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When it comes to wine storage, there are various options; wine racks to hang on walls, wine cellars at home, UK-made wine cabinets, and so on. The demands of your wine collection will determine the storage solution you opt for. Despite this, wine enthusiasts are often left wondering whether wine cabinets are the alternative to wine cellars. Unfortunately, there isn’t one answer to this, as various factors need to be considered. First things first, though, it needs to be established what wine cabinets and wine cellars are individual.
What is a Wine Cabinet?
Firstly, the best wine cabinets in the UK are reminiscent of standard cabinets, with additional features that make them ideal for storing wine. A wine cabinet is a piece of furniture with drawers, shelves, side panels, doors, and other storage space. As well as an area for bottles, wine cabinets tend to contain space for other miscellaneous items, such as glasses or bottle openers.
What is a Wine Cellar?
In contrast, a wine cellar is a room that’s specifically designed for long-term wine storage. As a result, wine cellars don’t boast portability, but they’re primarily geared towards wine storage. Consequently, the temperature, humidity, and light conditions are ideal for wine storage.
Wine Cabinets vs Wine Cellars
As previously mentioned, there are many factors to consider when it comes to choosing between a wine cabinet and a wine cellar, as detailed below.
Enjoying a Wine Collection
First and foremost, you need to think about how you plan to enjoy your collection. For instance, building a cellar may be worthwhile if you’re after a functional space in which you can store your wine collection. Despite this, a cellar might not be your best bet if you’d rather have an area in which you can enjoy your wine. Wine cellars must be kept at 14°C, meaning they’re not necessarily a comfortable temperature for relaxing in. Therefore, if this is the kind of space you’re after, you’d be better off creating a home bar and making use of wine cabinets.
Selling Your Property
Building a wine cellar has pros and cons if you choose to sell your property in the future. Naturally, a wine cellar in your home dramatically increases the property’s value. Despite this, you must also bear in mind that upon moving, you’ll be forced to leave your cellar behind and start again in your new home. As far as wine cabinets are concerned, though, you can simply pack these up and take them with you wherever you may go.
Bottle Capacity
Another vital object of consideration is the size of your wine collection. Whether you need a wine rack for 15 bottles or a wine rack for 30 bottles will play into which storage solution best suits you. The best way to navigate this is by starting with a wine cabinet, or even a few wine cabinets, before committing to a cellar. If your wine cabinet(s) can accommodate the number of bottles you have, it’s likely that a wine cellar won’t be necessary. After all, you don’t want to spend thousands of pounds on creating a specialised space that you won’t be able to fill.
Cost and Requirements
As previously mentioned, creating a functioning wine cellar is by no means a light-hearted procedure. Due to the importance of a consistently cool temperature, conditioners and heavy-duty insulation are required. Meanwhile, wine racks, the correct door, power, drainage, airflow, and ducting are required. If you think this sounds expensive, you wouldn’t be wrong, with most wine cellar projects costing tens of thousands of pounds. As a result, opting for wine cabinets is certainly the more cost-effective solution.
Available Space
Last but not least, you need to consider the space you actually have available. For instance, if you have a basement, garage, or under-stairs storage space, these could be the ideal environments for creating a wine cellar. On the other hand, if you’re struggling for space as it is, a wine cellar isn’t likely a viable option. Wine cabinets are much smaller and can be moved around to accommodate the requirements of your space.
So, are wine cabinets the alternative to wine cellars?
As long as wine cabinets are stored correctly and have temperature control capabilities, wine cabinets are a viable alternative to wine cellars. For wine cabinets to be an appropriate alternative, they must be located in an unheated room and be fitted with heating and cooling functions alike.
Shop Wine Racks at Cranville Wine Racks
Here at Cranville Wine Racks, we provide traditional and contemporary wine racks for homes and businesses alike. If you can’t find the wine storage solution for you, we also offer bespoke products to suit the needs of anyone and everyone. Browse our products and services today.
