5 Great Ways to House Your English Wine Collection
With English wine week being celebrated last week (19th-27th June), we’re sure many bottles have popped in celebration. Yet when did English wines become so in vogue?
In the past decade, over 500 vineyards have opened in the UK.1 However, it was pioneering American couple Stuart and Sandy Moss, who in the 1980’s invested some of their legacy into a vineyard in the South Downs. Their winery ‘Nyetimber’ became a household name when it’s first three bottles won various awards in the 1990’s.
Navigating the challenging British weather and unpredictable yields meant producers in the past would typically focus on cooler climate grapes including bacchus, chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. A major shift was seen in 2018, where warmer weather meant a larger number of vineyards reached maturity, resulting in a bumper high-quality harvest that saw wine production more than double.2
Interestingly, a recent survey of adults partial to a tipple, found that amongst adults who had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, wine came out on top with 28% saying it was their drink of choice, followed by beer, 23% and spirits 21%.3
Whether it's a vintage cuvee, sparkling or chardonnay, if you are a lover of fine wines you’ll want to create a beautiful home to store it. Here’s 5 great ways to house your english wine collection to get your creative juices flowing.
#1 Wall Mounted Wine Racks
If space is limited, a wall mounted wine rack can provide a great solution. Ensure it is positioned away from direct sunlight, and the potential load for the rack (including your bottles of wine) has been properly calculated.
#2 Integrated Wine Storage Units
With custom cabinetry anything is possible. You may want to incorporate a wine rack at the end of your island, incorporated into one of the wall mounted cabinets, or made a feature within your kitchen design scheme.
#3 Wine Racks In Your Home Bar or TV Entertainment Room
If you have a home bar or dedicated TV & Entertainment room, having a wine rack is an absolute must! Whether it's an open rack, an integrated wine cooler, or both, the addition of storage for wines into home bars always creates an interesting focal point and adds to the ambience of the room.
#4 Install A Wine Wall!
Make a piece of art out of your passion for wine. A wine wall certainly does make for a breathtaking feature within an interior scheme, although keeping them fully stocked may prove more of a challenge!
Whilst typically a wine wall consists of cubed boxes to both display and protect your wine, the composition of the racking unit itself is entirely open to design discussions.
If a wine wall isn’t an option, you could have an unused corner of your kitchen turned into a floor to ceiling height unit.
#5 Create A Dedicated Wine Room or Transform Your Basement Into A Wine Cellar
If you have an oversized room then creating space for dedicated wine storage is a great option. This could be a walk-in room, or something more contemporary with a glass front allowing you to peek inside. The example on the left shows a bespoke wine room we designed and built for a client just off their main dining area.
If you have a basement or cellar in your home, then perfect! Cool, dark places are ideal for storing wine, although the three key things to bear in mind are;
The room's temperature.
The humidity levels.
Exposure to light (UV rays).
Vibrations. (Wine experts advise that vibrations can destroy your wine's maturing process, so ensure this isn’t the room for your washing machine or tumble dryer!)
Custom Wine Cabinets ~ Designed Around You
As you can see there are many different ways to showcase your love of wine, and countless possibilities that will be based on your needs and home's available space. We hope our article has inspired you, and of course if you’d like for us to build your custom wine home, just get in touch.
“I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.” ~ Julia Child