A wine cellar is an essential piece of equipment that lets you keep your wine at the right temperature. A wine cellar is a refrigerated cabinet that lets you store your wine and keep it at the right temperature. That said, there are many different wine cellars out there, and choosing one is not easy.
What types of wine cellar are there?
There are different types of wine cellar for different uses. Some cellars are dedicated to ageing wine, while others are dedicated to serving it. To choose your wine cellar well, you therefore need to know what it will be used for.
Wine ageing cellar
As the name suggests, the wine ageing cellar is dedicated to ageing your bottles. In other words, it lets you keep your recent vintages and bring them to their peak: the moment when you can enjoy them. A wine ageing cellar is set to a temperature of 10 to 14 degrees. There is one important factor for this type of cellar: no light should get in. The idea is to let the wine rest as much as possible. In the same way, make sure you choose a cellar that does not produce vibrations. If you age your wine, it is worth pointing out that it can be an interesting investment. Indeed, investing in wine and selling it once it reaches its peak can be profitable. We have no doubt that you will manage to fill your table by buying wine. But do bear in mind that you can also resell some of it.
Wine service cellar
This cellar is designed to make serving easier by bringing your bottle to drinking temperature. It is also called a chambrage cellar. For example, the red wine serving temperature can vary between 11°C and 18°C depending on the type of wine you are drinking. You can also use such a cellar if you do not own any wines for keeping. It will help you avoid ending up with expired wine because of the heat in your home. If you do not keep your wine for long, it can be useful to use these cellars by setting them to a temperature below serving temperature: your bottle will warm up once taken out.
Multi-purpose wine cellar
A multi-purpose wine cellar is often extremely practical if you have little space for storing your wine and if you have some bottles to keep and others to drink. These cellars allow you to set different temperatures on different shelves. As a result, you could have one shelf dedicated to white wines, one shelf dedicated to red wines and one shelf dedicated to serving, for example. Rest assured, you do not need to choose a large cellar to get this versatility.
Built-in wine cellar
Finally, some cellars are built-in. This means they can be integrated directly into the furniture in your home. This is an interesting factor to consider if you are about to carry out renovation work in your home. You could, for example, arrange to have your cellar built into your kitchen.
Which wine cellar to buy?
Buying a wine cellar is often difficult because there are so many models and so many criteria to consider. So here is a short buying guide for your cellar.
How to choose a wine cellar?
To choose your wine cellar well, you need to take several things into account:
- How you will use the wine cellar (ageing, serving, storage, multi-purpose);
- The size of the cellar (cabinet, mini cellar, apartment cellar, etc.);
- The noise of the wine cellar;
- The power consumption of the wine cellar;
- The number of bottles you want to store;
- The price of the wine cellar (ranging from 100 to more than 1,000 euros).
So take the time to clearly define your needs and your profile as a wine lover. How many bottles do you want to store? For how long? These are all questions you can ask yourself to choose your cellar well. Buying a cellar can be a significant investment, so think about getting some advice. Reading buying guides like this one is already a great start!
Which wine cellar to choose?
Faced with the multitude of choices available to you, it can be hard to choose the right cellar. So we have put together a guide to help you with this choice.
Which wine ageing cellar to choose?
You have a wide choice of ageing cellars depending on your budget and the number of bottles of wine you want to store. So we have made a small selection to help you. This selection is for everyone: from the biggest collectors (with a cellar that can hold up to 265 bottles) to new enthusiasts who want to get off to a good start. So you can turn to:
- The 265-bottle cellar from La Sommelière for collectors;
- The 116-bottle cellar from Haier: the good middle ground;
- The 18-bottle Klarstein Vivo Vino cellar: to get off to a good start.
Of course, there are many other cellars for ageing your bottles. To find out more about this, you can discover our wine ageing cellar buying guide. This guide will help you make the right choice, for the biggest collectors and to give wine the rest it deserves. So go and discover this guide and get ready to enjoy your wine!
Which wine service cellar to choose?
There are also many service cellars that will let you serve your wine at the ideal temperature. Unless you are a professional, your service cellar will normally be smaller than your storage cellar. There is a good chance that you consume less wine than you store. So we recommend:
- The 18-bottle Klarstein Vivo Vino cellar;
- The 38-bottle temperature-control cellar from La Sommelière;
- The 24-bottle chambrage cellar from Climadiff.
In the same way, there are many cellars for serving. We are preparing short guides to make your purchases easier.
