Wines are very enjoyable beverages. They are great for special occasions and celebrations,as well as every day enjoyment. If you love wine, you have probablyheard a lot of myths about it. Learn a few of the most popular myths about wines, and which are true (or not true).
Understanding Your Wine Collection More – Knowing Myths from Facts
Identify the Myths About Wines!
More and more people in Los Angeles, California are investing in their very own residential custom wine cellars, and starting wine collections. In order to enjoy wine more, a wine collector should have an adequate understanding of wines. Along with that, they should identify the myths about wine. Here are a few of the most popular myths about wine:
1. Eliminate the Sulfites in Wine
There are many discussions online about the dangers of sulfites to our health. Recent studies show that sulfites are actually almost totally benign, but most people are still unwilling to accept that fact, and they insist on eliminating sulfites from wine. The reality is that all fermented products contain sulfites. Sulfites are a by-product of yeast metabolism. Even if a certain wine is made with unsulfured grapes, and no sulfite is added during the fermentation, said wine will still contain sulfites. Therefore, the only solution is to stop drinking wine.
2. Homemade Wine is All Bad and Can Make You Blind
This is actually a very common misconception about wine. The reality is that no matter what it tastes or looks like, wine fermented in food-grade containers will always be safer to drink than tap water. Wine has a low pH level and high alcohol content, which makes it uninhabitable for disease-causing organisms. There was even a time in human history when the only tool in a physician’s cabinet was a wine bottle. Wine, before the medical revolution of the 20th century, was used as an antiseptic for wounds, a pain killer for injuries, and a surcease for troubled minds.
There is no basis to the belief that homemade wine as sour or of inferior quality. Of course, there will always be times when a consumer-produced wine is poorly made and improperly fermented. But having an experience with a bad tasting homemade wine should not cause one to generalize all homemade wines as bad.
3. Rack Wines Early and Rack Them Often
Racking is the process of separating wine from its sediments, thus leaving it clear. A few wine experts recommend wine makers rack their wine immediately, to get rid of any visible sediment and thereby avoid H2S contamination. A common mistake that beginner wine collectors commit is fiddling with their wine too often. Even once wines have adjusted, finished fermenting, and are fully stable, they should be allowed to rest undisturbed in a durable wine racking system.
4. All Wines Improve with Age
Although it is true that many wines should be allowed to age in a home custom wine cellar before they are consumed, there are exceptions. There are a number of wines that are intended for immediate consumption. Different wines have different aging recommendations. For example, a light, delicate white wine like Trebbiano will fully develop it flavor aroma if allowed to age from 6 months to 1 year. But there are also certain wines that need to age for a decade or more to reach their peak quality. Get to know the wine you purchase before deciding whether to consume it immediately or to allow it to age first. If you do allow it to age, check how long it should be left in the residential wine cellar in Los Angeles, California.
5. White Wines areBestServed Cold, While Red Wines Should be Served at Room Temperature
Although you may drink wine at any temperature you want, traditional ideas on what temperatures certain wines should be served at require a little interpretation. Wines should not be served too cold, because, besides your palate being numbed by the cold, the flavors will also be repressed. On the other hand, if wine is served too warm, the tannins can become over-soft, and the alcohol unpleasantly dominant. The ideal serving temperature for white wines is between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, while most red wines should be served at a temperature between 62 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Champagne, on the other hand, should be served icy cold, to achieve the maximum nose-tickling pleasure. Light and fruity red wines like Dolcetto and Beaujolais Nouveau should be lightly chilled, to enhance their fruity character.
6. Any Type of Wine Cellar Refrigeration Unit Will Do
Another myth that many beginner wine collectors believe is that they can have any type of wine cellar refrigeration system installed in their wine storage room. The fact is, different wine cellars have different storage requirements, and thus, will need a wine cellar cooling unit that can meet those specific requirements. A wine cellar’s storage requirements depends on how big the storage room is, how many wines are stored in it, the climate outside the wine cellar, etc. Have an HVAC professional determine the appropriate wine cellar cooling system for your wine storage space.
