wine cellar

Wine Cellars From Recycled Wine Barrels

Filed under: Decor, Wine

The Stave Oak Collection from Savante Wine Cellars not only looks great it uses reclaimed parts of retired wine barrels to create aged wine racks. The wine barrels, which are no longer suitable for aging wine would otherwise be sent to landfills.Wine barrels generally have a life expectancy of around five to seven years.

The Stave Oak collection uses all pieces of the wine barrel from the white oak staves, to the steel bands that hold the barrels together, to the cooperage brand on the wood. The cellars are put together using mortise and tenon construction.

Ever wonder how a wine barrel is made? It's a neat bit of artistry which requires quite a bit of preparation of the wood. It takes a craftsman about eight hours total to create a barrel. For more information check out this great summary of the process.

[via LA Times]

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Tags: eco-friendly, green, savante wine cellars, SavanteWineCellars, wine cellar, wine storage, WineCellar, WineStorage

Expensive UK Government Wine Cellar Causes Controversy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The announcement that the wine cellar of the UK government is worth nearly £800,000 has some people up in arms over questions of extravagance. The government's cellar has over 39,000 bottles of wine including around 500 bottles of spirits and liqueurs for a total of £792,000. Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster was quoted in the BBC News as saying that the huge cellar shows that the government is living 'beyond its means'. Figures show that the ministers spent a total of £5 million on wining and dining including more than £100,000 toward maintaining Whitehall wine cellar, stocking it with vintage and non-vintage Champagne, red Bordeaux and white Burgundy wine.

By contrast, according to a recent article on Slate, the White House currently stocks around 500-600 bottles although, as commenters below have pointed out, it's not exactly an apt comparison. The official Whitehall cellar which is in the vaults of Lancaster house is meant to serve the entertainment needs of all the ministers. But as the Slate article points out, French-wine-loving Thomas Jefferson once had around 20,000 bottles in his Presidential cellar under what is now the West Wing. In more recent years, U.S. Presidents have made an effort to showcase U.S. wines. These days most wine-producing countries opt to serve the wines created in the country at state meals.

Gallery: Political Extravagance or Political Thrift?

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's Fancy Watch

The Obamas Pay To Decorate Their Own Quarters

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Tags: uk, whitehall, wine cellar, WineCellar

Angelshare, Single Bottle Wine Cellar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Wine

Okay, you probably have more than one bottle of wine in your cellar or wine rack but the Angelshare single bottle cellar is for "the bottle" you know the one, that special bottle you have no intention of drinking anytime soon but you might still be itching to let people know you have. The Angelshare single bottle cellar controls the temperature and humidity for aging wine and has a super silent heat exhaust fan for low noise and low vibration. It has three temperature settings and you can look at your bottle through a double-paneled half-smoke glass window which prevents ultraviolet rays from getting in but still lets you showcase your prized vintage. It sells for $374.14.

[via Martini Lounge]

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Tags: angelshare, gadget, wine, wine cellar

Closet Wine Cellars

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wine

Want a wine cellar but don't have a basement or a spare room to dedicate to your love of the grape, Closet Wine Cellars specializes in putting small cellars into a variety of places. You find the room, they'll make it work whether it is a closet, wall or storage space. The systems can be customized to your design style and refrigerated units are available. Their racking system makes it easy to see the labels. The company is based in Southern California, the land of no basements, so they have their work cut out for them. At least, given recent weather, they can start with the coat closet as seems to be the case in the picture here.

[via Luxury Housing Trends]

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Tags: closet, home decor, home improvement, remodeling, wine cellar, WineCellar

A Look at Custom Wine Cellars

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

If you're going to store more than a couple of bottles of wine at home, especially if they're valuable bottles or you plan on keeping them for a long time, you will need a climate controlled environment to ensure that the wine is well taken care of. Custom wine cellars are the perfect solution to storage problems, especially if you want to show off your collection . Business Week has a peek inside a couple of ultra luxe cellars, ranging in price from $25,000 to more than a quarter million dollars. At that price, you're going to get mood lighting, tasting rooms, and a look that ranges from Gothic to ultra modern.

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Tags: cellers, wine, wine cellar

VintageView Wine Racks

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wine

One of the problems of some wine racks is that you often can't see what you have and may have to root around to find the bottle you are looking for if you aren't the hyper-organized type. That isn't a problem with the VintageView racks. The racks mount directly onto a wall and cradle two bottles on each level so that the label is easily seen. There are also magnum/Champagne racks that are one deep. The racks can be used as decorative accents in a kitchen or can be used to outfit an entire cellar. Of course, if you want them in a kitchen or dining room you will need to keep them out of the light to protect your bottles. The three foot tall racks start at $61.99 each and there are also tabletop racks and single wine cradles available. They also do beautiful custom systems, residential examples appear here.

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Tags: cellars, wine, wine cellar, wine racks

Wine Storage Tips

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wine

LifeTips has a great section dedicated to the storage of wine. Pretty much every topic is touched upon from building your own wine rack to wine cellar cooling tips. Some quick and important storing tips to keep in mind: keep bottles on their sides, store where there is little temperature fluctuation, high humidity is important for long term storage, and pay attention to the age worthiness of your wine before they go past their prime. Keep in mind wine cellars are not just meant to only be pleasing to the eye, but they must be just as functional as they are attractive. The need for a vapor barrier is commonly ignored when your designer doesn’t have the necessary knowledge of wine.

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