The Cellar Shed
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:44 am
Recent discussion on other threads has included mention of my 'poor man's cellar' - I converted a garden shed into a 1000 bottle cellar. Here is a piece I wrote for a wine-writing competition in 1997 on the subject - I didn't win - this is where Ben Canaider got his start instead.
This cellar has moved house, after a separation (and that's another story) but for the money I've spent, I can't complain. Here we go:
“EVERY MAN NEEDS HIS SHEDâ€Â
Bob, a mate of mine, is a staunch advocate of the notion that “every man needs his shedâ€Â. Although a cry of “sexist†might be justified, you’ll probably find that most sheds are still a bloke’s domain. For Bob, the shed is not just somewhere to play with his woodworking “boy toysâ€Â; it is a sanctuary from the gutter cleaning, the leaking taps and the screaming kids.
A few years ago, my partner and I travelled across the lower half of Australia, visiting many wine regions and wineries in the process. The happy consequence of this was quite a few cases of wine following us back across the Nullarbor to Perth. Unfortunately, we moved house immediately on return, and the vexed question arose: where to store my new acquisitions?
Initially, the wine was stored in a spare room with the curtains shut, but this proved far from ideal, with temperatures occasionally reaching 30'C in summer. The crunch soon came when impending parenthood required the eviction of the 300 or so bottles I had accumulated.
I wanted to create “reasonable†cellaring conditions (cool, constant temperature, darkness, and 50%+ humidity) without causing structural damage or bankruptcy. Cardboard boxes, while certainly cheap effective insulators, did not appeal as medium term storage (and I still needed somewhere to store them). So, some form of cellar was the go.
Unfortunately, the average suburban house, on a concrete pad, is sadly lacking in opportunity to add a cellar after construction. Furthermore, cellars rarely feature in properties for sale (at least, in my modest price range). An alternative was required. Bob’s adage “every man needs his shed†remained in my subconscious, and after discussion and a couple of drinks, the decision was made: I, too, needed a shed. Now, how to turn a shed into a cellar?
Let’s face it, the common or garden shed is usually a hot, dusty, insect-ridden shelter for old timber, rusty angle iron, and the lawn mower. Mine certainly is. Consequently, it met exactly none of my cellar requirements. So I bit the bullet. A section of the garden was cleared, a 100mm concrete slab was poured, and a new 3m by 3m shed was purchased, and bolted to the slab. This would become my “cellarâ€Â.
Now I could get dinkum, and work on the remaining problems. Air conditioning seemed like the only way to conquer the extremes of summer, and having a mate in the trade certainly helped. A ¾ hp unit was soon installed, along with power ducted from the house. My partner quite rightly pointed out that the power bills would damage the wallet considerably, and various forms of insulation were considered.
I settled on “spray-on†polyurethane insulation, for several reasons. While not the cheapest option, it is an efficient, lightweight insulator. As a bonus, it’s waterproof, and the spray application fills up the shed’s gaps and seams, making it insect-proof. A couple of coats of white insulation paint to the shed’s exterior completed the process.
A fluorescent light came next (wine is less affected by fluorescent light than natural light), and a couple of heavy-duty locks were installed to the door.
Surprisingly, one of the most difficult decisions was the choice of door seal (to make the interior totally impenetrable). I tried a few, and eventually went for the humble car door seal. A local retailer generously provided samples of several sizes and shapes, and about 6m of the most suitable seal was purchased and installed.
Lastly, some form of racking was required. The bottle capacity of a 3m by 3m shed varies greatly according to the type of racking used. Assuming each bottle is stored individually (as compared to ‘diamond’ or ‘bin’ storage), a timber racking system allows me to comfortably store around 800 bottles. With a metal racking system, this figure should exceed 1200. However, I chose timber racking for the best reason in the world - I already owned a reasonable quantity.
Imagine my delight! Finally, my cellar was ready. The wine went in to its new home just before Christmas. To cap it off, a hygrometer (measuring variations in temperature and humidity) was a welcome Christmas present.
Over time, the hygrometer has told me how well my above ground “cellar†performs. My original expectations have been exceeded. It is perfectly dark, has a temperature range of 12'C to 20'C (usually 16-18'C), and is waterproof and mostly insect proof. Humidity has not fallen below 60%.
Although it’s not open for general viewing (as this raises the temperature), I do show the cellar to interested friends and relatives. While there is the odd bottle of Grange and Mt Edelstone, the vast majority of the bottles were purchased for under $20. This surprises some people, who assume only expensive wines are cellared. Opening a $15 Hunter semillon or McLaren Vale red with a few years’ bottle age usually opens their eyes.
Some people consider wine cellaring to be a “rich man’s sportâ€Â. However, most commercial red wines (and some whites) benefit from a one to two year period of bottle aging. Many benefit from much longer. It seems appropriate that my improvised cellar contains mostly value-for-money wines. It’s certainly a contrast with a “gentleman’s†cellar, chock full of Lafite and D’Yquem.
For me, however, the big plus is that, when I pull the cork, I know the bottle has matured in the best conditions I can create. And yes, you CAN taste the difference.
The cellar has a peaceful, isolated atmosphere, like a private cavern (a sanctuary?). Also, it’s a great place to be on hot summer days (for stock taking, of course). Unfortunately, the kids always want to come in, too.
Recently, a couple came to our house for a barbecue. He is a sales rep for a major wine company, and asked to see the cellar. His wife now complains “Why did you show it to him - he wants one!†Oh, well, perhaps Bob’s right - every man needs his shed. "
Cheers
Allan
PS: Please note that the prices quoted in the article are 1997 prices.
