Wine Cellar Construction Guidelines for Home and Commercial Wine Cellars

Wine cellar construction is not your regular construction project. While it takes into application the fundamental principles of construction, especially during the framing stage, it also involves more specialized technical components from the insulation to the cooling, lighting, and storage. Wine cellars are climate controlled spaces that should stay protected and uninfluenced by the outside weather, so ample planning is needed before starting the construction process.

Wine cellar construction involves working on the framework and support, especially when building under-the-stairs wine cellars.

Fundamental Components in Wine Cellar Construction

The design of the wine cellar will also influence its functionality. That’s why working with a trusted wine cellar designer is worth every investment because its our job to find the right combination of solutions; solutions that would give you the design you want without compromising the technical functionalities of the wine cellar.

But first, let’s go through the different elements that help make a wine cellar, an efficiently climate-controlled environment.

Insulation

The insulation and cooling system is the backbone of every wine cellar.  Both help keep the wine cellar consistently cool and dry, conditions that are suitable wine preservation. Coastal Custom Wine Cellars boasts state-of-the-art equipment and a team of highly trained technicians well-versed in proper and safe installation techniques. Before commencing the installation, a thorough assessment of all insulation areas is conducted. We always conduct a heat load assessment to determine the cooling requirement of the room. 

Once the preparation is complete and the equipment is set up, our team skillfully applies the foam using specialized spraying guns. This ensures even coverage, effectively filling all gaps and voids. Wine cellar experts highly recommended using closed-cell spray foam insulation because it already has both insulating and vapor barrier capabilities. Additionally, it can insulate even those tiny cracks and holes that could otherwise welcome moisture into the cellar. The thickness of the spray foam insulation will depend on your space’s needs. 

After the foam application, a crucial step is allowing it to cure. The duration of the curing process depends on various factors, including the type of foam, ambient humidity and temperature, and foam thickness. Generally, the foam should cure for a minimum of 24 hours. Closed-cell foam insulation, being more rigid and dense, may require up to 2 days to fully cure. On the other hand, open-cell foam insulation, known for its softer and flexible properties, might necessitate 3 days of curing time. 

To meet the design requirements of most wine cellar cooling units. Interior flooring and walls must have at least R-11 rated insulation. Exterior walls and ceilings must be at least R-19 rated. Vapor barriers must be installed on the warm side of the walls insulation and be at least 6 ml thick. This will prevent moisture from entering the cellar.

Custom Home & Commercial Wine Cellar Construction Guidelines

The Benefits of Having Sufficient Insulation in Contemporary Custom Wine Cellar Designs

Spray foam insulation emerges as a cutting-edge solution for advanced wine storage. By creating a moisture-resistant barrier between the custom wine cellar and the outside environment, this insulation method shields your precious bottles from temperature fluctuations and humidity. Furthermore, the airtight characteristic of spray foam prevents the growth of mold in cracks and crevices. 

Now, let’s explore the remarkable benefits of incorporating spray foam insulation into your wine cellar:

1. Temperature Regulation: Together with the refrigeration unit, spray foam regulates the temperature within the wine cellar, ensuring it remains consistently cool.  

2. Humidity Regulation: By blocking out moisture, closed cell spray foam maintains ideal humidity levels, preventing spoilage and protecting wine labels from damage.

3. Pest Prevention:The airtight seal created by spray foam blocks out insects and pests, safeguarding your wine cellar from infestation. 

4. Energy Efficiency: Acting as a powerful barrier against heat exchange, spray foam reduces energy consumed by the cooling system. This not only saves you money on electricity costs, but also contributes to a greener footprint.

Wine Cellar Cooling System

Wine Cellar Refrigeration / Cooling Systems are intended to be installed in wine rooms that are constructed with a vapor barrier, the correct insulation, and dry-walls that are moisture proof. All these factors are designed to create an airtight seal from the external environment outside the wine storage room or cellar. Without adequate insulation, even commercial-grade wine cellar cooling units may not be enough to effectively create a suitable environment for your wines.

When it comes to choosing a cooling system, selecting the right size is essential. It’s not advisable to bring in a big cooling system for compact space like under-the-stairs closet wine cellars or bring in a small capacity cooling unit for a massive wine cellar.  Let’s explore some options:

1. Ceiling-Mounted Refrigeration Systems: These wine cellar cooling units are designed to be easily installed between ceiling joists, making them ideal for small wine cellars. The Rack Mounted Cooling Unit (RM Series) by US Cellar Systems is a remarkable example, known for its quiet operation, utilization of R134a refrigerant, and a capacity of 2,600 to 6,600 BTU per hour. 

2. Ductless Split System: This system comprises a condenser, an evaporator and a conduit. The condenser is placed outdoors while the evaporator is placed near the wine cellar.  Split cooling systems from WhisperKool are exceptional choices for under-the-stair wine rooms, as they require no ductwork and are easily installed in small areas.

