Wine cellars are often enormous, underground constructs, but how deep must they be?
There’s little concrete guidance on the depth of wine cellars, given the fact they’re almost all very individual structures. However, some advice suggests a home wine cellar should be around ten feet deep, while older, traditional wine cellars located in caves were up to twenty feet deep.
Read on to learn more about wine cellars, how they originated, and what they look like today.
The Optimum Conditions
Humans have stored wine and similar beverages in cellar-like constructs for thousands of years, because, unsurprisingly, it works really well. The conditions created by a subterranean storage area are perfect for aging and protecting what can sometimes be quite fragile wine.
In 2013, archaeologists were unearthing a luxurious palace in Israel when they stumbled across what looked like a wine cellar. The subsequent investigation suggested this wine cellar was almost four thousand years old.
Remarkably, relics that were taken from the cellar still contained trace elements of the ingredients used to create wine. When scientists analyzed ancient clay pots, they found traces of honey, juniper berries, mint, and other plant substances.
Although it wasn’t the oldest wine cellar ever discovered, it was a considerably impressive find and offered insights into the region. It’s quite a regular occurrence for wine cellars to be uncovered in excavations, particularly throughout Europe, Egypt, and some areas of Asia.
There are plenty of wine cellars around the world that boast a gargantuan size and storage capacity. At the top of the pile is the Milestii Mici cellar, located in the tiny European nation of Moldova.
The country itself is minuscule, so it comes as a surprise to learn that it’s home to the largest wine cellar on earth. In total, the tunnels in this ‘cellar’ stretch for around one hundred and fifty miles, an expanse that must be navigated in buggies.
Owing to its size and overall coverage, the depth of this cellar varies massively from place to place. At its deepest, the Milestii Mici cellar is around two hundred feet below ground level, twenty times deeper than the average home cellar.
So, You Want Your Own Cellar?
While it’s unlikely you’ll build your own Milestii Mici below your home, you can construct a suitable place to store your wine. It’s perfect if you’ve already got a basement or other substructure, but you don’t need one to get started.
Ideally, a home wine cellar will be around ten feet deep, according to research. However, that’s more of a recommendation than a rule of thumb, and each build is often different from the next – there’s no law to follow.
You only need to go a little way underground to reap the benefits of optimum conditions, such as cool air in the summer, and warmer air in the winter. It’s all down to the insulation provided by the earth itself.
Technically, surface heat comes from the sun – that’s axiomatic. However, anything underground will bypass this heating aspect, and therefore remain naturally cool – it’s why cellars have succeeded for thousands of years.
Although, it does also mean that any warm air trapped down there will simply stay warm unless there’s an adequate level of ventilation or dehumidification. As the art behind the construction of cellars improved over a course of centuries, these aspects were introduced where possible.
Older cellars, such as the medieval ones operated by Benedictine monks, often stretched to depths of around twenty feet. These monks are often considered the founding fathers of modern vintner methods and they regularly dedicated their lives to the craft.
Arguably, the most famous Benedictine vintner was Dom Pierre Perignon, who lived some three hundred years ago. He contributed massively to the production methods of wine, and it’s reported he created the first form of champagne.
That’s why one of the most legendary and sought-after champagnes in the world today is named for him – Dom Perignon. There’s so much to learn about Dom Perignon champagne, and the best place to start is with our articles.
Ultimately, if you want to build your own wine cellar, you’ll need to consider the cost just as much as the space requirements. It doesn’t come cheap to dig out a ten-foot deep hole beneath your house, much less one equipped with modern technology.
It can be an investment worth several thousands of dollars, but there are cheaper alternatives available. If you want to learn about other methods to store your wine, you can do so in another article we wrote.