Wine has been called “bottled poetry.” It facilitates laughter, passion, inspiration, courage and relaxation.

Because of its intrigue, we’ve often succumbed to its temptation. Without guilt, we’ve invested heavily and toasted frequently. Wine sales now even parallel beer sales in this country – a country full of people who take pride in their cold brew swashbuckling.

Of course, it helps that wine has garnered quite the reputation of late, with proven health benefits and a lower caloric bombardment than its alcoholic counterparts. Consequently, people are investing in wine collections. And while such a hobby doesn’t come cheap, it’s worth every last drop.

Protection
Protect your collection with a custom wine room. Wine is temperamental. It needs attention and love. Leaving bottles out in the open to collect dust is offensive to those who have spent thousands on their pastime.

It’s no wonder that wine rooms have increased in popularity. Rosati Windows, in Columbus, has even over the past year added wine rooms to its business plan, as an extension of its Rooms of Distinction collection. According to Norm Hughes, sales manager for Rooms of Distinction, it was a sensible addition to the company’s repertoire.

“People are catching on that they have these extensive and expensive wine collections that are being stored improperly because they don’t have the proper storage space. When you put it into context, the cost and work to build a wine room is completely worth it compared to the amount they’ve spent on their collections,” Hughes says.

He's built wine rooms for inventories of 100 bottles to 1,000 bottles. The cost involved in building a wine room ranges as widely, from about $10,000 up to $100,000. The price all depends on the details.

Size matters
Size matters when considering building a wine room, according to David McMahon, a certified sommelier and manager at Jasons, in Dublin. “The size needs to fit the person, and the cellar should be planned based on how much daily wine, special-occasion wine and ‘big dog’ wines you drink in a year,” he says.

Serious wine connoisseurs, for example, should calculate that a bottle a day adds up to about 400 bottles. If you drink special occasion wines – about four or five bottles a month – then you’ll need about 200 bottles of those brands. Finally, “big dog” wines are the bottles you drink maybe once or twice a month, so the average cellar for a serious wine drinker would hold anywhere from 800 to 1,000 bottles.

The size of the wine room depends on the quantity. A 1,000-bottle wine room, for example, would probably result in a space that’s about 10-by-12-feet.

Specifics
No matter what their size, wine rooms should definitely include a thermometer probe. This is basically a bottle filled with water, stopped by a cork, which accurately reads the temperature of a liquid. “It’s very convenient and gauges the temperature as though it’s wine. It will maintain that temperature automatically,” Hughes says.

That temperature should specifically be between 52 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooling unit - perhaps the most important part of a custom wine room - is sized according to dynamics of the room and number of bottles.

Temperature control is required for both reds and whites and will ensure they last a very long time. But temperature isn’t the only factor in controlling sensitive wines.

Basements are ideal not only because of their compatibility with the cooling unit, but also because their concrete floors tend to control vibrations more than other areas of the home – vibrations that compromise the quality of wine. Lighting can also negatively affect the characteristics of wine; therefore low-voltage track lighting is suggested.

Another often-overlooked detail is the wood used to build racks. Rosati Windows uses mostly heart red wood, mahogany and pine because they handle high humidity and low temperature well. Hughes notes this wood should not be stained, as the fumes could contaminate the wine. It’s also recommended that wine bottles sit horizontally, so the cork is wet. This maintains the proper oxygen level in these very susceptible spirits.

“There are a lot of things to consider, and anyone who is willing to invest in wine will know it’s worth it. A lot of people might get turned off by the upkeep of a wine room, but it’s quite easy once you get everything into place,” Hughes says. “Besides, you don’t want your collection sitting on a floor, being improperly stored, when there are thousands of dollars invested.”

In a wine room, avoid going all out on building a sitting area. “I don’t know too many people who are going to hang out in a room that is constantly 50-some degrees,” Hughes says. “Instead, focus on things like what types of racks you want, if you want arches or a scenery painting behind the racks and what kind of door you want.”

Racks can be diamond cube-shaped, X-shaped, glass, whatever. Doors can be steel, to secure the collection, or glass, to show it off. Most people choose glass, Hughes says. “Design patters are unlimited and can be very sophisticated,” he adds.

The Wine
The most important detail of your wine room will, of course, be the wine. Stock your cellar with red and white options, and have glasses and openers for all types. Above all, mind your inventory and mix it up.

“Too many times have I gone into a cellar and seen 90 percent California Cabernets. Boring! Mix it up a little, maybe with 20 percent whites and 80 percent reds. Mix up the whites with Rieslings from Alsace and Germany and Loire. How about some older California chardonnays and white burgundies? Give dessert wines a place in the cellar,” McMahon says.

He adds that a good balance means having equal amounts of wines from around the world. Serious wine drinkers can – and should – keep track of their inventory by either investing in a computerized program that does most of the work for them, or by manually marking each bottle with a tag that includes date produced, vineyard designation and time it should be consumed.

But don’t get carried away. The biggest mistake people make with their wine collection is too much inventory.

“Unfortunately people get obsessed with buying and showing off their collection, when it should just be about the experience,” McMahon says. “The only return-of-investment you should look for is the experience that wine gives you when you’re drinking it with your friends. Wine is an emotion and you should invest in that emotion.”

Alicia Kelso is editor of Luxury Living Magazine.


Stock right. If Certified Sommelier David McMahon were stocking his personal wine cellar, he would follow this formula:

• 20 percent white, 80 percent red.
• Whites: a mixture of Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and miscellaneous whites.
• Reds: The reds would cover every major wine region.
The U.S.: Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends.
France: Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Italy: Barolos, Brunello di Montalcino and miscellaneous.
Australian: Shiraz and Cabernets.
• Remember: Dessert wines have earned their place in a wine cellar.

Rooms of Distinction by Rosati Windows has a full wine room on display in its showroom, located at 4200 Roberts Rd. For more information, visit www.rosatiwindows.com, or call 888-866-7800.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE BONUS: Talk about personalizing a party, Wine Rack Store (www.WineRackStore.com) offers more than 90 wine charms to mark your glasses – from sports themes to holiday designs!