What questions should I ask when choosing a wine cellar?

What questions should you ask before choosing your wine cellar?

To help you choose the right wine cellar, we believe it's essential to ask at least 4 questions to better understand your needs. a further 4 questions will help you further develop your wine cellar project.

The 4 essential questions to answer when choosing the right wine cellar

• How will your wine cellar be used? In other words, what do you want to do with your wine? To age it until it reaches maturity and the peak of its vintage, or to store different wines at the ideal temperature for tasting?
• Will your cellar be heated? As we explained at the beginning of this article, to store a wine cellar in an unheated room, it must be fitted with a heating system to maintain the set cellar temperature in the event of a sudden drop in ambient temperature. However, this system is not necessary for installation in a living room.
• How many bottles do you need to store? If you already think you can quickly fill a 30-bottle cellar, we strongly advise you to consider investing directly in a 50-60-bottle capacity. We can assure you that storing wine at home is such a pleasure that you'll find plenty of opportunities to buy more! The same applies to much larger capacities: if your collection is already flirting with 120 bottles, don't think too small, or you'll soon regret it (especially when it comes to aging wine, where new châteaux and vintages are often purchased in full 6-bottle cases).
• What budget are you prepared to invest in a wine cellar ? This important criterion will also help you narrow down the selection of wine cellars to suit your needs.

4 other important questions to ask yourself before buying a wine cellar

• What type of installation? Will the cellar stand on its own feet (known as "free-standing"), or be recessed underneath your kitchen, or integrated into a kitchen cabinet?
• And what about the cellar door: do you prefer it to be glazed or solid?
• How many cooling zones would you like in your cellar? Several zones mean you can have 2 compartments with different temperatures, so you can keep a white wine at 11°C and a red wine at 17°C in the same cellar.
• And last but not least, the energy class. Are you looking for an A+ or A-Class appliance?

The most frequently asked question: what should I choose between an ageing cellar and a warming cellar?

The first thing to take into account when deciding toinvest in a wine cellar is the purpose for which it will be used. There are two possible uses for a wine cellar:

• The first is aging. If you want to enrich your wine cellar with vintages to age them for several years, you'll need to find a wine cellar that's just right for the job. All models in the Tradition la Sommelière range are perfectly designed for aging wine.
• On the other hand, if you want to store your bottles for the short term, with the aim of serving them at the right temperature, there are many small wine cellars available to help you bring your wine up to temperature. These include the LS36A and LS38A.

Finally, it's also possible to find mixed cellars that allow both aging and temperature control of wine, thanks to the natural calibration of temperature ranges. This is the case with the VIP195N, which features 6 temperature levels.

On the aging side, for a collection of around 248 bottles, the CTP252A is an excellent choice. The plus of this cellar is its low energy consumption.

However, if you don't intend to build up a large collection of bottles, opt for a small cellar model. You can then take advantage of a wide range of space-saving cellars that can be installed in any room of the house! If you need to store less than 100 bottles, the CTV82B is the best choice.

The LS50.2Z dual-zone wine cellar is an excellent option for keeping your red and white wines at the same temperature, but in the same cellar. It's perfect for your kitchen, or even as a decorative touch in your living room!

Need help choosing the right wine cellar for your needs?

La Sommelière has created an online tool to guide you step by step towards the most suitable model. You'll be asked a number of quick questions in the left-hand margin of your screen, and each time you answer, the range of wine cellars will be updated on the right-hand side according to your criteria (on cell phones, the questions are displayed at the top of the screen, and the selection is updated further down)

Don't hesitate to take the test now by following this link: see the online wine cellar selection help La Sommelière.

If you have any questions, you can also leave a comment on this page!