Considering a wine cave. Thoughts?

[Warrensparadise]

Ok. So after a few weeks of reading everything I can find online about "wine caves" and underground construction. I currently have a 400+ vine vineyard with potential room to expand. I have been making wine in a room downstairs in my home but have decided it is time for a dedicated space with more room. I live on 6+ acres and have a good area where I have a sloping hillside and am considering approximately a 15x25 room/building where I can excavate the hillside, pour a slab, build block walls, pour a roof and backfill around and over the top with a few feet of dirt. Kind of like a root cellar on steroids. This space will have to work as a mini wine lab and longer term barrel storage.
Does anyone have any experience doing anything like this? Or any links to something like this.
Thank you for any good input you have!

 

[Rocky]

It will take you some searching on this site, but there was a member a few years back that did the same thing as you are planning and documented it well on the site. I believe the person was in either North or South Carolina and it was probably 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[ibglowin]

I found that old thread. It was under general "chit chat" so I moved it just now to where it should have always been.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37380

 

[Warrensparadise]

Thank you for bringing that thread to my attention! I have spent some significant time looking through the existing threads.
I will be dong some more reading!

 

[Floandgary]

Don't know where you're located, but your query reminded me of a place we visited several yrs ago. If anyone ever gets the chance, do not pass up http://www.reustlevineyards.com . A phenomenal and beautiful place.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Check this link out as food for thought:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/buildings/root-cellar-plans-zm0z14amzreb.aspx

 

[ibglowin]

I posted a link a while back on using a shipping container to make a cellar.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52284