contractors and workers taking photos, which I thought was very sweet.

Tim:  I noticed they’re studiously not in the photos.

Leslie:  There it is.  There’s a shoulder shot of one of them.

Tim:  I noticed here there are some instances where there’s paper and there’s instances where there isn’t paper.  What’s that about?

Leslie:  It’s just simply because they hadn’t gotten around to it yet.  If you go down a few photos more, you’ll see all of the paper being removed which is how it should be done.

Tim:  So this is the sheetrock ready to go in?

Leslie:  Yes, that’s the drywall ready to go.

Tim:  April 15th and it looks like it starting to take shape now.

Leslie:  This is the weirdest thing because this is when the temperature level of this room completely changed.  This was just because of the tape and the mud and everything, but this was exciting to start to see happen.

Tim:  I don’t understand what you mean by the temperature of the room changed.

Leslie:  Someone said that when you start getting into tape and mud and all that, it creates its own kind of moisture level and this room was considerably warm than the rest of my house.  I mean, it was almost stiflingly warm to be in there.  This was just standard.  Once this whole room was taped, it was crazy hot.  I would walk in there and I almost couldn’t breathe and other people felt the same way.

Jerry: Which is a sign that it’s a good airtight room.

Leslie:  Yes, someone said to me that it is such a good sign, you don’t even know.  So I was happy to hear that.

Tim:  What are we looking at here?

Attic Space - Custom Wine Cellars Orange County

Attic Space – Custom Wine Cellars Orange County

Leslie:  I had to move my attic space because my attic space was currently in the closet.  So I had to move it to this area and if you look there is a crack riding across.  That’s from additional termite damage.  We just decided to tackle all of this at once and reput the attic access there, reframed a couple of things that had some termite damage, and took care of that.

Tim:  So what is that?

Leslie:  It’s just the controller screen and for the longest time it had tape all around it.  Everyday I’d show up and it would be in a different position.  I just loved the fact that if this thing makes it through this construction process, I’d be so proud of it.

Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration

Jerry:  We used ductless split wine cellar refrigeration system, Tim.

Tim:  We’re getting there now.  It’s starting to look really interesting.  What have we got here?

Leslie:  April 18th was when this room was just crazy.  You’ll see there’s a fan smack down in the middle.  It was so damp and warm in there.  This was when I was getting fed up with all the dust, but it’s so fun looking back to this.  Watching the progress is fun.

Tim:  What’s this?

Side Storage at Leslie's Residence in Orange County CA

Side Storage at Leslie’s Residence in Orange County CA

Leslie:  Remember what I told you about the side storage that I have?  That’s my side storage and they were using that area as a pass through.  I just noticed I was actually back there on that day because ATT was here because I was going to wire the house for ATT pulse and I was happy they got to pass through backup.  But that’s the side storage and that is the half wall you saw on the very first photo that was completely open to my storage.  You’ll see the wine cellar refrigeration lines heading down and you’ll get a good chuckle if you look all the way to the left, you’re going to see what looks like wine racking wrapped up in plastic.  That would be my very first wine storage system, probably five years ago.  It held 50 bottles and I thought I would never need more.

Tim:  It looks like they taped off the area they’re working because you definitely don’t want dust on the nice, wide screen TV there.

Remote Temperature Gauge with Bottle Probe

Leslie:  I don’t know if you guys know about this device.  This is from a company called Weather Direct and this thing rocks.  It is a remote temperature gauge that also has a bottle probe, so I can have it give me air temperature as well as bottle temperature.  And I can set the ping amount, so I can ping it every day, ping it every hour, ping it every 5 minutes, and then I can say to it when you ping it and the parameter is not met (e.g. it’s too warm, too humid, not humid enough) send me a text message and send me an email.

Tim:  This screen that we’re seeing is presented on…

Temperature Control Alarm System - Wine Cellar Refrigeration

Temperature Control Alarm System – Wine Cellar Refrigeration

Leslie:  You’re looking at the web screen.  So it’s telling you at the top it says wine cellar, it’s saying when it was last seen, and then the last measured values.  Of course, the AC wasn’t on and running at this time, but I’ve got the device and it was just sitting around my house and so I had it for fun toggling at 73 degrees and you’ll see that in red it saying that the notified parameter was met on both temperature and humidity.

Jerry:  So it’s an alarm system for you?