7. A Wine Cellar is Not Very Important
If you are not willing to invest in an effective wine storage solution, you shouldn’t start a wine collection. A wine storage solution is essential, because without one, your wines will go bad. The most ideal wine storage solution is a wine cellar built in your own home. A residential wine cellar, designed and constructed by a professional wine cellar builder, can provide your wines with the ideal temperature and humidity that they require.
Different Kinds of Wine Storage Solutions in California
Coastal Custom Wine Cellars is one of the leading wine cellar builders in Los Angeles, California. They offer free consultations for their clients as well as free 3D drawings of their desired custom wine cellar design. Coastal builds wine storage solutions both for commercial and residential purposes, and they work alongside their clients from the design phase of the wine cellar construction project until its completion. For more information about Coastal and their products and services, call them today at (888) 735-8889!
For wine connoisseurs, wine is an considered part of their lives, not only a kind of beverage to be served at dinners or parties. This is why many wine collectors in California want to ensure that they have a storage place at home that will provide their prized vintages the perfect conditions and easy access. Some even choose sophisticated wine storage solutions or luxurious designs, even if it means going beyond their budget.
Both the ideal storage environment and luxurious appeal of your collection’s resting place can be achieved by having your custom wine cellar built by an expert. Wine cellars are designed to store wines until they are mature enough to be drunk. The older the wine, the more complex the aromas and flavors it will release.
Nowadays, most residential wine cellars in California are built not only with essential components for proper wine preservation, but also with cutting-edge design. For those who are planning to add a wine cellar to their home or are considering renovating an existing wine room, here are some popular wine cellar ideas that you can take note of.
Closet Wine Cellars
If you don’t have a big room to convert into a refrigerated custom wine cellar, this should not hinder you from having your dream wine cellar at home. With the creative hands and extensive experience of your chosen wine cellar builder, even a small closet can be transformed into an impressive walk-in wine cellar that can be the envy of your friends.
Since the main goal is to achieve the ideal temperature of 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels of 50-70 percent, it is recommended that a suitable wine cooling system is installed. If your closet is small, a cooling system of lower cooling capacity would ideally control the climate in the room, and vice versa.
For the wine rack system of small closet wine cellars, modular wine racking systems are commonly used. Some modular wine racks come with built-in tasting table top and stemware storage. An important thing to keep in mind when purchasing modular wine racks is to make sure that they suit the dimensions of your closet, or else your beautiful wine storage closet will turn into a mess.
For wine collectors who have bigger space and want more unique appeal, custom wine racking is more preferable. Customizing wine racks allows your own creativity and style to be incorporated into your wine cellar.
Basement Wine Cellars
Basement Wine Storage Room
Stacking wine in just area of the house such as in kitchen cabinets, drawers, boxes, or under the sink will ruin it. Wine needs to be stored in a dark, cool, and humid place. Proper wine storage conditions allow for graceful aging of wine. When aged properly, wine is more flavorful and the aromas it releases are desirable.
If you are considering building a wine cellar at home, your basement is considered the most ideal place for storage. Why? Because the humidity levels in the basement are more consistent and basements have less or no direct contact with sunlight.
A basement wine cellar can be “passive,” or naturally cooled. It uses the underground temperature (depending on where you live and the season) to control temperature fluctuations.
In the summer, heat gained through the foundation of a naturally-cooled wine room can be a problem. Some modern home owners add a heating system or a few appliances in their passive wine storage in the basement. Doing so can increase the temperature in the room and pose danger to the wines stored in it.
An active wine cellar in the basement is cooled using a wine cooling system. Compared to a passive wine cellar, a climate-controlled wine cellar is highly recommended to give complete control of the temperature and humidity level in the room. This will keep the cork moist, preventing spoilage of your valuable wines.
While installing a cooling unit is another expense, keeping your wine safe all the time will save you money in the long run.
