Good wine cellar lighting has always been a catalyst in making extraordinary wine cellars. Whether a space is minimalistic or ornate, adding the right amount and hue of light will always amplify the cellar’s intrinsic charm. Because of technology, we’ve moved past the fear of exposing wine bottles to light, and from that came the different innovations in wine cellar lighting systems that are as much in demand as the wine collection they highlight.
Artificial lights can be placed near wine bottles as long as they don’t give off too much heat.
In this article, we further explore the essence of a sound lighting system for wine cellars, its limitations, and the different kinds of wine cellar lights you can use for cramped spaces like kitchen pantries and multi-storage wooden wine racks.
The Importance of Wine Cellar Lighting
Wine is sensitive to any kind of light. However, light has more value than you may think. Besides allowing people to safely navigate the wine room, light will enable us to correctly grab the wine we need. Second, light affects people’s emotions. A customer walking into a restaurant may want to order a bottle of wine because they were entranced by the dramatic setup. Most importantly, great lighting reminds people of the celebration of wines, of how they’ve defined cultures with their delicate cultivation process, and of how they continue to bring people together.
The Impacts of Light on Wine
While good wine room lighting brings joy to both the owner and spectator, it is essential to know how to achieve a unique lighting mood without adversely affecting the wines. To do this, we must understand what happens when light rays reach a wine’s surface.
Wine contains photosensitive molecules that can become unstable when hit by certain kinds of light. If this persists, the molecules can oxidize and form compounds that alter the wine’s taste, texture, color, and aroma — something that cannot be reversed.
The effects of light vary per wine, though. They depend on the type of light, the strength of the light, and how long the wine is exposed to it. Additionally, different wines have different sensitivities to light. For example, red wine isn’t as quickly affected by light as champagne because red wine (especially the freshly-made ones) has more tannins that can reduce the impact of light. Likewise, some aged wines are more prone to light strikes and thus need more protection.
Planning A Wine Cellar Lighting System for This Small Pantry Wine Cellar
For this pantry wine cellar, the team opted for a single, ceiling-mounted wine cellar lighting in the form of a chandelier.
With all the information above in mind, Arctic Metalworks started to plan the lighting design of this small custom wine cellar, which was previously a kitchen pantry. Since the space was small, we opted for a more subtle lighting design, focusing only on one (1) dimmable chandelier and rope lights that run through the high reveal racks.
When planning a wine cellar lighting design, it’s important to pay attention to the racking and the types of drinks in the collection. Since this contemporary wine cellar used mahogany wood racks, a single light on the ceiling wouldn’t be able to suffice since the racks are dense and only allows light at certain angles.
Hence, a ball-shaped, glass chandelier was a suitable option to diffuse the light on the upper portions of the rack. Likewise, rope lights were enough to illuminate the racks’ bottom half.
If your wines are not fully wrapped in cellophane, we recommend positioning the rope lights above the label side of the bottle. This is so the labels can partially protect the wine from direct exposure.
A wine cellar’s high reveal racks are best illuminated by rope lights, also called ribbon lights.
We made sure to use only surface lights and not can or recessed lights — a type of light that’s popularly used all around. Surface-mounted lights are more airtight than can lights and will not trigger moisture formation or permit water drippings into the cellar.
Overall, combining our chandelier and rope lights gave more life to this kitchen wine cellar without compromising the quality of this client’s expensive wine collection. He was absolutely satisfied with how it turned out, and that’s what motivates the Arctic team to do its best every time!
How to Protect Your Collection from Being Light-Struck with Your Wine Cellar Lighting
There are different ways to protect your wines from the adverse impacts of light. These are what experts recommend:
- Use Light Emitting Diodes (L.E.D) – L.E.D wine cellar lights give off less heat, are more energy efficient, have a longer lifespan, and have more color options than regular fluorescents.
- Wrap the Bottles in Cellophane – cellophane blocks light depending on its color. Solid, orange-colored wraps are one of the most effective, filtering harmful light rays up to 98%.
- Go for Wine Bottles with Enhanced Light-Filtering Properties – have you ever stepped into a science lab and noticed that many chemical reagents are stored in dark-colored bottles? Those are called amber bottles that can also be used for wines. Amber bottles can block more than 90% of harmful light.
- Use the Lights Sparingly – avoid running the lights 24/7 and only turn them on when the cellar is in use, or you’re having guests over.
Call Arctic Metalworks for More Expert Advice on Wine Cellar Lighting
Arctic Metalworks is your one-stop-shop for all quality wine cellar fittings and services. We help you make well-informed decisions for your wine storage room, offering practical and cost-effective solutions for your insulation, racking, cooling, and wine cellar lighting systems.
Tell us about your collection, and let’s find the best way to protect and preserve them without hurting your budget! Call us at +1 (714) 936 – 3905.
