This Old House Magazine: A Cellar in the Basement

Within the archway, the crew built a wall to frame the door, leaving the curved edge of the bricks visible. The new wall was insulated with polystyrene board, caulked at the edges, covered with galvanized-wire lath screwed into the studs, and finished with two coats of plaster. While the plaster dried, they went back to the shop to build the door, a slab of 3/4" rigid insulation sandwiched between two cedar panels. Weatherstripped and set into an arched frame, the door echoed the curve of the archway and provided an elegant, air-tight entrance to the cellar. A double paned window of tempered glass allowed owners a glimpse of their maturing collection.

While the cellar's basement location gave it a head start, it would still need a special cooling unit to protect the wines' delicate chemistry. Wine loves a steady environment: warmth can destroy flavor and accelerate aging, and fluctuating humidity levels can set corks popping. The cooling unit (similar to an air conditioner), tucked in the room's lower right hand corner, provided the ideal environment for wine—a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity level between 60 and 70 percent. Cellars are often insulated and lined with redwood or cedar paneling but this room was left bare to show off the rugged brick and stone walls. In addition to incandescent lights, two strips of tiny halogens lined the room where the walls met the arch, providing dramatic uplighting.