Wine Cellar with a Home Tasting Bar
There are many inspiring wine cellar ideas that you can use to add aesthetic appeal to your home. One of these is to build a wine cellar that has multiple functions. For example, if you’re planning to renovate your spacious dining area, you can transform it into an elegant wine storage and a tasting bar.
Wine Cellar with Tasting Bar
You can even request your wine cellar designer to incorporate some special features, such as a stemware storage rack where you can hang the wine glasses, a cigar humidor, and a lot more. You may also want a “green” feature in your wine cellar such as reclaimed oak wine barrel flooring, tabletops, and wine racking. Another elegant piece of art that you can use is a wine barrel carving, which is a trend in many residential wine cellars in California.
Since wine is perishable, it is important to install a cooling unit in your dining area. Elegance and proper wine storage must go together to prevent waste of investment.
Useful Wine Cellar Tips to Keep in Mind
The wine rack styles that you want to use should be based on the size of the room and the ambiance that you want to create in your wine cellar. You can opt for semi-custom wine racks which are readily built. These wine rack kits include wine rectangular bins, diamond bins, curved corner racks, and a lot more.
For those who want a fully-customize residential wine cellar, you must discuss all your specific wine storage needs, requirements, budget, and the overall look that you want your wine room to have during the design phase.
It is also vital to determine the material for your wine racks. Wooden wine storage racks are sturdy and very appealing. Metal wine racks are known for their durability. They are sleek, making them ideal for a contemporary home. Your choice of wine rack design and material should depend on the existing décor of your home, size of your collection, and room and budget.
Elegant Wooden Wine Cellar Racking
Contemporary Metal Wine Racking
Whatever type of wine cellar you want to have or wherever it is located, a wine cellar refrigeration system should be installed to regulate the two most important factors in proper wine preservation: temperature and humidity.
Let a Wine Cellar Expert Bring Your Wine Cellar Ideas into Reality
Wine Cellars by Coastal has been in the wine cellar industry for several years, designing and installing wine cellars in and around California. Their aim is to provide their clients the efficient and state-of-the-art wine storage solution.
They will ensure that the essential components of your wine cellar such as the climate-control system, wine racking, flooring, door and lighting are installed properly for you to be worry-free about your wine’s safety.
Wine Cellars by Coastal Creates Stellar Wine Cellar Designs
There are lots of people who want to start their wine collection. If you want to start your own wine collection, you need to understand that you cannot begin without first making sure that you have a place to store them. Wines can’t just be stored anywhere because they need specific storage conditions for them age properly. The best place to store wines is in a residential custom wine cellar in Orange County, California.
A custom wine cellar in California can adequately provide the ideal conditions for your wines to mature tastefully. Learn about the basic elements to proper wine storage by reading through this article.
1. Lighting
It is imperative that when you have a custom wine cellar built in California, you keep it away from exposure to direct sunlight. There should be as little light as possible that reaches your wine bottles. There are various organic compounds within wine that are essential to its structure, aroma and flavor. Direct exposure to light, especially ultraviolet light, can potentially destroy these compounds and degrade the quality of your wines.
2. Vibration
Vibration isn’t really a big problem. It can occasionally be a problem when wines are exposed to too much of it like for example, when you keep your wine bottles on top of the kitchen refrigerator. Besides the risk of the bottles breaking, excess vibration can also prevent sediments from settling, and may affect the flavor of your wines. To protect your wine collection from vibration, store it in properly constructed custom wine racks in Orange County, California.
3. Humidity
Wines need to be kept in an adequately humid environment. Ideally, your custom wine cellar in Orange County should have a humidity level that ranges from 60% to 75%. Adequate humidity is necessary because too much and too little humidity can both damage your wine collection.
When humidity is above the ideal levels, moisture builds up and can ruin your wine bottle labels. Mold can form, too, and contaminate your wines. One way to prevent mold formation is by wrapping your wine bottles in saran wrap. Some people would use hair spray and other sealants, but these have unpleasant odors. Saran wrap effectively keeps mold out without having bad odors.
