As I sit here at my office window watching the squirrels try to figure out a way to get to my bird feeders, I think to myself, now would be the perfect time for a glass of wine to go with this entertainment. From Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio to Cabernet, Malbec, Merlot, and every blend in between, we ladies, and some gents, love our wine. Especially during the holidays. Now…I’m more of a wine drinker than a wine collector but a lot of people like to buy their wine by the case and collect it on trips to wonderful places like Napa Valley, Sanoma, France and Italy. And where do they put all that wine? Well, once upon a time, it was a secret room down in the far reaches of the basement but not anymore. In recent years, wine rooms and wine closets have become more of a feature in a home than a damp, dark, out of the way cellar. Take a look at what’s trending in wine spaces.

Store It, Display It, Taste It

If you have the space in your home and the budget, a larger wine room might be the thing for you. With tons of storage and display areas plus a place to relax and taste all of that delicious wine. The design of the room often reflects the owner’s taste in wine. If you’re into Italian wines, you might choose to design your wine room in a rustic Tuscan style with lots of warm wood and scrolled iron work. If you’re into younger wines from places like New Zealand, you may choose to have a more modern wine room with lots of glass, concrete counter tops, clean lines and dark colors. Or you may be into the blends so your room may be more boho in style with lots of funky decorations and earth tones.

What’s in Your Closet?

A more budget friendly and usually more creative idea for wine display and storage is the wine closet. It’s typically smaller and more efficient than a wine room and located in creative spaces such as underneath a stairway or in a converted coat closet. Usually they have some type of interior display/storage system and a door with a glass window in it. Some have beautiful metal gates instead of a wood door, some have an ornate wood door. I’m a big fan of the all glass enclosed wine closet tucked underneath a flight of steps. These are easier to put a cooling system into in case you want to keep your wine bottles at a certain temperature and it’s easier to see all that you have at a glance.

Function Over Form

Well maybe not quite but there’s more to building a wine storage space than you might think. For the serious wine enthusiast, you will want to consider how easy it will be to view the label on each bottle so that when you go to select one, you can do so without much ado. Especially if you have a lot of wine. That means perhaps using a storage system that allows each label to display outward yet still keeping the bottle horizontal, so the cork stays wet. Temperature is especially important to each type of wine whether it’s red or white, so the space needs to have its own climate control. I’ve read that even some red wines need to stay cooler than room temperature and most white wines need to be refrigerated. If you have a wine closet instead of a room, and it’s in a cooler basement area than climate control may not be a consideration. And lastly, your wine space should consider storage for wine glasses. Hang them upside down underneath a cabinet for a more classic look and out of the way storage or take your stemless glasses and put them up on some open shelving. Now is the time to put out the good glasses or a beautiful collection of unmatched ones for a more eclectic look.

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