Which Wine Storage is Right for You?

Considering the following Essential elements will help you choose the right wine storage system for your needs.

(1)  Passive or Active?

Is your intent to store your wine in a Passive environment? That is, the area is cool enough MAYBE NOT NEED a controlled cooling system.

Is your intent to store your wine in an Active environment? That is, the area NEEDS and REQUIRES a cooling system for regulating constant temperature and humidity levels.

(2)  Purpose?

Do you need a system for short-term storage or with emphasis on long-term aging? 

Is purpose for residential or commercial applications?

What kind of budget do you have to invest in a storage system to properly age your fine wine?

(4)  Bottle Count and Size?

Do you need a storage system that protects a few cases, 250, 500 bottles, maybe a 2500 bottle walk-in wine room, or a custom wine cellar to appreciate a few thousand precious bottles? 

How often do you purchase wine and, of course, how often do you enjoy it? 

In time, how fast will your wine collection grow?

Therefore, bottle capacity and size of the bottles are important elements.

(5)  Aesthetics and Location?

• Do you want the cabinet to be a formal furniture piece in your living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. where elegance is a primary consideration?
• Do you want a functional unit that can be placed in your garage, basement, etc. for the primary purpose of wine storage and appearance is secondary?

We are confident that our wine storage products can accomplish any number of the above Essential factors.

When it comes to aging and storing your wines, you have a few options. You can purchase a wine cooler, temperature controlled wine cabinet or build a wine cellar in your home. The following will provide enough information to decide which storage solution would work best for you. 

Wine Coolers 

• Are ideal for short-term storage up to one year.  Temperatures can be set from 44-68°F on most units. 
• Importantly ALL wine coolers (similar to regular household refrigerator) which will not regulate any humidity control. Generally, the humidity inside these units are at 40 percent level (too dry for the cork may dry out).
• The purpose of these coolers are to temporarily store your 'everyday' wines or to be used to chilled White wines. 
• We offer such brands as Avanti, Danby, Haier, and Marvel from 2 to 166 bottles with range for free-standing to under-the-counter units.  See Wine Coolers.
  

 Wine Cabinets & Walk-in Wine Rooms

• Are ideal for long-term storage and proper aging your fine wine.  Proper wine storage level is 55-58°F. Temperatures can be set from 48-65°F on most units. 
• Unlike wine coolers, these units will regulate proper humidy control between 50-70% level so that the cork does not dry out.
• We offer AmeriCave, Vinotheque, and Le Cache from 58 to 2600 bottles. Wine cabinets ship fully assembled . All that you have to do is plug in the cooling system.  You can choose from the functional garage units to the furniture-quality cabinets to be located near you to enjoy and impress your guest.  See Wine Cabinets.
  
• The AmeriCave Walk-in Wine Room comes modular and needs assembly. This product has the lowest cost-per-bottle and requires less time & effort compared to a room conversion into a wine cellar.
  

 Building a Wine Cellar 

• You can transform your closet space, spare bedroom, basement, or just about any room into a wine cellar. 
• You have two choices – A ‘passive cellar’ where NO cooling system is needed OR a ‘conditioned’ cellar where a cooling unit is needed. 
• Passive cellars are ideal for those that have a consistently cool environment such as a basement. You want to avoid extreme temperature fluctuations of more than 10 degrees. 
• For long term storing and aging, it’s strongly recommended to build an 'active cellar' to keep the temperature 55-58 degrees and humidity 50%-70%. See Why Age Wine for more info.
  
•  See Custom Wine Cellar for more info on how to design features and How to prepare the room.  Plus see Custom Design Questionare to get help from our Consultants on design features.