Wine Cellars Are Trending in Brandywine Valley Homes

Photo by Jim Graham

Wine cellars keep your collection safe while providing panache—and perhaps even a place to entertain.

We all want to enjoy our collections and occasionally show them off, so it’s understandable that we’re also willing to invest time and money into how they’re displayed. Some of us even think of our homes as mini museums. Nowhere was this more obvious than at the Merion home of classic art collector Albert Barnes, which gradually morphed into a museum before it became a major cultural destination in downtown Philadelphia.

“Since the pandemic, there’s definitely been an uptick in interest to make one’s home more of a sanctuary for one’s own interests, with opportunities to share at-home experiences with family and friends,” says West Chester-based architect Richard Buchanan, whose designs for dream homes throughout the region often include wine cellars.

Those who collect vintage wine are no different. What’s needed to ensure those bottles have long and healthy lives? Essentially a cool (not frigid) environment with subdued lighting or none at all. Add to that a place with little vibration. Simply put, wine racks shouldn’t be sitting on a concrete floor next to anything with a motor. It’s also important to store bottles on their sides so corks stay moist and plump, preventing oxygen from seeping in and liquid from seeping out as the wine ages over the years. Also, if you plan to put some of your old treasures in a wine refrigerator or similar apparatus, keep in mind that such machines give off heat, so some distance between open racks and a fridge is a good idea.

As for location, the two most important factors are suitability and convenience. A pool house or party barn might seem like a great place for a cellar—until you want to serve guests one more special bottle, and it’s 11 p.m. with ice and snow on the ground.

Vince Moro is in both the restaurant and the housing business. He has a detached underground cellar. “Subterranean is a lost art—popular years back, when root cellars were a necessity,” he says. “It’s so unique, most townships don’t have guidelines for building one.”

Then convenience took over. “There’s the element of attached versus detached—those who like the idea of a separate structure underground but struggle with the idea of getting there,” Moro notes. “I simply see it as a destination.”

“The aesthetics of wine cellars have changed considerably in recent years Gargoyles and fancy moldings are out, and cleaner, transitional looks are more in vogue.”
—Cellarium Wine Cellars’ Don Cochran

Most people install cellars in their basements. “Another popular place is just off the kitchen or the dining room,” says Don Cochran, owner of Cellarium Wine Cellars in Coatesville, adding that this may require its own enclosed, temperature-controlled space.

The ideal situation is to have a room or area where the cellar looks completed but still has additional space for adding shelves. If you’re new to collecting—and especially if you’re, say, under 50—then figure you may eventually want to double the number of racks needed. Any look that pleases you is the right look. “The aesthetics of wine cellars have changed considerably in recent years,” Cochran says. “Gargoyles and fancy moldings are out, and cleaner, transitional looks are more in vogue.”

It’s important to store bottles on their sides so corks stay moist and plump, preventing oxygen from seeping in and liquid from seeping out as the wine ages over the years.

People’s needs and preferences run the gamut. “It’s the whole spectrum,” says Buchanan, “from a simple niche or dedicated cabinet at the far end of the kitchen to whole suites of rooms for cellar storage, tasting, sitting and viewing, cigar amenities with air cleaners—you name it.”

People do like to have dinner in their wine cellars, though Cochran would rather you keep storage and dining separate. If you’re entertaining in a cellar that’s naturally cool or air-conditioned, keep a collection of decorative shawls ready on hangers. It’s the perfect remedy for cold shoulders.

Related: 7 Tips to Boost Your Brandywine Valley Home’s Overall Appearance