Leslie:  Absolutely.  And it’s also one way of testing the AC because I’m getting different temperatures obviously near the AC system to the floor to the ceiling to the wall that feeds in to my backyard.  They all are varying by a tiny bit.  This has been really neat to be able to take this device and move it and just get a feel for the different temperatures that are happening around the room which is great and a lot of my wine buddies who have custom wine cellars Orange County use this.  It has two pieces. The part itself that goes into the cellar and there’s another piece that needs an Ethernet connection.  Up in my office, I have the other part that is hooked up into my wireless router and it has reception from I believe 200 feet away.  It works great and it has a mobile website.  I actually have on my phone a mobile website and it will tell me what temperature my wine cellar is any time I want to know.

Tim:  We are definitely dealing with a geek here.

Leslie:  The AC guy told me these things are fantastic.  I have to agree and it’s a whopping $60.

Tim:  You could be somewhere in a different state or you’re in a meeting somewhere and you could just say, “Excuse me a moment my wine cellar is calling me.”

Leslie:  Absolutely.

This custom wine cellars Orange County is a project of Wine Cellars by Coastal.

Completed Custom Wine Cellars Orange County California

Completed Custom Wine Cellars Orange County California

Wine Cellar Lighting – How Important is It?

Wine is one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection. Wines cheer the sad, revive the old, inspire the young, and makes weariness forget his toil – a great company during high and low down moments of one’s life.

For a lot of wine enthusiasts, everything that involves a fine bottle of wine is about precision, perfection, and a great deal of care. With evolving designs of modern homes and more clients eager to show off their wonderful wine collection, elegant wine storage areas that double up as proud displays are becoming a popular trend.

dedicated California wine cellar is obviously the best way to go about it, and with that we have to consider a lot of aspects needed to ensure that our wines keep their best flavor and create the certain ambiance we all want to have.

How to Achieve Proper Wine Storage with the Right Wine Cellar Lighting

One of the most important aspects of your custom wine cellar is the lighting options. Lighting can either hinder or help achieve the desired atmosphere in a wine cellar and the ideal conditions necessary for graceful aging of wine.

Your wine cellar lighting should exude as little heat as possible, while still adequately lighting the space. Improper lighting is known to have an adverse effect on the room temperature and eventually on the wine’s quality and aging process. It can also ruin wine labels as well as distract from the presentation of the wine bottles and aesthetic of the wine rack displays.

Selection of wine cellar lighting should be done with utmost care. With proper lighting, you are not only protecting your wine, you are also creating a pleasant aura in your wine room.

                    Achieve Proper Wine Storage with the Right Wine Cellar Lighting

It should provide ample light for reading wines, conducting tastings, and moving about the custom wine room. The reason why wine bottles are traditionally dark colored is to protect wine from UV light.

Some lighting options you could choose include recessed lighting (which allows you to highlight areas where it is most needed), halogen lighting (has baffles that are used to minimize the glare and  control brightness), LED lighting (which is perfect due to its energy efficiency, long life span, low heat emission, and versatility), display lighting, track lighting or spotlight (best suited as accent lighting to your favourite wine labels in high-reveal or vertical display wine racks), and sconces and chandeliers (if you opt for a vintage touch).

Darkness or a subdued light is ideal for a cellar, thus the installation of a dimming system is a must. It grants you full control over the lighting level to optimize wine storage temperature and create the ambiance that you prefer in your custom wine room. You can also opt for a lighting system that turns off as you leave the cellar and only switches on when someone is inside.

 

A Wine Cellar Expert Can Help You Choose the Best Wine Cellar Lighting

When planning for your wine cellar project, pay close attention to the lighting. The power of wine cellar lighting should never be underestimated. Check with a design professional before you begin your wine cellar construction to choose the proper lighting best suited for your wine cellar design and wine storage displays.

Build Your Dream Wine Cellar with Wine Cellars by Coastal

Build Your Dream Wine Cellar with Wine Cellars by Coastal

Wine Cellars by Coastal is a trusted California custom wine cellar designer and manufacturer. Their passion for designing wine cellars, extensive experience in the wine cellar industry, and excellent customer service are the factors that contribute to the success of their wine cellar projects. Contact them now at (888) 735-8889 or visit their website at http://www.winecellarsbycoastal.com/ to learn more about their products and services.

