Getting started on a home wine room is much less complicated than most people would think. This recently completed Laguna Beach residential wine cellar California project by Coastal Custom Wine Cellar Builders demonstrates how a storage room can easily be converted into a climate controlled wine storage space.
The room was originally used by the client to store several refrigerated wine cabinets, along with some boxes and wine bottles. Read on to learn the major wine cellar design features of this custom wine cellar conversion project.
Proper Wine Cellar Cooling and Insulation
CellarPro Wine Cellar Coolign System
An actively cooled wine room functions like a large refrigerator. Proper wine cellar cooling and insulation are necessary to achieve the best possible storage environment.
Wine cellar installers applied insulation, vapor barriers, and moisture proof drywall to the wall cavities. These construction prerequisites are essential elements in wine cellar construction, because they help maintain the optimum conditions for storing and aging wines.
For this custom wine cellar conversion project, a CellarPro Model 3200 VSi wine cellar cooling system was installed to help keep temperature and humidity at ideal levels. This self-contained wine cellar cooling system is mounted through the wall, and exhausts hot air to the garage area.
It is designed to handle temperatures ranging from -20°F to 115°F. This model features adjustable humidity controls, and variable-speed fans for efficient and ultra-quiet operation.
Barolo Style Wine Cellar Door with Weather Stripping
Barolo Style Wine Cellar Door
The residential wine cellar is located right off the garage area. The Coastal Custom Wine Cellar Builders team provided the client with a 30″ x 80″ Barolo style wine cellar door with double pane glass, which renders a full view into the wine storage space.
This Barolo wine cellar door has these following features that make it really efficient:
- weather stripping on all sides and along the jambs
- automatic door sweeps
- dual pane insulated glass
Weather stripping prevents cool air from escaping out of the climate controlled wine cellar. The automatic door bottom does the same thing, plus it prevents dragging that could otherwise damage the floor when opening and closing the door. The dual pane door feature inhibits condensation from building up on the glass and around the door itself.
The Wine Racking System
Quarter Round Display
Quarter Round Display and Single Bottle Wine Racking System
As one enters the Laguna Beach residential wine cellar, the left side wall wine racking systems start off with a beautiful quarter round display shelf that showcases the client’s selection of double magnums (3-liter bottles).
This wine display rack can also be used to display ornamental pieces and wine accoutrements, such as decanters and wine buckets. The quarter round display shelf also provides a smooth transition to the wine racking system.
Single Bottle Wine Storage Racks with Lighted High Reveal Display Row
Next to the quarter round display shelf are single bottle wine storage racks that feature a high reveal display row. The individual slots have 3 3/4″ x 3 3/4″ openings that can fit most standard 750 ml wine bottles, including standard champagne, California Blue Chips and Oregon Pinot.
This wine racking system comes with rear stabilizer bars that provide structural integrity to the frame, and hand sanded edges that prevent tearing of wine labels.
High reveal display rows store wine bottles at a 15 degree angle, to allow continuous contact of cork with wine. This is very important in observing proper wine storage techniques that promote optimum wine aging.
A display with high reveal also promotes eye-level presentation of wine labels for better product recognition, as well as for easy perusal and selection. LED lighting is installed next to the light valance, casting a dramatic glow along the different wine selections placed on the display row.
Wine Storage Bins
Wine Storage Bins
Since the client loves to showcase his collection of wood cases, Coastal Custom Wine Cellar Builders California custom-designed an opening wine storage bin at the very bottom of the right side wall wine racking system to provide a space for his wood case collection.
As one comes toward the back wall of the Laguna Beach custom wine cellar conversion, the wall surface has odd corners and contours that would have made the installation of additional single bottle storage racks and high reveal display rows difficult. However, the wine cellar builders from Coastal Custom Wine Cellars CA did a wonderful job in creating a wine racking system that adjusted to the contours of the wall, for a smooth and flowing appearance.
