Unique Places to Put a Wine Cellar in Your Home

One of the major benefits of owning a home is that you have the ability to turn it into your castle. And what’s a castle without a cellar? Every proper castle deserves a wine cellar, especially if the king or queen of the castle are wine enthusiasts.

If you’re a wine connoisseur, you need a proper location to store and age your wine. This way, you can enjoy your wine at its fullest potential.

But if your home is a little smaller than a castle, or it didn’t come with its own cellar, what do you do? You work with what you have.

You’d be surprised at how you can transform existing spaces into a stunning wine room. If you’re looking for ideas, here’s a roundup on the unique locations around your home where you can set up a wine room.

Let’s get started.

Image Courtesy of Dan Eidsmoe, Flickr

In the Basement

If you have a basement, it’s the ideal spot for a wine cellar. To preserve your stored wine, your cellar should be dark, cool, and humid—and your basement does all three of these things well naturally.

The Living Room

Not every home has a basement, but every home has a living room. You can turn part of your living room into a beautiful wine cellar. One popular option is to create a wine wall, which is a glass-enclosed space along one wall. Wine walls aren’t just utilitarian. A wine wall can also serve as a beautiful focal point for your living room.

The Dining Room

Another obvious location for your wine cellar is your dining room. Installing your wine cellar in your dining room is an instant conversation starter. By transforming one wall of your dining room into a wine wall, you will immediately enhance the aesthetics of your space. It’s also convenient to have your wine near you as you dine.

Under the Stairs

If you have a two story home, chances are you have extra space under the stairs. You can turn that wasted space into the new home for your wine. Even if you only have a small amount of space, you can probably fit a wine fridge in that compartment.

Any Unused Nook or Closet

In addition to under the stairs, you can also transform any small, unused space in your house into a fully imagined wine closet. A boring broom closet can become a fabulous wine closet. A nondescript coat closet can likewise transform into a space to store and age your wine. Look around your home for any awkward or untouched space that could come to life as a mini-cellar.

In the Hallway

If you have an extra wide hallway, you can turn one of the walls into a decorative wine wall. Another option is to convert a dark and obscure spot in your entryway into a wine closet. Showcase your wine as a prized jewel in your home.

An Unused Guest Room

Last, but not least, you can turn an unused guest room into a wine cellar. The extra space in guest rooms can be perfect if you have or want to have an extensive wine collection.

We have a full guide on how to build a wine cellar here.

How to Find the Ideal Location for Your Wine Cellar

When deciding on where to place your wine cellar, answer the following questions:

What do you plan to do with the space?

Some wine enthusiasts choose to build a cellar for storage and aging, others for entertaining. Perhaps you want to use your wine cellar as part of your decor. Decide what you’d like to accomplish with your wine cellar.

How often will you enter the room?

Do you plan to enter the wine room frequently to retrieve new bottles? If accessibility is one of your top requirements, it can determine where you place your cellar.

How many bottles will you store and for how long?

Estimate the amount of bottles you want to store in your wine cellar, whether that’s 100 or 1,000 (or more!). This will determine how large of a space you should design and build, along with the type of cooling unit you should buy. Also important to consider is how long you’ll be storing bottles in your space. For long term storage, you may choose a subterranean space where it’s easier to maintain a consistent temperature and humidity levels.

Will your cellar be part of your home’s design story?

If your wine cellar is an essential part of your design story, you may choose to locate it in the most visible area of your home. This way, you can show off both your home and your unique design aesthetic.

How much space do you have to work with?

If you have a lot of wine to store or age, consider finding a good-sized space for your cellar. However, don’t attempt to go too large with your cellar. Most in-home wine cellars should be under 500 square feet (with the ideal spot being approximately 250 square feet).

You need to consider how much space your wine racking is going to take up.

What are the lighting conditions in the space?

When possible, build your cellar in a naturally dark space. It’s best to minimize the entrance of natural light to your cellar.

Will you have furniture in the space?

Wine cellars with furniture will need to be housed in a larger area. They will also be configured differently than utilitarian cellars with racks only.

Don't Break These 10 Wine Storage Commandments

Be sure to follow these commandments when storing wine in your cellar:

1. Always cool your wine

Wine is not meant to be stored or served at room temperature (which is 70°F). Ideally, wine should be stored between 40°F to 65°F, depending on the type of wine. Lighter, white wines should be stored at the cooler end of the spectrum while full-bodied red wines can hang out at the warmer end. If you’re storing multiple types of wine, it’s best to strike the middle at 55°F.

2. Invest in a wine refrigerator

If you have budget restraints or you’re simply not interested in building a full blown cellar, invest in a wine fridge. Your regular kitchen refrigerator is not a good substitute. It’s too cold and it won’t provide the right level of humidity (which is between 55% to 70%).

3. Upgrade to a dedicated wine room as soon as possible

A wine fridge is a great option for beginner collectors. But, if you have a wine obsession, you’ll want to move beyond a wine refrigerator as soon as possible. Building a proper wine cellar will ensure that your wines are properly cared for.

4. Control the temperature

Your wine cellar should remain at the consistent temperature 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The best way to control this is by buying a wine cellar cooling unit. We also have a full guide on the best units if you need help.

5. Control the humidity

Likewise, maintaining a consistent humidity level is crucial.

6. Seal the room

Your wine cellar should be airtight. If you have any air leaks in your room, it will make it more difficult for your cooling system to maintain the space. This can lead to higher utility costs.

7. Control the light

Wine cellars should be dark spaces. Studies show that UV light can harm the wine and lead to premature aging. Turn it into a cavernous space, if aging your wine. Wine walls are best when you’re not aging your wines.

8. Store bottles on their side

Bottles with corks should be stored on their sides. This allows the liquid to remain in contact with cork, and prevent it from shriveling up and introducing air into the bottle.

9. Protect from vibration

Never shake, swish, or unnecessarily handle aging wine in the bottle. Any such vibrations can alter the taste of the wine.

10. Don't over-age your wine

Not all wine is meant to be aged. Most bottles are meant to be consumed within two years of purchase. If you’d like to age wine, buy the right wine for that purpose. Check with the seller so that you know if your wine is fine to age.

Final Thoughts

Having a wine cellar in your home isn’t a luxury reserved for some. These days, it’s accessible to all. Let the above ideas inspire you to install your own wine cellar in your home.

If you’d like advice on where to place a wine room in your space, call, email, or chat us right here.

Randy Green

Randy is a true wine storage aficionado and expert in wine cellar design. He gained construction experience as a partner in a general contracting business before niching into and passionately focusing on creating wine storage solutions for clients in 2016. He takes great pride in bringing these designs to life, and is dedicated to ensuring that every wine cellar he creates is not only functional but also a beautiful addition to any home or business. The Wine Cellar HQ team also includes refrigeration sizing experts and licensed HVAC technicians to ensure optimal climate control for your wine cellar, so that your wines can age to perfection.