Looking for a creative, convenient way to store your wine? Consider a Spiral Wine Cellar. This relatively new approach to wine cellars provides the convenience of at home storage, with minimal space requirements, and fast, clean installation.
What is a spiral cellar?
The spiral cellar is a recent trend in wine cellars. It’s an innovative underground cellar that can be built on any ground floor room without needing any basement or actual cellar. It comes with a cylindrical system that gives natural cooling to the room and stores your wines in the best conditions.
Developed in 1977 by Georges Harnois in France, the cellar was made for modern houses that needed a place to store wines. At that time, wine collectors stored wines in the garage. A heatwave in 1976 ruined many vintage wines that were kept in garages. After some time, Harnois drilled a hole in the floor of his home, built a spiral staircase and stored his wines this way. He got excellent results from this and started to develop a system of modules. This was the beginnings of the spiral wine cellar we know of today.
How is it built?
When adding a spiral cellar into a home, a hole is dug out on the specified location. Although it can be placed anywhere, the location needs to be strategic and will require an assessment. The wine cellar can be built on the ground floor room, be it the kitchen or living room. It can also be incorporated into an existing home or a new property. The excavation tends to be fast and careful. It doesn’t damage the surrounding flooring. Once the hole is dug, the cellar is installed and fitted.
Owners have the option to choose the entry door and the lighting fixtures inside the spiral wine cellar. The interior can be customizable to include leather steps and premium lighting and colors.
Installation typically takes one to two weeks and doesn’t require any permits because the space in inhabitable. In addition, the mess is minimal and won’t affect your home’s foundation.
How does it work?
The cellar is a precast watertight concrete module. This kind of cellar uses a natural passive ventilation system that ensures warm air is constantly replaced by cool air. The shell of the cellar is able to absorb the ground temperature. With the help of the soil, the cellar is insulated and keeps the vibrations to a minimum. All these factors help in creating the right temperature and conditions for your cellar without needing electricity.
What are its benefits?
The great thing about the spiral wine cellar is that it can be installed in homes of all sizes. Depending on how large your collection, you can choose your size up to the 9-foot cellar with room for nearly 2,000 wine bottles. There is no need to create extra space for your wine collection. This system allows you to age wines yourself and have an easy way to catalog. A Spiral Cellar is a great addition to any home both for personal use and added value down the road when you sell.
Spiral Cellars are a cost-effective option as compared to excavating a traditional square cellar under your home. In addition, you are not limited to just storing wine. You can also use the cellar to keep other specialty items such as cheese, jams, and foie gras.