Library Style California Residential Custom Wine Cellar

The houses in Newport Coast- an area located between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, California- look out to the amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. It is in one of these lovely homes where a stunning California custom wine cellar was built by Coastal Custom Wine Cellars.

A detailed wine cellar design proposal from Coastal Custom Wine Cellars was submitted to the clients. This is one of the most critical steps in building a wine cellar, regardless of the size and location. The wine cellar design helps customers view the details and get a feel of the finished product.

Library Style California Custom Wine Cellar and its Main Features

This particular wine cellar in Newport Coast had a floor space area that was quite spacious – larger than the average at 13 feet by 20 feet with a 10-foot high ceiling.  To maximize the space further, the wine storage displays were built in a way that looks like a library.

There are wooden wine storage cases which clearly show the full-length of the bottles. Coastal also included 27 openings for 3-6 Liter bottles, plus 391 horizontal displays for 750-1.5mL bottles. There is a portion built for bulk storage with 45 wood case storage shelves. All in all, the wine cellar racking display can hold 4,086 bottles.

These shelves are especially elegant because they are made of beautiful and sturdy Malaysian Mahogany stained with a rustic color and finished off with a clear lacquer top coat. The wine racking reached up to the 10-foot ceiling, and so two library-style, rolling ladders were installed, which slide down the length of the shelves easily. Two niches were specially designed to keep the library style rolling ladders out of the way when not in use.

The wine cellar was designed in such a way that anyone who enters has to go through a series of arches that lead to a double deep lattice arch, which is the designated wine tasting spot. As this location is in southern California, which is prone to earthquakes, the wine storage racks are built with an earthquake tilt.

Each bottle opening in the single bottle storage rack has bottle supports that tilt back slightly. This helps prevent the bottles from falling out of the wine rack in the event of an earthquake.

Since this California wine cellar is climate-controlled, the walls were insulated to make sure that the wine cellar cooling system can operate efficiently. The design came with a self-contained ducted wine cooling system so no visible equipment can be seen, only hidden vents where the cold air passes through.

This not only ensures that the wine cellar’s humidity is kept constant, it also helps maximize the space (since no equipment takes up room) and maintains the beautiful aesthetics of the cellar (since no equipment is visible).

Coastal Custom Wine Cellars has completed wine cellar projects with various requirements. If you want to start your own project, contact us at (888) 735-8889 or visit our website at http://www.winecellarsbycoastal.com/ to know more about our products and services.

 

Custom Wine Racks in California: Wooden Wine Racks & Metal Wine Racks

Wine racks are an essential part of wine storage. Wine racks are where you precious wines will be resting, so they need to be safe and durable. Also, wine racks need to be beautifully designed so that if you want to show off your wine collection, you can also display classy wine racks.

There are various kinds of custom wine racks in Orange County, California. The most common types of wine racks are those that are made of wood or metal. There are certain things that you need to consider when choosing wine racks, because both wooden wine racks and metal wine racks have something to offer. Learn more about these by reading through this article.

Wooden Wine Racks 

Wooden wine racks are classy and beautiful. They are also very easy to put together; you can even choose to build your own wooden wine racks if you want to. Although wooden wine racks are quite light, they are also durable enough to hold the weight of many wine bottles. In fact, wooden wine racks can last for many, many years, as long as you protect them from mold and mildew. Coating the wood with stains and finishes won’t just make the racks more attractive, but also protect them from mold and mildew damage.

One of the good things about wooden wine racks is that you have the liberty to use any paint on them. You can match the wine racks with the rest of your décor at home.

Another good thing about wooden wine racks is that if you accidently bump your wine bottle hard on the racks, it is less likely to break compared to bumping  it into a metal wine rack.

Metal Wine Racks 

Metal wine racks are another option, if you do not want wooden ones. What is great about metal wine racks is that they come in more shapes and styles than wooden wine racks. There are shapes and styles that only metal racks can pull off. This factor alone makes metal wine racks very attractive to wine enthusiasts. Add to that the fact that metal wine racks are more durable than wooden racks, and you’ve got a popular wine rack material.

The tricky thing about metal wine racks is that if you choose to paint them, you must make sure that you use a chip-resistant paint, so that the racks won’t easily lose the coat. Another disadvantage is that if metal racks break, they are harder to repair compared to wooden wine racks.