Which multi-purpose wine cellar to choose?
The multi-purpose cellar is the ideal choice if you do not have much space or if you are starting to build your wine collection. These cellars are particularly useful because they let you set different temperatures on different shelves. You can then store different types of wine and use it both for storage and for ageing. Your wines for keeping are therefore in good hands, but you can keep bringing other wines to the right drinking temperature. Here is a small selection of multi-purpose cellars:
Summary of the different wine cellars
To recap, here is a table that lists the different cellars we recommend depending on your use. As we mentioned, a buying guide for your cellar will be available soon. You will then be able to easily choose your cellar and store your wines properly.
| Cellar | Capacity (bottles) | Use | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Sommelière - Ageing | 265 | Ageing | 1,200 euros |
| Haier | 116 | Ageing | 550 euros |
| Klarstein Vivo Vino | 18 | Ageing, storage or serving | 139 euros |
| Klarstein Reserva | 21 | Multi-purpose | 325 euros |
| Climadiff | 24 | Multi-purpose (and serving) | 349 euros |
| La Sommelière | 38 | Serving | 349 euros |
Where to buy a wine cellar?
You can buy your wine cellar online or in store on Amazon, at Boulanger or at Darty. Many brands are available on Amazon, such as Liebherr, Bosch, Haier, La Sommelière and plenty of others. So there is no doubt you will find what you are looking for. You can also go to a store or to hypermarkets like Auchan to find what you need. That said, nothing beats the advice of a buying guide to help you with your choice and make sure the cellar will suit your needs.
What temperature for a wine cellar?
The temperature of a wine cellar is essential to ensure good wine storage. A cellar that is too warm could make the wine evolve far too quickly. Conversely, a cellar that is too cold could slow down its evolution too much. The aim is therefore to find the right balance when setting your cellar’s temperature. So, as you might expect, the temperature of a wine cellar depends on how you use it:
- Ageing cellar: 12 to 13°C;
- The service cellar: 8°C to 18°C depending on the wines;
- Storage cellar: 10°C to 14°C;
- Multi-purpose cellar: depending on the shelves.
Power consumption of a wine cellar
Naturally, a cellar’s power consumption varies greatly depending on your choice. Consumption will not be the same depending on the size of your cellar and how you use it. A cellar’s power consumption varies between 0.5 and 0.7 kWh per day. So expect to pay between 20 and 30 euros for the electricity cost of your cellar. Don’t worry: the value of your wine is surely higher than this cost. To limit these costs, check the cellar’s consumption and energy rating beforehand. So prefer to choose an A+ cellar.
How to organise your wine cellar?
Organising your wine cellar is essential if you want to find your way around. By organising your cellar well, you will be able to quickly find the wine you want. You can also use a wine cellar management app. It will make your life easier by letting you record the bottles you own. You can also store your various tasting notes there. Finally, such a wine app lets you have information about your bottles, such as the ideal time to drink them. Don’t worry, people like Bernard Neveu, head sommelier at Le Bristol Paris, or Gabriel Veissaire, sommelier at Le Meurice, manage perfectly well to organise their cellars, even though they are full of tens of thousands of bottles. So there is no doubt you will be able to carry out this exercise without any problem.
Setting up your wine cellar
Setting up your cellar is necessary if you want to make the most of it. The first thing is to choose where to put your cellar. An apartment wine cellar often finds its home in the kitchen or the living room. For slightly larger spaces, the cellar may end up in a garage or a utility room. You can also choose a built-in wine cellar so it can find its place directly in your furniture. Conversely, if you are short on space, you can turn to a mini wine cellar. Note that if you have specific needs, you can also choose a custom wine cellar. Inside your cellar, make sure to do a little arranging between your shelves. You can assign certain spots to certain regions, for example. By doing this, you will easily find your bottles of wine and enjoy them. Finally, there is also furniture for your cellar. This is more suited to natural cellars. You can find storage racks for your cellar or various structures. As an example, here is a rack for 60 bottles and a rack for 30 bottles. Your cellar will then be well arranged and you will quickly find your bottles. They will have the chance to age peacefully so you can enjoy them at the best moment and in the best conditions.
If you have read this article, it is surely because you appreciate good wine. Whether you are starting to take an interest in it or you are an advanced enthusiast, learning about wine lets you enjoy it more. Good news, you can join the club for free and learn about wine simply.
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