On the other hand, when the humidity is too low, corks may shrink and allow air to enter the bottles. When air comes in contact with the wine, oxidation happens, and this ruins the flavor of your wines. Wines that have been exposed to air often have a rusty taste to its flavor.
If your area has a very dry climate, or if your house is heated and cooled by central air, a good way to have humidity inside the custom wine cellar in CA is by placing a saucer of water inside.
4. Temperature
Temperature is the most important element to wine storage, and the most important consideration when building a home wine cellar in Orange County, California. Wines require a wine storage room wherein the temperature is maintained between 55 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. There should be minimal to no fluctuations in the temperature level, because frequent fluctuations will negatively affect your wines. Have a quality wine cellar refrigeration system installed in your home custom wine cellar in CA, so that you can be sure that your wines are kept in the ideal storage temperature.
Hey, we are at Dana Point California today and we are going to look at a residential wine cellar project that we wrapped up just this last October. As you can see, this is a 2-car garage and we actually took a portion or a segment of approximately 5′ long and 5′ wide, and we were able to store some 675 bottles.
We had a few obstacles to overcome besides all the bicycles and all the storage things because of the garage door and the track that it rolls on. We had a limited height to work with, but we were able to maintain some of the storage as you can see above here.
The Wine Cellar Door – Tuscan
Tuscan Wine Cellar Door
All in all, the wine cellar design came out really nice. The clients are very, very happy. The entry is our Tuscan wine cellar door.
It is a radius or true arch with a wrought iron gate and you can see some of the fine detail on the wrought iron with the grapes and the grape leaves. It’s a really nice theme, a very popular theme.
Operable Wrought Iron Wine Cellar Door
One of the nicest features of our Tuscan wine cellar dooris that the wrought iron is actually operable. You can lift this little latch here on a hinge for cleaning purposes, so you can keep the dual pane glass free of dust and still create a nice view right into the wine cellar. The latch very simply attaches back to the wine cellar door.
We’re really happy how this all turned out. The customer picked out the paint scheme. It’s kind of a wine color that looks very, very nice with the Premium Redwood.
Cork Wine Cellar Flooring
See the subtle color variations in the wood. It really looks nice with this Pinot color scheme. The flooring is actually, although it looks like its wood, is cork floor, so it has a little bit of gist to it.
As you first enter the residential wine cellar, this particular client has lots of these wooden boxes for magnums and even for certainly larger wood cases for 12 packs and 6 packs, but we start off the run here with a solid quarter round display shelf.
Storage for Large Format Bottles
As we move back further into the cellar, lots of large format bottles (1.5-liter, 3-liter, 6-liter and even in the back you can see a 12-liter bottle). It was very important to him to be able to store and display these properly.
These are in a label forward horizontal display format. In the case of a smaller magnum-style bottle, we can get as many as four per opening, and two bottles per opening in a larger 3-bottle format. These wood shelves here are actually adjustable, so as his collection changes over the months and years, he can certainly adjust the shelving to their proper spacing.
Adjustable Shelves – Residential Wine Cellar
This back wall here, which is quite beautiful, also has adjustable shelves which were intended for wooden cases but certainly they’re fine for decorative features and things of that nature. The bottom portion of the shelf is a double deep lattice diamond bin for bulk configuration that certainly increased the capacity of this 12′ x 5′ wine room.
The lattice-style feature of the diamond bin allows for good air flow around the bottles and adds some nice attractive feature to the wine cellar. We come back down to the right side of the wall. We’ve got lots of single bottle storage with a high reveal display row.
15-Degree Angle Wine Display
These bottles are pitched to the 15 degree angle, so they’re liquid is still in contact with the cork. It gives the wine room a little character and it certainly shows off some of the labels. It is also a good management tool because you can put like wines above and below the display row.
This case opening here is indeed a solid case opening with a solid premium redwood tabletop. We have drawers here for every day accoutrements – corkscrews, napkins, and whatever you need for your wine cellar. More bulk storage down below in a diamond configuration.
