How do you store your wine [+ Fridge/Cabinet recommendations]

[Assassin]

Thank you for the information

These panels, are they better than insulation within the wall? They're extra insulation?

Current cellar doesn't get above 24-25 degrees in peak conditions, so maybe it's manageable.

I just wonder if a $1,000 SS unit will do the job?

Lots of research for me to do, appreciate all the feedback.

On the panels - these are 75mm thick extruded polystyrene panels. i guess you could build them into the walls, but if the room is already there you would just stick them onto the existing walls. The normal fibreglass batt style in wall insulation is not sufficient for this. Have a read of the instructions in the link I sent you. There is quite a bit on the insulation, which is useful regardless of whether you intend to install the unit.

There are two problems with a normal split system unit. First, the temperature doesnt get cold enough - min temp is usually about 18 degrees whereas the C25 goes down to 12 degrees. Second, the normal air conditioner takes all the humidity out of the air. This can dry out the corks. My C25 is running at 70- 85% humidity which seems a bit high (and I need to get checked) but at the lower end is about right for wine storage.

To get you started on research take a look at the Macphees website it’s got some guides to building a wine cellar. They will want to do it for you, but you can get the guides off their website. Also take a look at this story, which gave me some inspiration: One man and his cellars

 

[Daver6]

It's on concrete, probably just place carpet in that room.

Definitely put some insulating material on the floor. I got some thick insulated tiles from Bunnings that were easy enough to cut to size for the room. Also means if I drop a bottle, it's not going to smash.

 

[Mynameismynameis]

Definitely put some insulating material on the floor. I got some thick insulated tiles from Bunnings that were easy enough to cut to size for the room. Also means if I drop a bottle, it's not going to smash.

I never thought about the floor, I wonder if it's a little excessive.

Will look into it, thank you.

Post automatically merged: Feb 15, 2022

On the panels - these are 75mm thick extruded polystyrene panels. i guess you could build them into the walls, but if the room is already there you would just stick them onto the existing walls. The normal fibreglass batt style in wall insulation is not sufficient for this. Have a read of the instructions in the link I sent you. There is quite a bit on the insulation, which is useful regardless of whether you intend to install the unit.

There are two problems with a normal split system unit. First, the temperature doesnt get cold enough - min temp is usually about 18 degrees whereas the C25 goes down to 12 degrees. Second, the normal air conditioner takes all the humidity out of the air. This can dry out the corks. My C25 is running at 70- 85% humidity which seems a bit high (and I need to get checked) but at the lower end is about right for wine storage.

To get you started on research take a look at the Macphees website it’s got some guides to building a wine cellar. They will want to do it for you, but you can get the guides off their website. Also take a look at this story, which gave me some inspiration: One man and his cellars

Thank you.

Appreciate all the information you provided

 

[Daver6]

I never thought about the floor, I wonder if it's a little excessive.

Will look into it, thank you.

What actually made me think about this is my cellar is off my laundry. Both are tiles. I noticed how cold the floor in the laundry the closer I got to the cellar door. I realised I must be losing a fair bit of energy by not insulating the floor. That was actually my main driver. I can't recall exact costs but it we certainly under $100 for the squares. I just lay them down and that was it.

 

[baiden]

Does anyone have any advice/thoughts on a cooler system for an internal room? ie no external walls. The cellar 2.3 x 1.7 x 2.7 will be bounded by the kitchen, main passage way and study.

So my problem would appear to be vent and drainage, maybe worst case scenario is a bucket for drainage but I'm stuck regarding vent.

 

[Daver6]

Does anyone have any advice/thoughts on a cooler system for an internal room? ie no external walls. The cellar 2.3 x 1.7 x 2.7 will be bounded by the kitchen, main passage way and study.

So my problem would appear to be vent and drainage, maybe worst case scenario is a bucket for drainage but I'm stuck regarding vent.

Perhaps the unit I use? A Fondis PC15. I think your cellar is small enough for this to work. Otherwise, would some other kind of split system work?

 

[SYD]

Looking for ideas for sturdy shelving (not wine racks). I tend to store my wine in boxes for better thermal and light insulation and with most now under screw cap, horizontal racks don't make a lot of sense to me. The wine is currently stacked up to 3 or 4 cases on top of each other and contents labelled - which is ok for storage but obviously inconvenient to get something from the bottom box.

I found these at Bunnings - heavy duty garage shelving. Thinking three in an L shape that I can store wine on at least three shelves (maybe the fourth also) - depending on stability/anchoring:

Pinnacle 2090 x 1820 x 540mm 5 Tier Heavy Duty Shelving Unit

Find Pinnacle 2090 x 1820 x 540mm 5 Tier Heavy Duty Shelving Unit at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.

www.bunnings.com.au

Anyone using these or similar? There are some cheaper ones also with a type of particle board shelves but I've seen reviews that suggest they're not very strong - verging on flimsy - which would not be good to go travelling and return home with a $1000s Red Sea in the cellar!

I had good intentions to get a builder/carpenter in to knock something up but I really can't be bothered.

 

[Daver6]

Looking for ideas for sturdy shelving (not wine racks). I tend to store my wine in boxes for better thermal and light insulation and with most now under screw cap, horizontal racks don't make a lot of sense to me. The wine is currently stacked up to 3 or 4 cases on top of each other and contents labelled - which is ok for storage but obviously inconvenient to get something from the bottom box.

