How to Build a Cheap Wine Cellar
Serious wine enthusiasts typically have a room dedicated to store it. A cellar is ideal because it allows you to keep the wine at the cool temperatures required. The biggest challenge in building an inexpensive wine cellar is keeping this room within a narrow temperature range.
Items Needed:
- Insulated door
- Wall insulation
- Wine racks
- Review the conditions needed to store wine. The temperature of the wine cellar must stay between 55 degrees and 65 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. It should also remain slightly humid, with no exposure to direct sunlight. These criteria generally require the room to be below ground level.
- Remove the carpeting from your wine cellar because it will tend to grow mold in the conditions needed to store wine. The floor of the wine cellar should be bare concrete or sealed tile to discourage mold growth.
- Replace the door of your wine cellar with one that has insulation and weather-stripping around the edges. This is essential to maintain the narrow temperature range of a wine cellar. Add additional insulation in your walls if the room is still under construction.
- Install recessed lighting in your wine cellar to minimize the exposure of your wine to light. The lighting in your wine cellar should have a dimmer switch allowing you to control the light level.
- Install wine racks in your wine cellar. Ensure they are made from a material that can withstand the cool, damp conditions of the cellar. Wine racks are typically made of wood, with mahogany being a common choice.