This cellar has moved house, after a separation (and that's another story) but for the money I've spent, I can't complain. Here we go:
“EVERY MAN NEEDS HIS SHEDâ€Â
Bob, a mate of mine, is a staunch advocate of the notion that “every man needs his shedâ€Â. Although a cry of “sexist†might be justified, you’ll probably find that most sheds are still a bloke’s domain. For Bob, the shed is not just somewhere to play with his woodworking “boy toysâ€Â; it is a sanctuary from the gutter cleaning, the leaking taps and the screaming kids.
A few years ago, my partner and I travelled across the lower half of Australia, visiting many wine regions and wineries in the process. The happy consequence of this was quite a few cases of wine following us back across the Nullarbor to Perth. Unfortunately, we moved house immediately on return, and the vexed question arose: where to store my new acquisitions?
Initially, the wine was stored in a spare room with the curtains shut, but this proved far from ideal, with temperatures occasionally reaching 30'C in summer. The crunch soon came when impending parenthood required the eviction of the 300 or so bottles I had accumulated.
I wanted to create “reasonable†cellaring conditions (cool, constant temperature, darkness, and 50%+ humidity) without causing structural damage or bankruptcy. Cardboard boxes, while certainly cheap effective insulators, did not appeal as medium term storage (and I still needed somewhere to store them). So, some form of cellar was the go.
Unfortunately, the average suburban house, on a concrete pad, is sadly lacking in opportunity to add a cellar after construction. Furthermore, cellars rarely feature in properties for sale (at least, in my modest price range). An alternative was required. Bob’s adage “every man needs his shed†remained in my subconscious, and after discussion and a couple of drinks, the decision was made: I, too, needed a shed. Now, how to turn a shed into a cellar?
Let’s face it, the common or garden shed is usually a hot, dusty, insect-ridden shelter for old timber, rusty angle iron, and the lawn mower. Mine certainly is. Consequently, it met exactly none of my cellar requirements. So I bit the bullet. A section of the garden was cleared, a 100mm concrete slab was poured, and a new 3m by 3m shed was purchased, and bolted to the slab. This would become my “cellarâ€Â.
Now I could get dinkum, and work on the remaining problems. Air conditioning seemed like the only way to conquer the extremes of summer, and having a mate in the trade certainly helped. A ¾ hp unit was soon installed, along with power ducted from the house. My partner quite rightly pointed out that the power bills would damage the wallet considerably, and various forms of insulation were considered.
I settled on “spray-on†polyurethane insulation, for several reasons. While not the cheapest option, it is an efficient, lightweight insulator. As a bonus, it’s waterproof, and the spray application fills up the shed’s gaps and seams, making it insect-proof. A couple of coats of white insulation paint to the shed’s exterior completed the process.
A fluorescent light came next (wine is less affected by fluorescent light than natural light), and a couple of heavy-duty locks were installed to the door.
Surprisingly, one of the most difficult decisions was the choice of door seal (to make the interior totally impenetrable). I tried a few, and eventually went for the humble car door seal. A local retailer generously provided samples of several sizes and shapes, and about 6m of the most suitable seal was purchased and installed.
Lastly, some form of racking was required. The bottle capacity of a 3m by 3m shed varies greatly according to the type of racking used. Assuming each bottle is stored individually (as compared to ‘diamond’ or ‘bin’ storage), a timber racking system allows me to comfortably store around 800 bottles. With a metal racking system, this figure should exceed 1200. However, I chose timber racking for the best reason in the world - I already owned a reasonable quantity.
Imagine my delight! Finally, my cellar was ready. The wine went in to its new home just before Christmas. To cap it off, a hygrometer (measuring variations in temperature and humidity) was a welcome Christmas present.
Over time, the hygrometer has told me how well my above ground “cellar†performs. My original expectations have been exceeded. It is perfectly dark, has a temperature range of 12'C to 20'C (usually 16-18'C), and is waterproof and mostly insect proof. Humidity has not fallen below 60%.
Although it’s not open for general viewing (as this raises the temperature), I do show the cellar to interested friends and relatives. While there is the odd bottle of Grange and Mt Edelstone, the vast majority of the bottles were purchased for under $20. This surprises some people, who assume only expensive wines are cellared. Opening a $15 Hunter semillon or McLaren Vale red with a few years’ bottle age usually opens their eyes.
Some people consider wine cellaring to be a “rich man’s sportâ€Â. However, most commercial red wines (and some whites) benefit from a one to two year period of bottle aging. Many benefit from much longer. It seems appropriate that my improvised cellar contains mostly value-for-money wines. It’s certainly a contrast with a “gentleman’s†cellar, chock full of Lafite and D’Yquem.
For me, however, the big plus is that, when I pull the cork, I know the bottle has matured in the best conditions I can create. And yes, you CAN taste the difference.
The cellar has a peaceful, isolated atmosphere, like a private cavern (a sanctuary?). Also, it’s a great place to be on hot summer days (for stock taking, of course). Unfortunately, the kids always want to come in, too.
Recently, a couple came to our house for a barbecue. He is a sales rep for a major wine company, and asked to see the cellar. His wife now complains “Why did you show it to him - he wants one!†Oh, well, perhaps Bob’s right - every man needs his shed. "
Cheers
Allan
PS: Please note that the prices quoted in the article are 1997 prices.
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