Constructing a wine cellar?

[ribot]

I guess the obvious construction method would be to dig a hole under the house line it for water proofness and then concrete the walls in, however does anyone have a different slant on this problem?
The bro/inlaw suggested buying large circumference waterpipe burying them in the ground and there you have it. What do you think?

[jackiew]

Think about access and security ... you probably want access to be internal... don't believe you really want to go outside and crawl under the house when its pouring with rain and you've already had a few drinks? And you probably don't want next doors kids getting under the house and helping themselves either ... hic!

[MikeK]

Ribot,

The key to storing wine is stable temperature (14 to 18 degress C) and humidity (50% and 70%). Direct sunlight is not desirable either. When I built my cellar asthetics were important to me because it is accessed from the inside of my home. You can then have a professional cooling system installed that takes care of the temp & humidity.

Have a look at this site: http://winecellardesignsaustralia.com

I am not affiliated in any way.

BTW - I agree with Jackie. However, you could dig under the floor of an existing room and put a trapdoor + steps down to the cellar. I have seen this done very effectively.

Regards,
Mike.

[ribot]

Thanks guys, the wine cellar fridge is a good idea but I think in the end I'm going to have to crawl under that house and start curing and digging. Hope someone can come up with another alternative.

[journeyman Mick]

Ribot,
don't forget about the termites! Whatever you do under there make sure it doesn't compromise any termite control barriers. There may be strong termiticides in the soil under your house which could make you very sick if you dig around down there. Also your cellar might form a "bridge" through which termites can enter the building.

Mick

[ribot]

Thanks Mick, worthwhile keeping those little buggers in mind as well as the chemicals. Taken on board thanks

[Tools]

I was reading somewhere in the past week about a company that is making precast concrete wine cellars.Dig a hole and drop em in.I didn't read the whole thing,but I think they had a web site,so I am sure you could google it up.

Tools

[kiwigeo]

Another option...move to the Adelaide Hills. I have a bedroom in my house which never gets over 15 deg C even during the summer. There is one story that the room is occupied by the ghost of the first owner of the house....the old girl was obviously fond of a drop and looks after my plonk.

[himzol]

Another option...move to the Adelaide Hills. I have a bedroom in my house which never gets over 15 deg C even during the summer.

Yep - at the moment we have to put the wine in the fridge to get it warm enough to drink

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Digging out under the house is not a task to take on lightly; any movement in stumps/slab can cost more in repairs than the whole cellar may have cost including stocking it. If I were you I'd get a couple of pros to come in and give me quotes... also pumping them for info on exactly how they're approaching the problem. Not only to assure myself they're not backyard cowboys but to possibly give me a new take on the problem which I could do myself.

In the meantime, I'd also be looking into how much it costs to go the "hole in the backyard" route. If you could build it close enough to the house, it wouldn't take much to add a covered stairwell from the side of the house for access, possibly incorporating it into a shed extension?

With a range of quotes and hopefully a few new ideas, then I'd be ready to reach for a shovel...

[Carpenter]

Don't underestimate water. I know of a wine cellar that flooded completely after being built. The owners came home to find water lapping 300mm below the floor framing, so just be careful you don't make a swimming pool.

[kiwigeo]

Yep - at the moment we have to put the wine in the fridge to get it warm enough to drink

Talked to the wife tonight and she reckoned it was freezing in Stirling this morning. Not too bad up here in the Timor Sea...a steady 23 most days with a light breeze from the north. Trying to make this job drag out untill spring...

[Dr Dee]

Ribot,
This one is close to my heart. I have had just about every form of wine keeping space in the houses I have owned and renovated over the years - classic underground cellar to glorified cupboard.

The underground option is really only viable if you have a naturally large starting space underneath or you are prepared to spend serious money/time. How much space do you have outside? Could you add a small extension along an outside wall? The other option is to find a wall in a room that you can afford to loose say 1m off in length. I used cool room insulation panels on the wall since it was external. Then built a false wall which was mostly doors with no door furniture and catches that released when pressed in. Put some fire resistant insultation on the back of the doors and shelving as it suits you. You do not have to be paranoid - as Mike said temparature stability is the key - avoid rapid temperature changes but limit the upper temperature. A large stack of wine bottles in an enclosed space has a large thermal capacity and will naturally slow down change.

A 3m to 4m section of wall, stacked full height holds a lot of bottles. Avoid those individual bottle type racks - too much lost space. I make mine in diamond shaped holes, big enough to hold a dozen bottles, with the corners top-bottom - left-right. This means things stack nicely and efficiently, and no problem with last bottle or so rolling around as will occur with horizontal shelves.

Hope this gives you ideas. Whatever you do buy one of those electronic weather stations ~$50 which tracks temp & humidty - lets you see max & min and gives you the info to know if you have problems. Most problems have a solution which most sensibly is linked to the acquisition of a new gadget!

cheers

[Simomatra]

Depending on how much you want to store.

I use under the internal staircase for the quaffers and semi good wine. Old earthen ware pipes make a good holder and also help control the temperature

I store any good stuff in a Dome Thermoelectric wine cooler Model C62081. They hold 24 bottles each and control the temperature and humidity even on the hottest Ipswich days.

Purchased from K-Mart on special at about $220 each. Have not lost a bottle since

They have a control to set for either white or red wine.

Enjoy wine in moderation. Heh heh!!

Sam

[Jack E]

I store any good stuff in a Dome Thermoelectric wine cooler Model C62081. They hold 24 bottles each and control the temperature and humidity even on the hottest Ipswich days.

Purchased from K-Mart on special at about $220 each. Have not lost a bottle since

I have two of the dome thermoelectrics.
I purchased them because after a bit of research I found out that keeping a wine in a fridge which uses a compressor has its problems. Namely that the vibration from the compressor (minimal) can be a cause of the wine not remaining settled, which will affect the ageing process.
The other problem with refrigerated systems, including an air conditioned room, is that they will remove the humidity from the fridge or room, this is what they are designed to do. This can then cause the cork to dry, it will no longer form a reliable seal and you could lose your wine.
I am seriously considering the purchase of an uppermarket storage fridge. The two domes I have don't hold enough wine and they also can't keep up with the high ambient temperatures in Townsville.
Or I could just drink more wine