by Charlotte | Apr 9, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News
Wine cellar design includes security measures. (Photo: Rosehill Wine Cellars Walk-in Wine Cooler)
Security is a crucial feature of wine cellar design, since the purpose of the space is to protect your wine collection. When it comes to wine, the top elements of security are achieved by providing an environment with the correct temperature, storage racks, etc. The security features discussed below also include the kind that keep unwanted guests from helping themselves to your wine collection, whether a thief or an uncle who partakes a bit too freely of O-be-joyful.
Theft Prevention
Your wine cellar door and the lock on it are the primary lines of defense against theft. The door also serves the dual purpose of protecting the unique environment that preserves wine. You can choose from a vast selection of fully customizable wine cellar doors. Materials include glass and the wood of your choice, along with the type of stain. Ornamental doors are available, as well. The doors should have a reliable lock and create an adequate seal that maintains the desired temperature and overall environment in the wine cellar. You can choose electronic locks or more traditional locks.
For more advanced monitoring of your wine cellar, you can have external sensors that activate video recordings of activity around your wine cellar or wine cabinet. Mobile features make it possible to check on your wine collection wherever you are.
Extra Layers of Security
Additional security inside your wine cellar can be achieved with a cabinet that locks. A cabinet can enhance wine cellar design while providing you with an extra measure of security for your finest, most expensive wines. Locksets should be requested when ordering wine cabinets.
You can also choose to have wine rack lockers installed above the wine racks, so that the most valuable vintages have additional security.
Environmental Threats
The environmental conditions in a wine cellar provide the best protection for the investment you’ve made in your wine collection. Why bother with locks if the wine isn’t kept in optimal conditions? Wine needs to be protected from sunlight and UV rays caused by certain types of lighting. The temperature range is very specific for wine, and continuous fluctuations in temperature must be eliminated. Wine cellar cooling units from top manufacturers
Systems are available that will send you an alert if the temperature in the wine cellar moves out of the set range.
Rosehill Wine Cellars for the Best in Wine Cellar Design
The experts at Rosehill Wine Cellars specialize in all things related to wine cellars, including wine cellar design that provides a secure environment for your collection. Contact Rosehill today by calling 1-888-253-6807.
by Charlotte | Feb 21, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News
A fundamental of wine storage is placing wine on horizontal racks, to protect the cork. (Photo: Wine Racks from Rosehill Wine Cellars)
Wine storage is widely known to be best in cellar-like conditions, but far fewer wine drinkers understand the importance of the cork. The idea behind creating a wine cellar is to provide the perfect environment for wine to be stored so that it ages properly. For storage of a year or more, natural cork in a wine bottle is a crucial component in the process of wine maturation. The fact that most wine racks are built to store wine horizontally has to do with the cork, but that’s not all. The cork takes the spotlight in wine cellars in several ways.
Horizontal wine racks
For a cork to perform the way it is meant to, it must stay wet by maintaining contact with the wine. Horizontal wine racks are ideal because they keep the cork wet. If the cork does not stay wet, the result will be that the cork dries out, shrinks, and allows oxygen to get to the wine. This results in oxidation. Oxidized wine turns into vinegar, totally spoiling the anticipated flavor and enjoyment of the wine.
Constant Wine Storage Temperature
An essential part of wine storage is maintaining a constant temperature that rarely fluctuates. When there are swings in temperature, the wine will continuously expand and contract, which ultimately damages the cork’s integrity. As the cork is pulled in and out by the effects of changing temperatures, eventually, wine can seep along the outer edge of the cork, between the bottle neck and the cork. This allows air in, which is another way wine becomes oxidized. Due to the importance of maintaining a constant temperature, wine cellars are best built by professionals who understand how to properly insulate a wine cellar and how to choose a wine cellar cooling unit of the correct size for the space.
Clean Environment
Another fundamental aspect of proper wine storage is keeping the environment clean and free of foodstuffs and other items that introduce strong smells. Odors can permeate corks and contaminate the wine. Don’t store bleach or foods such as cheeses in your wine cellar, since they can ruin the wine through the cork. If mice and insects are drawn to the cellar because of the presence of food, they also tend to chew corks and gnaw on wine labels.
Experts in Wine Storage
The professional builders at Rosehill Wine Cellars know all the details of proper wine storage, including the significance of wine corks. There is an undeniable connection between wine storage and corks, just as proper wine storage is linked to enjoying the taste of fine bottles of wine.
by Charlotte | Feb 13, 2018 | Thirsty Thursday
Is a traditional wine cellar your style preference?
