Image: CesaraStudillo and Apex Wine Cellars
In Ancient Egyptian times it was known as ‘the tears of Horus’, in Roman mythology the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, Dionysus was hailed as it’s god, and in Medieval times, like mead and ale, it was safer to drink than water. Yes, wine has been around for millennia, and our appreciation of the fine beverage has changed little over the years.
However, while most of us are content with an average tipple and an odd flourish on an expensive bottle or two, other’s tastes, and hefty bank balances, allow them to indulge in something most of us can only yearn for – their very own wine collection. And then, of that fortunate lot there are those who exist for nothing more than to make us truly envious, by having a fully-stocked home wine cellar. Read on to discover how the other half live…
1. Paul B Smith’s 8,000 sq ft Cellar
Image: Thomas McDonald
Paul B Smith of Connecticut, New England have created every wine collector’s fantasy; an 8,000 square-foot cellar that houses over 65,000 bottles of wine. Expanded from the humble beginnings of a collection of bottles in a tiny cellar in 1978, Smith’s wine collection has grown to such an extent that it now needs numerous rooms with double-height ceilings to accommodate it.
Smith believes his passion for wine carries through to relationships and some that he has made through collecting wine are almost as important to him as the wines. “Something happens to people that love wine,” he said.” You really discover camaraderie. It’s like sharing love in a glass.”
His late wife Carol – who died in 2002 – once asked him: “If you never buy another bottle of wine in your life, and you drink a bottle each night with dinner, how long will it take you to drink all you have?” Smith replied, “I don’t know, 25 or 30 years?” Carol’s answer was, “Nope, 119 years.” That’s a lot of wine!
Mr Smith’s collection continues to grow and from once thinking he was running out of space to house all his wine, he has now developed four further rooms to accommodate his passion.
2. The Spiral Cellar
Images: Spiral Cellars
Don’t have a voluminous basement with gothic arches below your house? No worries. Here’s the perfect wine cellar for you – the Spiral Cellar. Invented in 1978 by a man called George Harnois, these compact home wine cellars can be constructed under almost any home within a week. Made of concrete, the cellar is 2 metres wide and can be 2, 2.5 or 3 metres deep, depending on the space available below the house – and the size of your wine collection. The 3 metre deep vault can hold up to 1,600 bottles.
The installation of the wine cellar couldn’t be simpler. The team come along and dig a hole wherever you choose in your house, excavate the dirt and insert the wine vault. It is entered via a trap door in the floor leading to a spiral staircase that showcases the wine around the outer edges. As the design is internal and below ground, no planning permission is required. It can also be provided in kit form, so if you’re feeling fit you can install yourself!
3. Paul Wyatt Cellars
Images: Paul Wyatt Designs
Check out these amazing home wine cellars created by specialist wine cellar designer Paul Wyatt. He has been in business for over 20 years, developing his cellars to perfection. A love of fine food and wine, accompanied with a background in engineering, led Paul to seek a solution for long-term wine storage, and the eventual development of his custom-made wine cellar company.
A number of factors need to be taken into consideration when building and designing a home wine cellar – the temperature needs to be kept at a constant 52 to 58 degrees F, humidity above 50%, there must be as little natural light as possible, natural ventilation and minimum vibration. As well as considering the budget and capacity available, it doesn’t make it as easy as it looks. The detailed list of parts, assembly and special products needed means the creation can take weeks to produce, even if the cellar is tiny.
Wyatt Designs use only the finest materials with a variety of high-grade woods including, Clear Heart Kiln-Dried Redwood, Peruvian Walnut, Australian Jarrah and African Mahogany, to craft their cellars. Each piece of wood is hand-selected, machined and hand-finished to perfection, producing quite a result.
4. Michael and Lori Feldstein’s Eco Cellar
Image: New Jersey Monthly
Feldstein and his wife Lori hired an architect to design a cellar in their Princeton home in New Jersey. Their aim was to have a cellar that could house 2,500 bottles of wine. “We like to have nice wines, and a variety of wines that suit our meals. We like to entertain, so you can have one bottle of this, and one bottle of that. We wanted not just a variety, but also a significant quantity of each”, says Feldstein. They also wanted the design to be sustainable and as eco-friendly as possible, which is in stark contrast to many other wine buff’s cellars that are often made of some of the most expensive and hard to obtain woods possible.
The wine cellar is located under their breakfast bar and has five angled walls with a tasting table in the middle. Since the walls are in direct contact with outside, the room is naturally chilled, and requires little energy to maintain its 50 to 55 degree year-round temperature. The wine room draws its power from solar panels on the roof, while the ceiling is made from cork – a sound-absorbing, rapidly renewable resource. For lighting they chose an elongated light with an amber lens, creating a warm ambiance, and the wine racks are made of redwood.
5. North Fork Wine Cellars
Images: North Fork Wine Cellar Designs
North Fork Wine Cellar Designs utilise the newest wine racking system and plate glass walls to create a super modern feel, or with the wide selection of wood available and imported stone they can create an Old World style that harkens back to days of yore.
Concentrating on the Long Island, New York City, Westchester and New Jersey areas, North Fork Designs offer a few variations on the home wine cellar and will create to suit the wine connoisseur’s unique design sensibilities. The four main designs they offer are: the newest metal wine racking system with plate glass walls, the classic wooden wine cellar, the Tuscan style, using imported stone and brick hundreds of years old, or a unique wine cave made out of stone powder from the Comblanchien Quarries in Burgundy, France – perfect for storing that Old World wine collection.
6. Amalthea Cellars
Images: New Jersey Wines and Amalthea Cellars
Amalthea founder Louis Caracciolo’s love of wine began when he was a young boy making wine in the cellar of his grandfather’s home. Caracciolo says, “I came on the scene with an unlit torch and my grandfather passed the flame.” His love of winemaking grew from those early days.
In 1972, he bought the farm in New Jersey where Amalthea is located and further developed the family’s passion for wine. Now the once tiny farm that stored his first collection of bottles is a thriving winery, where Caracciolo tends personally to his wines and cellars, passing on the flame through wine tasting and appreciation events.
He often advocates that wine is an art, saying, “The wine does not make itself … the wine-maker must follow the form of the wine as it emerges and dances with what the wine needs as it needs it.” No doubt, he loves his wine.
7. Walk-In Wine Vault
Image: BarCigarsandBrew
If a run-of-the-mill wine cellar isn’t for you, this rather bizarre construction may be, and it will only set you back a mere $35,000.00. And best of all, you can buy it online, right now. We’re not entirely sure who it will appeal to, maybe dads who don’t want their delinquent teenagers quaffing all their prized possessions, or the alcoholic mom who needs a quiet space to get away from it all, but it must be there for someone. And, the best news? With minor carpentry and electrical skills, you can assemble it all by yourself. Just watch you don’t get stuck in there. Then again, it wouldn’t be a terrible way to pass the time!
Fran is a banker and a freelance writer, currently living in London. She grew up in New Zealand; the Land of the Long White Cloud and many, many sheep. Ten years ago she left farm life to build a career in investment banking, in the financial capital of the world. She has worked for numerous big name banks, and is currently with JP Morgan. She loves writing and finance, so combining the two is a dream come true.
Hi,I would like to know more about your (spiral cellar). Cost,Damp problems,Trap doors ect.
Regards John