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A wonderful arched cellar underneath a house on the South Coast

The family were only just moving in having completely refurbished everything from top to bottom –  the Cellar however received maximum attention.

Although the arched cellar presented excellent storage, there was no racking nor were we sure that there was an even temperature throughout the year.

We agreed to rack out the left side of the cellar with fitted wine bottle racks (immediate drinking) and the right side with case racks (longer term drinking) and then on the back wall a magnum rack All the racks were firmly fitted to the walls and floor.

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

 

In all we created storage for 40x12 bins of bottles:

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

 

120 magnums:

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

 

and 48 cases – a wonderful start to the owner’s collection.

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

 

A problem was a small window out to the street

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

which may allow temperature swings and of course daylight which is an enemy of wine ageing. Until we had a record of any temperature swings and therefore the need for an air cooler we blocked the window with hardboard. There is no need to go to the expense of an air unit if the temperature is constant at around 13 – 15 deg C.

 

Finally we filled the cellar with 30 cases of drinking reds and whites:

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

 

and a further 20 cases of wines for longer term storage:

South Coast Wine Cellar by Michael Morgan

We added a few magnums with the promise of more to come!

I am happy to say that after 6 months the owner has enjoyed his cellar immensely and is busy planning the next purchase. Additionally the summer season has shown that a temperature controlled unit is needed and will be installed.

From modest wine beginnings and little wine knowledge the owners are as enthusiastic and excited about his project as ever and are now testing me to find different wines from around the world – all very rewarding for me!