A practical step involved in building a wine cellar is to determine if a traditional wine cellar has the desired features or if you prefer a modern or transitional style. Other aspects of your custom wine cellar can be left to professionals, as long as builders are experienced with the precise requirements of proper wine storage. For wine cellar construction in Toronto and the surrounding area, contact the experts at Rosehill Wine Cellars. We can create the high-quality modern, transitional, or traditional wine cellar of your dreams. Our inventory includes a broad selection of wine cellar cooling units by top manufacturers as well as wine racks and racking systems that perfectly complement your design choice.
Attributes of a Traditional Wine Cellar
What features do you have in mind for your wine cellar? You lean towards traditional design if you like warm woods intricate in detail. Common attributes of a traditional wine cellar also include natural stone, wood floors, tile, brick, rolling ladders, and barreled ceilings. Wood wine racks may be made with redwood, African Mahogany, Toasted Maple, or another type of rich wood that holds up well in the wine cellar environment.
Features in a Modern Wine Cellar
Modern wine cellars demonstrate a clear departure from the rich woods essential to traditional wine cellars. Features are sleeker, with cleaner lines. If you like a wine cellar with stainless steel, acrylic, and/or frameless glass, a modern cellar is more your style. Modern wine storage is sometimes contained to cabinet space, as opposed to occupying a cellar. An Evolution Series wine rack, for example, is more suited to a modern wine cellar than wooden racks might be.
A Transitional Wine Cellar
If your taste in wine cellars falls somewhere between a modern and a traditional wine cellar, then a hybrid, or ‘transitional design’ might be a better choice. Transitional styles combines the best features of both a modern and more traditional wine cellar design. For instance, you may want wooden wine cabinets below and metal racks on the upper portion of the walls.
Finishing Touches
No matter the style of your wine cellar, certain features may be chosen to perfect the storage space. Lighting is standard, though you can get as elaborate as you like in highlighting the wine with your lighting system. You can choose to have a tasting nook with or without seating. A sound system is a nice touch, especially if your modern, transitional, or traditional wine cellar is meant to showcase your wine collection for guests.
by Charlotte | Jan 18, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News, Wine Cellar Design, wine racking
All true wine lovers dream of having their own wine cellar; it’s only natural. Although wine cellars don’t come cheap, it could make sense to invest in one for your home.
Adding Custom Wine Cellar Can Add Value
There always seems to be a way to do those things that mean the most, and sometimes you never know until you take steps in the right direction. Focusing on perceived hurdles such as the cost of a quality wine cellar cooling unit from a top manufacturer like Wine Guardian or WhisperKOOL could keep you from realizing your dream. Start, instead, by checking out the following five good reasons to invest in a wine cellar.
A custom wine cellar is an excellent investment. (Photo: Rosehill Wine Cellars)
1. Protect your Wine Collection
A properly built wine cellar provides the perfect environment for wine to age and reach its peak. The components of a wine cellar include the following and more:
- Insulation from ceiling to floor
- A wine cellar cooling unit that provides the correct temperature with minimal fluctuation
- Wine racks
- Lighting with no UV rays
- Protection from vibration, to keep wine bottles still and stable
2. Organize your Wine Collection
When a wine collection begins to grow, it can be difficult to keep track of and find a particular bottle you may be looking for. Lack of organization often means forgetting about wine you’ve purchased. It’s not unusual for wine bottles in a state of disarray to be neglected past their time of peak enjoyment.
Wine racks, display shelves, and areas for bin storage are among the choices you have, as far as how to store, organize, and display your wine in a wine cellar. With a shelving system, you can more easily manage your wine and make sure you pop corks before the best drinking date has passed.
3. Enhance the Enjoyment of Wine and Food
When you get down to it, the true purpose of a wine cellar is to make it possible to safely store bottles of wine and then open and drink them at exactly the right time. Wine goes through a chemical process that can take years or decades. Oenologists and sommeliers have gone before us to make determinations about just how long particular vintages should be stored before being poured into a decanter and served with a complementary meal. It’s tough, however, to quickly grab that perfect bottle of wine when it’s needed if you’ve been unable to store it an organized way in a wine cellar.
