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“For my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
I put them in the same room and let them fight it out.”
Steven Wright

A lot of new homes and apartments have racks in the kitchen or in a cupboard for storing wine bottles.  These don’t necessarily constitute a “cellar” in the real sense. 

A cellar must, according to wine writer James Halliday, have three qualities:

A built in kitchen rack: not great.

“It should be dark, It should be free of vibration and, Above all else, it should reduce both diurnal and seasonal temperature variations to a minimum.”[1] So those nice bottle racks set next to the oven or by the heater in the lounge room just don’t cut it. In fact, the ideal cellar has a totally constant temperature, with no variations during the day and no variations from one season to the next.  It also has a relatively high humidity, and no movement of air in the cellar.  The trick is to get as close as you can to the ideal within your budget.

No Budget: Basic Cellaring

The Humble Wine Carton

Oddly enough, if you don’t have a temperature controlled cellar, the most basic step you can take to protect your wine is to leave it in the cardboard box it came in.  This is because cardboard is a reasonable insulator.  In the absence of anything else, it does a fairly basic job in insulating your wine.

Beware the external wall!

There are racks on the market that let you stack cardboard cartons in some semblance of order.  Shown here is a seven box wooden rack available for $151 from Wine Cellar Designs.  For further details, go to: http://winecellardesigns.com.au/catalog/index.php? cPath=24_32&sort=products_sort_order&page= 2&osCsid=18b7cc4967dfd7c92ca2420f773cae7e If you have a choice, do not store wine against an external wall – especially if it faces the westerly afternoon sun.  The reason is that these walls heat up much more than internal walls and therefore expose your wine to greater temperature fluctuations.

The Cupboard

Cupboards are almost always used to store wine if the owner has not “bitten the bullet” to do something more serious in terms of cellaring.  A cupboard can provide a little more protection against temperature variation.  It will also stop light getting at the wine.  If you are going to store in a cupboard, still keep the wine in the cartons.  Make sure the bottles are on their side or upside down if the bottles are sealed with cork.  This keeps the wine in contact with the cork and reduces cork shrinkage.

$1,000 Budget: Air Conditioner and Humidifier

Constant temperature is more important than degree of temperature.  James Halliday explains this concept:

“Constancy of temperature is more important than the degree of temperature.  Thus a cellar with a temperature varying between, say, 8 degrees Celsius and 13 degrees Celsius is inferior to a cellar with a consistent year round temperature of, say, 15 degrees Celsius.  Temperature variation is harmful because… it leads to the expansion and contraction of the wine in the bottle, hastening the ingress of oxygen – and thereby oxidation.”[2]

This is not to say that you would have to maintain an ordinary household cellar at eight degrees.  In Australia, this would mean running an air conditioner most of the day all year round.

A survey of air conditioners commonly available on the market today (ie: Harvey Norman etc) shows that none of them will cool to less than 16 degrees.  If you could maintain the temperature at a constant 16 degrees all year round, this would be more than acceptable.  The trouble with these common air conditioners, however, is twofold:

1. They dehumidify the air.  Now, if your cellar still contains a lot of bottles sealed in cork, this dehumidified air will tend to dry out the ends corks, shrink them and make them brittle.  This means that over time, the seal is less than perfect.
2. The move air around.  This creates air currents and movements so that the atmosphere is not totally stable.

So you have to get some humidity in the cellar.  The ideal range is 70-75 per cent. 

“For my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifier. I put them in the same room and let them fight it out.” Steven Wright

A small humidifier will handle this cellaring requirement.

$1,500 Budget: Airconditioner, Humidifier and Wine Racks

Trellis Modular Racks

The next step up is get some decent wine racks.  The best racks in my opinion are Trellis modular racks.  They clip together in any number of combinations to fit any space, and they have smooth edges to prevent labels being scuffed as you pull the bottles in and out.  They are available online from Killerby.  Click here for details.

Pine Double Bin Rack

Pine Double Bin Rack

Other racks are also available.  Shown here is a double bin rack that holds 192 bottles, including two cases on top.  It is made of pine and costs $188.  This rack is cheap, but not ideal.  As you pull one bottle out, the others slide sideways to fill the gap, scuffing the label and making things generally difficult.  It is very difficult to get a bottle out from the bottom of the pile.  The pine looks a bit cheap.  Nevertheless, it can be ordered online at: http://winecellardesigns.com.au/catalog/index.php? cPath=24_32&sort=products_sort_order&page= 2&osCsid=18b7cc4967dfd7c92ca2420f773cae7e

Rio Mesh Rack

To get individual bottle storage, you need to go to a trellis rack.  Shown here is the most basic model made from powder coated steel.  Cost is $238 for a 152 bottle rack. Available at: http://winecellardesigns.com.au/catalog/index.php? cPath=24_32&sort=products_sort_order&page=3 If you are handy, you can build a metal rack yourself from galvanised reinforcing mesh.  It won’t look that pretty (unless you powder coat it), but a lot of winemakers use this at home because it is so cheap.

You get one layer of mesh at the back near the wall to support the end of the bottle, and another layer of mesh at the front to support the neck of the bottle.  Just remember to place the front mesh a little higher than that back mesh so that the bottle stays level.