An Arch on the Wall
Moving toward the right side of the wall, there are more single bottle storage racks that feature a high reveal display row. This particular wall features a standard arch with a stunning whittle board design and a solid tabletop, which serves as a work space for serving or decanting wines. The arch includes puck lighting, to accentuate the area.
Right above the regular arch is a horizontal opening, for storing large format bottles in a label forward orientation. Down below the solid tabletop area are additional bottle slots, to accommodate more standard 750 ml wine bottles.
Stylish Arch as Part of the Wine Racking System
Just below the high reveal display row are horizontal label forward openings that can fit just about any wine bottle size. For Bordeaux style bottles, each opening bin can store three deep, for a total of six bottles in this particular area.
Diamond bin components below the horizontal openings are included for bulk storage. These components are excellent management tools for storing 6 packs and 12 lots.
Track Lighting Fixture
Track Lighting
A low track lighting fixture was provided by the client, and was affixed to the ceiling. The lighting system has directional features that can highlight and illuminate various areas in the residential wine cellar. In addition to the light fixture, the client also supplied the wood flooring and paint color.
The residential wine cellar was certainly an easy and fun project to work on. The Coastal team converted a small storage room into an 837-bottle capacity custom wine cellar. For wine cellar conversion projects, Coastal Custom Wine Cellar Builders would be glad to provide a free consultation and 3D design of the proposed wine storage space.
Arctic Metalworks is the premiere manufacturer, supplier and installer of commercial grade wine cellar refrigeration units California. They are known as the refrigeration gurus of Southern California, not only for their high quality and reliable residential wine cellar refrigeration equipment, but also for the top notch service they provide their clients.
Arctic Metalworks Wine Cellar Refrigeration Units
Established in 1962, this family owned and operated refrigeration company has taken on over a hundred projects involving wine cellar refrigeration installation, in residential and commercial applications. One of their recently completed projects involved replacing an existing cooling system in a California residential wine cellar.
Wine Cellaar Refrigeration Units California Project
When Arctic Metalworks first surveyed the location in the summer of 2013, the construction of a residential wine room under stairs conversion was well underway. The Arctic team offered to provide their services in wine cellar refrigeration units California, as well as that of Jerry Wilson from Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, for the wine racking systems.
However, the client had already decided to go with a much cheaper team, that installed modular storage and display solutions and a Breezaire wine cellar refrigeration unit. The quality of the modular wine rack system was okay for the amount paid, but the type of refrigeration equipment used was a different story altogether.
The original refrigeration specialist installed a residential wine cellar cooling system that did not have enough power to cool the California residential wine cellar. The brand new Breezaire refrigeration unit was icing up and leaking water as a result of running continuously to reach the ideal storage temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. To make matters worse, Breezaire declared that the unit was installed improperly, thus voiding the warranty.
California Residential Wine Cellar Refrigeration
Arctic Metalworks ran diagnostics and confirmed that the existing wine cellar refrigeration system did not have the proper cooling capacity to create and maintain a conducive environment for storing and aging wines. The Arctic team removed the existing Breezaire cooling unit and replaced it with an Arctic 0025 ductless split system.
A ductless split system consists of an evaporator unit and a condensing unit, which are connected by a line set. Wine cellar refrigeration units California with a split feature not only promote whisper quiet operation, but also eliminate noise and heat exhaust. The condenser, which produces noise and heat, can be placed in a remote location (e.g. outdoors, or in the basement or garage), while the evaporator can be installed inside and/or near the wine room.
The condensing unit for this California residential wine cellar refrigeration installation project was located outdoors, to keep it well-ventilated at all times. It has a protective covering that shields it against harmful outside elements. Copper tubing and electrical wiring were used to connect the condenser to the evaporator, which is installed inside the wine room. Since the Arctic 0025 is a ductless split system, it requires no venting into an adjacent room.
Arctic Metalworks not only provides proactive maintenance of commercial and residential wine cellar refrigeration equipment, but also a warranty on parts and labor. The Arctic team has a 1% call back rate on all their wine cellar cooling systems, making their refrigeration products the most reliable on the market.