4. Increase Home Value with Wine Cellar
The resale value of your home can be increased significantly if you have a custom wine cellar. Many realtors have learned by experience that wine cellars can be of more value than kitchen upgrades during resale. One of the challenges when selling a home is standing out in a way that snags buyers, and a wine cellar is one of the features that attracts the right kind of attention.
5. Wine Cellar Showpiece
It is highly fashionable, not to mention fun, to bring friends for a tour of your wine cellar. With a tasting nook and great lighting, it can be a truly memorable experience. Show off your wonderful wine collection and beautiful wooden wine racks with confidence. Wine cellars have secure entrances that can keep out teens, on-site workmen, and drunk friends.
Custom Wine Cellar Construction
Get started with the process of possibly having the wine cellar you really want for your wine collection. Contact the dedicated wine cellar construction experts at Rosehill Wine Cellars. They specialize in wine cellars; in fact, that’s the only type of construction they do anymore. Rosehill offers a selection of the best wine cellar cooling units, including WhisperKOOL and Wine Guardian. Due to their experience and knowledge, there’s no one better to help you determine whether a wine cellar is the right investment for you.
by Charlotte | Jan 15, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News
Custom wine cellars from Rosehill Wine Cellars provide the perfect environment for fine wine to age over years or decades.
The best wines are those that have aged over a long period of time. But not just any bottle of wine is made to go through the beneficial process of long-term storage in a wine cellar. In fact, estimates are that 99% of the wine bottled today is made for almost immediate consumption. The other 1% is what sets true wine lovers apart. Collecting wine for aging is about more than just the romance of terroir, swishing to identify tasting notes, and delighting in the pairing of food with the best vintages. The rare bottles of wine that are meant to age slowly have the benefit of complex chemical reactions that enhance taste and aroma. The flavor of beautifully aged wine makes a custom wine cellar more than worth the space it occupies and the cost of a wine cellar cooling unit from a top manufacturer, such as Wine Guardian, WhisperKOOL, or Cellar Pro.
Tannins
Tannin has a lot to do with the improved taste of aged wine. Seeds, plants, wood, leaves, fruit skins, and bark all contain tannin, which is a naturally occurring polyphenol. In wine, tannin adds complexity, bitterness, and astringency. Red wine contains grape tannins, and white wines usually contain tannin from the process of aging in wooden barrels.
Wines that age well are those higher in tannin content. Fine wines achieve the right balance between grape tannin and wood tannin, and the result is that the taste of the wine is smoothed out as the tannins break down in a chemical reaction, over time.
Acidity
The level of acidity in wine also determines whether or not it will age well in a wine cellar. A wine that has lower acidity should be consumed while the wine is young. High acidity wines age well. Over time, the acidity flattens out, contributing to improved flavor and complexity.
Alcohol and Residual Sugar
Winemakers must strike a balance with all of the components in wine, including alcohol level. In non-fortified wine, alcohol can more quickly turn the wine into vinegar. Fortified wine is made by adding a small amount of brandy or strong alcohol to wine. Examples of fortified wine are Madeira, sherry, vermouth, and port; they are among the wines that can age the longest.
Sweet wines also tend to age very well, including Riesling, Sauternes, and Moscato.
Wines Best for Long-Term Storage
The potential length to age wine depends upon the producer. The following estimates represent potential averages:
Fine White Wine can age for up to 10 years. Examples are: Chardonnay, such as White Burgundy and French Chablis; Sauvignon Blanc, such as White Bordeaux; and Riesling, including Auslese and German Spatlese.
Fine Red Wine can age for up to 20 years. Examples are: Merlot, such as Pomerol and St. Emilion; Pinot Noir, including Grand Cru Burgundies of France; and Cabernet Sauvignon, including Bordeaux in the Medoc Region of France.
Fine Champagne can age up to 60 years, such as Prestige Cuvee Champagne, including Dom Perignon, France.
Dessert Wine, aka Fortified Wine, can age for up to 100 years. Examples are Madeira, Hungarian Tokaji, and Semillon.
Wine Cellar Conditions
To store your collection of fine wine, it’s best to have a quality wine cellar cooling unit from a trusted manufacturer, such as Wine Guardian, WhisperKOOL, or Cellar Pro. If you are considering construction of a custom wine cellar for your fine wines, contact the experts at Rosehill Wine Cellars. We specialize in wine cellar construction, and we also offer wine cooling units and much more for the wine lovers among us.
