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Cooling a wine cellar: steady, not just cold.

Why an ordinary air conditioner is the wrong tool, what a cellar needs, and the three kinds of cellar cooling system.

The target

Cool, steady and not too dry.

Guidance varies, but the conditions most often recommended for storing wine are a steady temperature around 55°F and relative humidity somewhere between about 50 and 70 per cent. Big daily swings matter more than a degree either way.

Where a wine cellar should sit on temperature and humidity A chart with relative humidity from 30 to 90 per cent across and temperature from 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit up the side. A shaded target zone covers about 52 to 58 degrees and 50 to 70 per cent humidity. An example living room in summer sits at about 74 degrees and 50 per cent, far too warm. An example closet cooled by an ordinary air conditioner sits at about 68 degrees and 35 per cent, too warm and too dry. Illustrative. 80°F70°F60°F50°F40°F 30%50%70%90% Relative humidity Cellar target Living room in summer Closet with ordinary AC Illustrative
Illustrative positions, not measurements. An ordinary air conditioner removes moisture as it cools, so a closet it cools ends up both too warm and too dry for wine.
The systems

Three ways to cool a cellar.

Through-wall unitDucted systemSplit system
Where it sitsIn the cellar wallIn a nearby room or attic, ducted inSmall evaporator in the cellar, condenser outside
Where its heat goesInto the room behind the wallWherever the unit is ducted toOutdoors
Noise in the cellarNoticeableLowLow
Usually suitsSmall cellars next to a room that can take the heatCellars where nothing should showLarger cellars and tasting rooms
Floor-to-ceiling timber wine racks in a cellar, a small supply grille high on the end wall

Before any cooling: the room itself

A cellar needs insulation on every side and a vapour barrier on the warm side, and a tight, insulated door. Without them, any cooling system runs too hard and the walls can get damp. We'll look at the room first and tell you honestly if it needs work before cooling.

A tasting room with a long wooden bar and bottles on shelves, a glass-walled wine store behind
Homes and businesses

From an under-stair closet to a tasting room.

At home: converted closets, basements and purpose-built cellars — sized to the room and the number of bottles you keep.

For businesses: tasting rooms, restaurants and shops with glass-walled wine storage, where the cooling has to cope with doors opening all day.

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(805) 694-3648

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