Orange County-based Coastal Custom Wine Cellars partners with Cable Wine Displays to build extraordinary modern home wine cellars that are for the books. The team conceptualized this futuristic home wine cellar using a minimalist approach, design features that focus on straight lines, and an innovative lighting system that instantly gravitates people!  Learn more about this project by reading the rest of the article.   

Prepping Modern Home Wine Cellars 

The room we built the cellar in was not wine cellar-ready. So, when the client reached out to the Coastal team to build his state-of-the-art home wine closet, the team had to demolish the walls, including the studs, to make way for a more suitable wall structure. Then, after the new studs were installed, the team put in the electrical system for the wine cellar cooling unit and lighting.  Once in place, they added a closed-cell foam as insulation and vapor barrier to prevent moisture from seeping through the walls.  

To close the inner wall, the team used plywood which they also used to build specialized soffits for the cable wine racks.  Once the wall was finished and everything was in place, the group began installing the custom-made cable wine racks.  

This Cellar’s Modern Wine Storage Design Is Otherworldly  

The modern cable wine racks in this residential wine cellar were designed to amaze every visitor because they make the wine bottles seem to float in midair. Add to that the shiny and sleek finish of the cables and its tension sets, and you’re sure to be captivated by this small corner space.  

Don’t hold your breath also because this type of wine racking system is made from premium steel and can support many bottles no matter the size! Apart from the quality of our stainless steel cables, two (2) cables support each end of the bottle (the base and the neck). Metallic clamps hold the cables in place, which also helps to create the compartments. With our cable wine racks, you can confidently and securely store your entire wine collection even during light earthquakes.  

There are other advantages to using cable wine racks besides elevating your wine cellar’s look. Here are the other pros: 

• Contrary to the assumption that cables can be very shaky, which could adversely affect the delicate aging process of wines, our cable system is different. It can cushion the wines from intense vibrations — a unique and fundamental feature that all wine cable racks should have.   

• Since the cables are relatively thin, they only touch small portions of the bottles, allowing the air to flow more freely, thus cooling the wines more evenly.   

• The distance and arrangement of the bottles within a cable wine rack are proportional, giving a wine cellar a clean, luxurious, and modern feel.  

• Cable wine racks make it convenient for everyone to recognize the bottles. You can store the bottles with the labels facing up or down — depending on where you’ll place them on the rack. 

• The cables are installed individually, so you can adjust the distance between two (2) cables to accommodate the different bottle sizes in your collection.  

  

This project’s wine rack could store up to 500 bottles — a considerable number of bottles given the cellar’s limited space!  At the center of the cellar, the team also put up a tall bronze mirror to help create the illusion of a bigger space. 

Below the bronze mirror, we fitted a custom-built wine cabinet made from knotty alder wood and finished with an espresso stain and lacquer. This is where the owner could store his wine tools, stemware, or larger, more precious bottles.  

Selecting the Most Suitable Wine Cellar Cooling System

If you’re storing your wine collection in an enclosed space like this modern home wine closet, getting a highly efficient wine cellar cooling system is critical for preserving the wines’ flavor, aroma, and texture. An efficient wine cellar A/C is one that is durable enough to continuously cool the cellar 24/7 and muffled enough to not cause any sound vibrations within the cellar. 

The team chose to install an HS46 unit from US Cellars System for this wine cellar. It’s a split-type cooling unit wherein the evaporator is mounted on the ceiling while the condenser is placed outdoors, away from the cellar. What’s even more remarkable about ducted cooling units is you don’t see the entire evaporator on the ceiling because it is tucked behind metal grilles. Likewise, you don’t hear any buzzing machine sounds, a common feature of ducted air conditioning systems.   

There are self-contained air conditioning systems for wine cellars too. Other traditional and modern wine cellars make use of this, but the team found that a split-type would be the most suitable for this cellar.  

Highly Advanced Light Panel System for Wine Storage Areas 

A futuristic space would be nothing without futuristic lights. The team did away with the usual ceiling lights for this modern home wine cellar and incorporated their own custom-made light panels. In this system, L.E.D lights were behind a white acrylic board that softened the illumination, giving the entire cellar a sophisticated glow. Ever since they introduced their Acrylic L.E.D Panel lights to the market, they have become the instant go-to lighting choice for many modern wine cellar projects — the clients just love how they look so much!  

You might wonder whether the panels emit too much light that could harm the wines. The bulbs on this light panel are L.E.D, which don’t produce too much heat, unlike CFLs, Halogens, Incandescents, and the like. You may also have more fun using this because their L.E.D lights are RGB, so you can adjust the ambiance of the cellar depending on the atmosphere you want to create!  

Glass Panels Are the Best Choice for Creating Ultra-Modern Wine Cellars  

Glass instantly makes any space look modern. If you initially have a traditional wine cellar and add glass elements like panels, decorative, etc., it becomes a contemporary storage area. However, there are a few things to know before selecting your wine cellar glass panels.  

When water vapor comes in contact with a cold surface, it condenses and forms into liquid water. This phenomenon can happen within glass panels when the temperature difference is vast outside and inside the cellar.  That’s why wine cellar glass panels need to be thick — at least single-paned and ½” thick — and tempered to prevent condensation. Why is it important for the glass to stay dry? It is because moisture can promote mold growth on the labels, the bottles corks/caps, and other cellar parts.   

Apart from the type of glass, U-channels are essential to eliminate air space between the glass panels, which are installed first before the glass.  

How to Properly Install Glass Panels in Modern Home Wine Cellars 

Installing glass panels for your home wine cellar requires the help of experts, like the Coastal Custom Wine Cellars team, who have years of experience custom-building glass wine cellars. A builder who has been involved in the wine cellar-making industry but lacks experience in wine glass cellars may tell you that a ¼”-thick glass is enough when it’s not. This is especially true if your home is in a perennially hot U.S. state. 

So here are some points that a good glass wine cellar builder should follow: 

• Install rubber gaskets on the edges of glass panels to seal air gaps, especially between a glass door and glass wall panel.  
• U-channels are a must.  

• Avoid using regular glass panels and go for the thick, tempered ones — at least ½ inch. 
• Use pivot hinges for the door instead of the ordinary clamp hinges typically used in shower doors.  

Setting up your glass panels and door the right way will secure and protect your wine collection for a long time. There are still more points to consider when installing them since the approach depends on the conditions of your home. That’s why it is crucial to find the right wine cellar specialist before you start building your wine room. 

Have Your Home Wine Cellar Fitted with Awesome Cable Wine Racking from Cable Wine Displays!  

Build or upgrade all your modern home wine cellars with a breathtaking wine display using cables from Cable Wine Displays! We understand that every cellar and every home is different, so we always custom-build our cable racks according to your space.  Look through our gallery of wine cellar projects for more design suggestions!

If you’re building your wine cellar soon, let’s talk! Call us at +1 (323) 825 – 3888.