Want a Home Wine Cellar? 3 Reasons to Consider Alternatives

Los Angeles Fine Arts & Wine • Feb 22, 2022

Home Wine Cellar — Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles Fine Arts

For wine lovers, the idea of a wine cellar in their own home seems like a dream come true. After all, what could be better than popping downstairs to enjoy your personal collection any time you want? The answer to this question, surprisingly, may be that letting someone else do the work of wine cellar creation and maintenance could be a better choice. Why? Discover a few reasons you may want to skip the wine cellar.

1. Wine Cellars Have Specific Requirements

Putting in a wine cellar isn't the same as most other home renovations. Why? Wine storage has very specific requirements that the homeowner must meet and maintain.

The wine cellar space needs to be cool, protected from sunlight, and free from vibrations. It needs to be at optimal temperature and humidity levels at all times. You may need specialized (and possibly noisy) cooling systems. That higher humidity usually means that the room needs vapor barriers to protect the house from moisture. Even the door needs careful consideration for drafts and insulation.

When you consider all these structural issues, you may find that adding a wine cellar — or converting an existing space — is expensive and time-consuming. You'll also spend a lot of money and possibly significant time on maintenance and repairs over the years. And that eats into your collecting budget and time for enjoying the fruits of your labors.

2. Home Wine Cellars Don't Scale

As with any collection, the amount of your storage needs right now may not match your future needs very well. A new wine collector may need to include ample additional storage space that they won't fully utilize for years. A mature collector might decide to store different wines later and have to revamp the wine cellar to accommodate new storage requirements. You might even eventually downsize your collection.

The homeowner who built their own cellar may not be able to easily keep up with changing collection needs. When you store your bottles off-site, though, you can use as much or as little of the right kind of storage for whatever form your collection is in at the moment.

3. The Wine Cellar Is Space You Could Otherwise Use

The idea of a dedicated wine storage area is luxurious and fun, but is it the best use of space on your property?

A large collection, of course, takes up a large amount of square footage in the house. You might convert a basement or other room in the home, rendering it unusable for other purposes. If you want to add extras like a tasting area, wine coolers and refrigerators elsewhere in the house, or generators, you'll need even more space in the home's layout.

The question each homeowner must answer is what they're willing to forgo in order to have that full cellar. Could your basement be better as a game room or home theater with just a wine fridge on site for your own use or when entertaining? No single right answer exists, but always consider the opportunity costs of how you use the physical space.

If a wine cellar might take up too much of your home, call for too many structural changes, or need too many future alterations, consider a smart and cost-effective alternative: professional wine storage.

Los Angeles Fine Arts & Wine Storage Company can help. We offer convenient storage locations in Southern California with technology to keep all your vintages at their very best. Call today to learn more about our facilities and services. Then, you can make the best decision for your collection, your home, and your wallet.

< Older Post Newer Post >