San Clemente Home Wine Cellar Project Blueprint

The San Clemente Home Wine Cellar Project Blueprint

While there were more than a fair share of projects Bella Vita Wine Cellars participated in, there were a select few we believe needed to be featured here on the website. This particular wine cellar in San Clemente project we started in February 2015 is worth its placement on the front page.

San Clemente Wine Cellar Door Stripped

A client was able to purchase an old home in the famous Californian coastal town. As it happened, there was also a wine cellar built by the previous owner inside the house. The client—who himself also boasts a sizable wine collection nearing 900 bottles—was keen on using it immediately.

The problem he encountered though? The old wine cellar was very poorly maintained during the time of its initial use, and there were also some questionable insulation issues with it. Having knowledge of our previous work in the local wine enthusiast community, the client decided to contract us to do the job.

 

Custom Built Wine Cellars San Clemente California Coastal Project
We decided the only way to fully renovate the old cellar was to perform a complete overhaul. That means we had to scrap everything inside it: the old wine racks, the wall coverings, and even the single pane glasses covering the interiors and the door.

We re-sealed the walls in accordance with the standard insulation methods of today. We also replaced the windows with dual pane glass, which ensures the temperature inside the room will be kept under control by keeping everything airtight.

Custom Wine Cellars CA, Wine Rack Installation & Wine Guardian Cooling Units
The wine refrigeration system we had to choose for this cellar gave us pause, though. The room only contains enough space for the wine racks and bottles to be housed, so installing a hulking refrigeration system inside of the room was out of the question.

We eventually settled on the Wine Guardian Ducted System instead. It is a self-contained unit that contains an impressive in-system humidification module, this allows the client to easily adjust the temperature and humidity levels inside the cellar as he sees fit. Its compact size means that it can be easily hidden from view, and also frees up necessary space for the wine racks to be installed inside the cellar.

No wine enthusiast will argue with you when you say that the wine racks are the “meat” of any wine cellar, so the burden was on us to provide the client with jaw-dropping designs he would be proud to show off to his visitors.

San Clemente custom wine rack

The installed custom wine rack

We eventually settled on the wine racks to be fashioned from Alder wood. The client’s decision to have the racks painted with chestnut stain and a clear lacquer finish resulted in a set of wine racks that look “classic” in every sense of the word.

The entire project was completed in April of 2015. If you’re interested in seeing more of our past jobs, please click here.