18 Column Classic Rack

18 Column Classic Rack

Here’s a wine rack from the same supplier for $775.  It’s a lot bigger and holds 378 bottles.  Again, it is in pine which looks a bit cheap.  There is a red cedar option for $1,048 which may look a little better.  Or you could stain and varnish the pine one I suppose. Order online at: http://winecellardesigns.com.au/catalog/ index.php?cPath=24_32&sort=products_ sort_order&page=1

 $2,500 Budget: A Wine Cabinet

Eurocave Classic Small	Eurocave Classic Large

Temperature Zones

A wine cabinet is a temperature and humidity controlled storage unit that will store 40 bottles or more.  They generally store wine at between 13 and 16 degrees C.  There are some cabinets that have special compartments for ageing wine, chilling wine quickly, or bringing wine up to room temperature before serving.  So when looking at cabinets, your first decision is whether it is going to be used just for ageing wine, or whether you also need to quickly chill wine or bring it up to room temperature just before serving.  Usually, people decide this on price – if the three zone cabinet is significantly more expensive, they often decide to chill wines in their refrigerator and warm them up to room temperature by bringing the bottle out an hour or so early.

Humidity

Most cabinets offer humidity in the range of 55% to 80%.  Try for a cabinet that is around 70-75% as this is ideal in preventing corks drying out.

Vibration

The main issue with wine cabinets is vibration.  Wine cabinets use compressors to cool the air and compressors produce vibrations.  Remember the ideal cellar has no vibrations.  It dislodges sediment and many winemakers believe it adversely affects ageing.

Examine the technical specifications carefully and look for a cabinet that uses a slow compressor or that has anti-vibration mounts.  Some units use ceramic plates cooled by electricity to prevent vibrations.

Ventilation

A good wine cabinet will have some ventilation so that mould does not build up on your labels.  Look for vents at the front of the unit and again, examine the specifications for mention of ventilation. 

Presentation

Finally, there are a range of cabinets from the “no frills” basic model to elaborately carved wooden armoires.  So you first need to decide whether your cabinet is going in the garage where no-one will see it, or whether it will be on display.  If it is going in the garage, then you won’t want the additional expense of a glass door to display the wine.  Conversely, if it is going to be a showpiece, the sky is the limit for presentation!

Here are some different wine cabinets in the $2,500 price range.

EuroCave
Sommelier ($2860)
No. of temperature zones: 3
Capacity: 38-47 bottles, depending on how you configure the shelves
Height: 870mm
Width: 594mm
Depth: 557mm
Features: “Reliable maker and one of the few cabinets with three multi-temperature zones at this price. The compressor is mounted on silent blocks and shelves have anti-vibration rubber shockers. Has charcoal-filtered naturally managed humidity (range, 50 to 75 per cent).”   Jeni Port, wine writer, The Age Melbourne

KG252 Interior	Kitchener Cabinets KG252 ($2800) No. of temperature zones: 1 Capacity: 252 bottles Height: 1670mm Width: 820mm Depth: 680mm Features: “If you want Australian-made, go for this no-frills performer with built-in anti-vibration and rubber-covered steel shelving. Thermo-electric cooling means no moving parts except for a small fan.” Jeni Port, ibid.  Order online at http://www.kitchenerwinecabinets.com. au/default.asp
“What does the G in KG252 stand for? Q: I've noticed that your models have KG in them. I understand the K, but why the G? A: The G stands for garage. The first KWC initially adopted a European design (Victorian Ash handcrafted by a cabinet maker). This was rejected by the market. "Too expensive mate." "But we haven't told you the price." "Just looks too pricey -- we need something to go in the garage, none of this carved stuff, waste of money." So Gerard and Anthony Kitchener developed the model you see today. The Kitchener Garage (wine cabinet).”  http://www.kitchenerwinecabinets.com.au/
	Liebherr 2976 ($2599) No. of temperature zones: 1    Capacity: 115 bottles Height: 1250mm Width: 660mm Depth: 683mm Features: “Imported from Austria, the  Liebherr cabinet is plain but functional, with four multi-position shelves, recirculated air cooling and a warning signal in case of malfunction.”   Jeni Port, ibid.
	Vintec 160 DP ($2550) No. of temperature zones: 1 Capacity: 120 bottles Height: 1850mm Width: 600mm Depth: 630mm Features: “Imported by Transferm, this is a good-looking wine fridge with double stainless steel doors and six multi-position wooden shelves, charcoal filter and reflective anti-UV glass door (if you wanted to trade up).”  Jeni Port, ibid.

Standard features of the Vintec units include:

  Choice of attractive colours - White, Black, Stainless Steel

  Left or right opening doors available

  Castors at the rear of the unit, to make moving the cabinet easier

  Vibration absorbers reduce the transmission of vibrations through the cabinet

  Control panel at the top displays the thermostat, running light & thermometer

  The inbuilt thermal pump ensures correct humidity level is maintained.

Wine Ark in Sydney are offering these cabinets to their members at $2,500. Order online at:

http://www.wine-ark.com/default.cfm?fuseaction=wares.dsp_DisplayResults&searchFrom
=13&selCategory=1

Studio Wine Cabinet ($2500)
No. of temperatures zones: 1
Capacity: 40 bottles
Height: 640mm
Width: 540mm
Depth: 555mm
Features: “One of the smartest cabinets around, good for showing off in a kitchen (it fits under most bench tops). Has three multi-position shelves and a triple thermal barrier for insulation. The only drawback is the small number of bottles it takes. It comes in a black matte finish only.”  Jeni Port, ibid.

(Prices approximate)

CONTACTS

Eurocave: 1800 733621
Kitchener: 9429 5406
Transtherm/Vintec (02) 8399 3500 for local stockists
Liebherr: 1800 685 899

Ben Killerby