Bigger Is Usually Better
Most collectors say if they give one piece of advice to people installing a cellar, it’s to maximize capacity.
“People will do 400 or 500 bottles,” says Scott Rehorn, who hired COOLgrapes to build a 1,200-bottle cellar in his Paradise Valley home. “Really, that’s only a couple years’ worth of wine. Real collectors want to buy cases and get three, four years ahead of themselves.”
Before hiring a builder, get references and make sure they’re licensed and bonded. Barnes says he’s torn out and rebuilt cellars for people who were dissatisfied with a job.
“Back when I started, it really was [for] people who collected wine and knew about wine and understood the value of storing it properly,” Barnes says. “Now it seems to be ‘the thing you have to have’ in a custom home.”
Resources:
After the Vine (showroom)Best Home Appliances
4727 E. Bell Road, Ste. 47, Phoenix
602-482-2737
afterthevine.com
besthomeappliances.com
Castle Mark Cellars3536 E. Kayenta Court, Phoenix
480-893-8994
castlemarkcellars.com
COOLgrapes Wine Cellar Solutions1121 N. Sickles Drive, Tempe
480-945-4090
coolgrapes.com