For The Love Of Port

My cellar has good day/night stability, and has a slightly lower average temperature than that in VNG. The exceptionally small number of bottles that start leaking on my watch tells me that they are happy there.

Satisfied? Not quite - I want to engineer a modest reduction to the seasonal variation, and a slight reduction to the year round average.

Part of the solution will be achieved through additional insulation, but I also want to install a system of cooling.

I have an instinctive aversion to systems that blow chilled air - fine perhaps for young wines tucked up their cases, but for racked old wines, the frequent small changes in temperature these systems will create is worrying. Maybe there is nothing to worry about, but it doesn't feel right - bad karma..!

My preference is to install a cool radiator on the warmest wall, with a constant circulation of water cooled to a closely regulated temperature - silent, passive, effective (hopefully!)

So, all I need is a radiator, pipes, a silent pump, precision thermostats and a chiller unit.

The first four items are no problem, but the last is proving very hard to source.

Any suggestions?

Tom

Tom,

Before building my wine cellar, I learned a ton from reading Dean Gold's (PhD) great book: How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar. It is scientific enough for real geeks, straight forward enough to be read by anyone planning a cellar or upgrade and just perfect for the detail oriented person, who is looking for answers to the tough questions. If need be, I can put you in tough with him, too.

Tom,

maybe an old refrigerator and a pair of right hands ?

Or you can ask the Mythbusters !

Dean Gold's (PhD) great book: How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar.

Amazon list a book with that title by a Richard M. Gold - is that the same guy?

maybe an old refrigerator

I've thought about using a simple chest freezer as a chiller unit, with a reservoir tank inside - but it's hard to get information on how much heat these units can actually extract.

Can't help feeling that someone, somewhere, manufactures a range of through-flow fluid cooling units - but can I find them... :?

Tom

Yes, it is Richard. And I can put you in "touch" not tough .. with him.

Serves me right for posting after a historic half day of drinking Port.

uncle tom wrote: I have an instinctive aversion to systems that blow chilled air - fine perhaps for young wines tucked up their cases, but for racked old wines, the frequent small changes in temperature these systems will create is worrying. Maybe there is nothing to worry about, but it doesn't feel right - bad karma..!

Any suggestions?

Tom

Why not use one of the enclosed wine room chilling units? You could put a baffle between it and the wine area or have ducting move the cooled air into multiple areas mitigating a single cold spot.

Tom,

If your cellar is almost where you want it then added insulation may be all you need. I'd try that first and see how things stand. This would probably be fine if your yearly cellar high is <69° F.
Like Roy suggested, I've read a lot of good things about Gold's book.

The chilled radiator will produce a lot of condensate, so you'll need a catch-basin and drain or you'll have a wet floor. Good luck.

BC

If your cellar is almost where you want it then added insulation may be all you need. I'd try that first and see how things stand. This would probably be fine if your yearly cellar high is <69° F.

That is certainly step one, along with the removal of some dry lining that covers some of the sub-surface walls.

Like Roy suggested, I've read a lot of good things about Gold's book.

I will order a copy as soon as I return to the UK

The chilled radiator will produce a lot of condensate, so you'll need a catch-basin and drain or you'll have a wet floor. Good luck.

That's a very good point!

Tom