I found these at Bunnings - heavy duty garage shelving. Thinking three in an L shape that I can store wine on at least three shelves (maybe the fourth also) - depending on stability/anchoring:

Pinnacle 2090 x 1820 x 540mm 5 Tier Heavy Duty Shelving Unit

Find Pinnacle 2090 x 1820 x 540mm 5 Tier Heavy Duty Shelving Unit at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.

www.bunnings.com.au

Anyone using these or similar? There are some cheaper ones also with a type of particle board shelves but I've seen reviews that suggest they're not very strong - verging on flimsy - which would not be good to go travelling and return home with a $1000s Red Sea in the cellar!

I had good intentions to get a builder/carpenter in to knock something up but I really can't be bothered.

I happen to have something like this Montgomery 1830 x 1300 x 460mm 5 Tier Shelving Unit in my garage. Purchased many years ago, so unsure if it's the same brand but mine did come from Bunnings. It seems pretty same sturdy to me. Having said that I've got no where near 150kg of weight on a shelf.

Do you have a rough estimate of the weight of the wine you'd be putting on a shelf?

 

[SYD]

I happen to have something like this Montgomery 1830 x 1300 x 460mm 5 Tier Shelving Unit in my garage. Purchased many years ago, so unsure if it's the same brand but mine did come from Bunnings. It seems pretty same sturdy to me. Having said that I've got no where near 150kg of weight on a shelf.

Do you have a rough estimate of the weight of the wine you'd be putting on a shelf?

I was looking at those as there was a modular kit with a corner section.

Depending on the width of each shelf but assuming you can get 3 to 4 cases per shelf, your looking at ~15 kg per case +\-. So in theory we’ll under the limit of the MDF shelving.

 

[baiden]

Perhaps the unit I use? A Fondis PC15. I think your cellar is small enough for this to work. Otherwise, would some other kind of split system work?

Cheers, being right next to the kitchen I was thinking of a glass door. Split system looking the better option to reduce the overall footprint.

 

[Assassin]

Cheers, being right next to the kitchen I was thinking of a glass door. Split system looking the better option to reduce the overall footprint.

If you can solve the venting issue and we’re prepared to spend some money it sounds like you could do something really nice.

A normal glass door won’t provide the insulation you need. Presume you will need a double glazed or even triple glazed panel…

Having said that I’ve seen a few cellars with normal glass doors but I think those may be more for showing off the wine than storing it in optimal conditions.

 

[kookaburra75]

I'm looking at getting a small-ish (40-50 bottles) dual zone wine fridge that I can put in the house. Has anyone got or heard of KingsBottle?

152 Litre Under Counter Glass Door Dual Zone Wine Fridge | KingsBottle

Total quality, design, and function ensure that this KingsBottle under counter glass door dual zone wine fridge, enables you to store your collection with total peace of mind.

www.kingsbottle.com.au

 

[Daver6]

Cheers, being right next to the kitchen I was thinking of a glass door. Split system looking the better option to reduce the overall footprint.

Worth making sure the glass blocks UV light and also maybe tinted.

That could look really smart too with some LED lights in the cellar, especially reddish ones.

 

[baiden]

Worth making sure the glass blocks UV light and also maybe tinted.

That could look really smart too with some LED lights in the cellar, especially reddish ones.

From an open plan kitchen/dining and living space set up it will be front and centre, also can see it from outdoor alfresco so the intention is to make it a bit of a feature (but still needs to be practical)

 

[Mynameismynameis]

Those DIY wine racks you buy, can you join 2 X 110 racks?

Otherwise I was going to use a plank of wood between.

 

[Mynameismynameis]

COOLBOT.COM.AU | DIY WALK IN REFRIDGERATION

Australian distributor of CoolBot technology. Revolutionary walk in refridgeration at a fraction of the cost of conventional systems.

coolbot.com.au

Anyone heard of? I am looking at all options!

 

[tgh]

I'm looking at getting a small-ish (40-50 bottles) dual zone wine fridge

Just saw this post and following up :
A quite successful mate with a large commercial frig business recommended Bar fridges au as an example of genuine quality build.
They are not cheap but I have ordered one for my new build.

 

[baiden]

So here are some photos.

Our house is on a steep block and the garage is separate from the house itself. Because of the slope, there is plenty of space below the actual garage and there was a room which housed the old air-conditioning compressors. The outer walls are double brick and the inner walls singe brick i repurposed that room for the cellar and you can see the results.

The paint still needs some touching up. I’ve got custom shelves on the bottom half for wine still in boxes and racking above. I wanted the diamond shaped shelving instead of racking but it was too expensive so just got the wire ones, which are fine. I got a different racking system for the spot behind the door where the bottles lie sideways. Some sparkling bottles don’t fit the normal racks so will probably use those more.
You can see I still have quite a bit of space to fill
The floor is concrete slab and the builder had some leftover engineered floorboards which they laid on top.
I also too a photo of the edge of the door so you can see the depth of the insulation. That covers the walls and ceiling with plasterboard over the top.
For the outside wall which gets the sun - this is double brick with the insulation then inside that.
The one weak spot is the seal around the door. It’s more or less airtight but there is a bit of a gap in the insulation. The hood over the door stops most of the direct sun onto the door and so I think is adequate.

Looks like a nice clean finish, who prepared your racking?

 

[Assassin]

Looks like a nice clean finish, who prepared your racking?

It was part of a larger build, but we used a company called CRS Joinery for the joinery. They sourced the metal wire racks (not sure where from) and custom built the shelves. They did a really good job but I am sure are not the cheapest people going around.

 

[baiden]

It was part of a larger build, but we used a company called CRS Joinery for the joinery. They sourced the metal wire racks (not sure where from) and custom built the shelves. They did a really good job but I am sure are not the cheapest people going around.

OK thanks, have been looking at these guys Australian Wine Cellar Racks and wondering who else does these