3. Through-the-Wall Refrigeration Units: Installed through a custom hole, these units house the condenser, compressor, and evaporator within a single unit.  Wine Guardian through-the-wall cooling systems offer ease of adjustment and maintenance, equipped with a temperature gauge and display for temperature and humidity monitoring.
   
4. Ducted Split System Cooling Units: If you have a large wine cellar with ample air space on the ceiling or walls, a ducted system can work wonders for your wine cellar. While the ducts take up space outside the cellar, you’ll only see a register inside the cellar.  Ducted split systems are some of the most muted wine cellar cooling units so they’re perfect for wine cellars.

At Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, the realm of wine cellars is reimagined by the skillful hands of our master craftsmen. From innovative under-the-stairs creations to the transformative power of spray foam insulation, our team is dedicated to crafting extraordinary wine cellars that elevate your collection and enhance your lifestyle.  

Wine cellar construction takes precision and hardwork. In the photo you see the piping before we installed the insulation and what the spray application looks like after it had set.

Ventilation of the Wine Room

Adequate ventilation is very important for the proper operation of your cooling unit. Whether you’re using a self-contained or split-system cooling unit, there has to enough space to exhaust heat. Any machine, including wine cellar cooling units produce heat as they operate, so they need proper ventilation to prevent the machine from overheating. In the case of custom wine cellars in Orange County and beyond, the exhaust should face away from the wine cellar or placed at a distance away from the wine cellar. This is to prevent triggering condensation within the wine cellar walls.

Condensing units create hot air which should be exhausted into a space which is of an appropriate size in order to allow the heat to dissipate.  If the space is constrained and/or too small, the heat will not dissipate.  In this situation, the refrigeration unit could be made to re-circulate its own hot air exhaust dramatically reducing efficiency. If this happens, the cooling unit’s ability to create cold air inside the cellar will be compromised.

The condenser coils require access to cool air in order for the cooling unit to produce cold air. In addition, the cooling unit must be installed so that, after its installation, the condensers coils are easily accessed for regular cleaning.

Evaporator Air Intake

When warmer air passes across the evaporator’s coils, heat is extracted from the air, and the subsequent colder air is blown into the cellar. To ensure the needed airflow a minimum clearance of 12″ is essential in front of the cooling unit.

Evaporator Air Exhaust

As wine cellars cooling systems are located at the uppermost location inside wine cellars, the cold air exhaust will eventually fall to the lowest part of the wine room. To guarantee proper airflow and decrease temperature stratification inside the wine room, the area in front of the cold air discharge should be clear of impediments, including wine racking, bottles, or storage containers, etc.

Optional Ducting

Many manufacturers offer cold air exhaust and returns that can be ducted up to 50 equivalent feet with 8″ diameter ducting, or 100 equivalent feet with an auxiliary fan and 8″ diameter ducting.  The ducting options are sold separately with two fittings that attach to the front of the cooling unit.  Remote control display/controls are also available.

See an example of a wine cellar construction project in California here!

Wine Cellar Doors

Wine Room Entry Doors must be exterior rated or insulated and tightly sealed with effective weather stripping around the perimeter of the door. All of our wine cellar doors are typically shipped with a special feature called a “an automatic door sweep“. This maintains a good seal at the bottom of the door even after extensive use.

There are different wine cellar door designs from an all-wood wine cellar door to a full, frameless glass wine cellar. In between, there’s the barolo door which features a glass panel in the center surrounding by wooden framing.  Glass wine doors always require thermally insulated glass panels that’s at least 1/2″ thick. Again, depending on the cooling requirements of your room, the thickness of the glass can go up even up to dual-paned, 2” glass panels.

Wine Cellar Lighting

Surface-mounted wine cellar lighting fixtures are recommended rather than recessed lighting. If recessed ‘can’ lights are used be sure they are thermally fused.
It is critical that all doors, windows, joints and walls as well as any vents, pipes, electrical outlets and/or switches, and light fixtures are completely sealed to prevent any air and moisture entering the wine cellar from the external environment. If there is a seepage into the cellar, the cooling system may build up excess condensation over time. We therefore strongly recommend that the drain overflow line be attached.

Your Wine Cellar Construction Specialists are Just Around the Corner!

A short Google search may lead you to DIY wine cellar construction videos or guidelines. However, there’s always greater value presented when you work with experienced and trained wine cellar construction experts! At Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, our entire team is knowledgeable about wine cellars from head to toe.

Our wine cellar design and construction team  has served homeowners from the east coast to the west coast for years. We’re passionate wine cellar makers who understand the value of wines and what a poorly-built wine cellar does to the quality of wine. We offer complete wine cellar services from sketching up 3D designs to customizing wine cellar cooling units, renovating moldy wine closets, and conducting periodic maintenance to name a few.

We encourage you to visit our gallery to see more wine cellar designs, or you can call us straightaway at +1(949)200-8134 so we can answer any of your questions!