Passionate wine collectors spend a great deal of time and money on growing their wine collection. Hence, it is only right to invest in a wine storage room equipped with the proper wine cellar refrigeration system, to ensure that the quality of their wines are well-preserved for a prolonged period of time.
A wine cellar cooling system is one of the most important components in cellaring wines. This unit is designed to maintain a balanced wine storage environment, wherein the temperature range is between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity level is within 60 to 75 percent. An efficient refrigeration system will help wines age to their full potential.
When deciding on a wine cellar project or selecting the right type of wine cellar cooling system for a custom wine cellar, it is important to know the different variables involved in helping to achieve the ideal climate conditions for storing and aging wines.
What is it Important to Keep Wine Cellars Insulated?
One of the most important variables in wine cellar design and construction is proper insulation. An experienced wine cellar builder will ensure that insulation is applied to all wine cellar walls, in order to protect the storage room from unnecessary climate fluctuations, help stabilize temperature and humidity levels, and prevent the cooling system from working beyond its limit.
What is the Function of a Vapor Barrier?
During the wine cellar design phase of a custom wine cellar, an expert wine cellar builder will make sure that the entire wine cellar envelope is installed with vapor barriers ,to create a storage environment that is conducive to the wine aging process.
A vapor barrier is usually a foil sheet or plastic designed for moisture control. It prevents warm air from the outside from seeping through the wall surface, as this can cause condensation build up in the walls. The proper way of installing vapor barriers is by placing them on the warmer side of the walls.
Condensation build up can promote mold and mildew, which can cause a great deal of damage to the entire wine collection as well as to the wine cellar structure if left untreated. The presence of vapor barriers provides moisture control that is essential to maintaining a climate controlled wine storage environment.
What is the Purpose of Wine Cellar Doors?
Another important variable in a climate controlled wine cellar design is wine cellar doors. It is designed to provide a complete seal to custom wine rooms that will help the wine cellar cooling system in its efficiency in providing the best wine storage conditions.
An experienced wine cellar builder will see to it that the wine cellar doors of wine cellars are exterior grade doors. Doors with exterior grade quality are able to hold out against weather changes and prevent warm air from coming into the custom wine cellar.
In order for wine cellar doors to be efficient, they must have the following features: automatic door bottom, threshold, weather stripped on all sides and around the jamb, and perimeter seal.