The Wine Cellar Cooling Unit – CellarPro
Wine Cellar Cooling Unit
The wine cellar cooling unit is a self-contained CellarPro cooling unit with variable fan speeds that will deal with temperatures of up to 110 degrees. This one actually exhausts to the outdoors, so we’ll take a look at that in a moment.
The wine cellar cooling unithas an extended housing or extended cover, I should say, to protect the housing from the elements and it has a reasonable air filter as well, one that could be washed. This is the rear of the wine cellar cooling unit that I was telling you about.
It extends beyond the house a little bit, but more so than the last project that we looked at because of this added depth to protect the rear exhaust and the reusable aluminum filter that protects it from the elements. The drain line here simply drains off into the flower bed.
A custom residential wine cellar is the perfect wine storage and display solution for passionate wine lovers who want to start growing their wine collection. Skillfully designed and carefully constructed Californiaresidential wine rooms can achieve optimal wine cellar conditions for storing and aging wines, as well as provide a cozy ambiance for entertaining friends and fellow wine aficionados.
Coastal Custom Wine Cellars recently completed a custom residential winerooms garage conversion project in Dana Point, California. The Coastal team redesigned a 2-car garage enclosure and transformed it into a fully functioning wine storage area with a total storage capacity of 725 wine bottles.
Garage Conversion Wine Cellar Design
Coastal provided their client with a complimentary three dimensional wine cellar design of the proposed California residential wine rooms project. The 3D design package includes overhead views and elevation views of the wine storage area. A three dimensional presentation is a useful design tool that shows how the various wine cellar components fit together, plus it gives the client a detailed glimpse of the finished product.
Dana Point California Wine Cellar Design
Different custom wine rack styles were integrated into the wine cellar design to accommodate the client’s assortment of wine bottles, such as 1.5-liter, 3-liter, and 6-liter bottles and wine casings. The right combination of wine racking systems provided maximum storage capacity to the residential wine cellar space and established efficient display solutions for organizing and showcasing the wine collection.
Completed Residential Wine Cellar Orange County California-001
The right side wall is, for the most part, single bottle storage openings with inside dimensions that measure 3 ¾” x 3 ¾,” which can fit most 750 ml wine bottles, including Oregon Pinots, Shiraz, Zinfandels, and standard champagne bottles. This area of the wine storage space also features a tabletop with drawers for storing various wine accessories.
To provide ample storage for some of the client’s large format bottles, a label forward horizontal display rack was installed above the tabletop opening, which could store 4 magnums or 1.5 liter bottles in a horizontal orientation.
For bulk storage, diamond bin components were added just below the tabletop drawers. Diamond bins can hold a large amount of different-sized wine bottles.
A beautiful feature in this California residential wine rooms project is the high reveal display row that runs around the entire perimeter of the custom wine cellar. Wine bottles are pitched to a 15 degree angle, which allows for the full visibility of the wine labels. Soft LED lighting affixed behind the valance provides dramatic lighting and better illumination to the bottles on the display row.
Quarter Round Display Wine Rack
The back wall of this custom residential wine rooms Dana Point project includes several openings for wood case storage as well as additional single bottle storage racks and high reveal display row. A double deep configuration was added to this area to increase storage capacity and provide more tabletop area.
Most of the client’s large format bottles (such as double magnums and imperials) were displayed on the left side wall. On this side of the wine cellar space, more wood case openings were provided with adjustable shelving to allow the client to adjust the spacing for the different sized wood casings.
A quarter round display rack was used as an end piece to the racking frame on the left side wall. This type of racking system can be used as a display tool for artistic pieces or wine accoutrements like decanters.
CellarPro Wine Cellar Cooling Unit
Residential wine rooms require proper refrigeration equipment to help stabilize the environment. For this particular wine cellar design project, the designers installed a CellarPro exterior vent cooling system. It was mounted onto an opening in the racking frame on the right side wall. To ensure an optimal seal and to add aesthetic value to the wine cellar, a Tuscan-styled arched door with operable iron grill seals the wine cellar entryway.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.”
