Wine Cellar Cooling Units

Building a wine cellar can create the ideal environment to store your wines. Temperature is always a major consideration in wine storage and the ideal wine storage temperature is between 55ºF and 58ºF (13ºC-15ºC), although any temperature between 40º-65ºF (5º-18ºC) will suffice as long as it doesn't fluctuate too much. Ideally, the humidity should be around 70%. If you can't achieve these temperatures in your passive wine cellar then you may require a wine cellar cooling unit.

Wine cellar cooling units can be set at any temperature within the optimum range for successfully aging wines and they cool the air slowly and gently. They are designed to maintain humidity rather than dehydrating the cellar although sometimes additional humidification may be required in extremely dry climates. These cooling units are usually installed approximately 18 inches from the top of the room in order to achieve maximum cooling. The unit will also require an unobstructed airflow and adequate ventilation to dissipate the heat generated by the unit. These units are frequently vented into an adjacent room and the venting space needs to be as large or larger than your wine cellar.

It is also possible to install a split air system into a wine cellar although this type of wine cellar cooling system can be rather expensive with prices running into many thousands of dollars. A split system has a separate evaporator and condenser module with the condenser module mounted outside the wine cellar. A split air system offers added flexibility when doing custom installations or dealing with unusual site problems. Your cellar must be properly insulated and vapor sealed for the unit to cool effectively. This system would usually include electronic controls and a digital display.

There are many options available with split system cooling including humidifiers, dehumidifiers and alarm units. With the addition of these options, a split air system will provide you with total control of your wine cellar refrigeration, albeit at a substantial cost. Professional installation is required.

If you find that your wine cellar requires a cooling unit it is worthwhile shopping around and comparing brands. There are few bargains, however, you should be able to save money with a little research.