Winemaking room ... what do I need?

[KenS]

Hi all,

Just moved from Seattle to the Chicago area, and starting to get back to making wine. The house we bought has a large unfinished basement, and we're getting ready to hire a designer and contractor to build it out with a bar, bathroom, exercise room, theater room, and .... a winemaking room! I probably have around 12' x 12' space available.

Looking for suggestions as to features, design, layout, etc. Seems like a one-shot opportunity to make it a great space for winemaking, so thought I'd get ideas from people who have done this longer than me. Previously, I had used a laundry room with a nice counter, cabinets and laundry sink, but it was a bit cramped. This is my chance to do it right!

Ideas?

 

[Runningwolf]

Ken, I'll let others chime in here but first and foremost you need a large deep sink. Even a good laundry tray works and they're not expensive.

 

[JohnT]

I would make the following recommendations....

1) Door to the outside. If you have an area in your basement that has direct access to the outside of your house, I would consider that area. If the door to the outside does not involve any steps, then so much the better. This make life so easy since you now do not need to carry anything through the house and you now have an option to easily hose off equipment outside. I would say that this is the most helpful tip (especially if you are making wine from fresh grapes).

2) Like RW said, a sink! One with hot water would be even better. One that has a hose spigot would be even better!

3) Lots of Counter Space!!!! you simply can not get enough! You want one that can be wipped clean (like formica).

4) LOTS OF SHELVES!!! can not have enough to store all of the widgets one collects in this hobby.

5) A separate heat zone. This is a "would be nice". It is really nice to control the temp in the winery, while not affecting and other part of the house.

 

[Boatboy24]

It may be obvious: plumbing has been mentioned already, but don't forget electric outlets. You want to have some juice to run things like a wine pump, etc. With a sink nearby, make sure you have a GFCI.

 

[roadpupp]

If you have a floor drain in your basement, you might see if you can encorporate that in your space. My decision was based on access to the floor drain, access to a basement window for an airconditioner and at least two foundation walls for passive cooling. I will put in a sink and build racks for bottles after the walls with lots of insulation go up. Winemaker magazine had a nice article about a "one wall winery" in April/May of 2012. I don't think many would follow the design but it lists all the types of storage and amenities you would need.

Finally as a lighting designer, don't forget to put ample lighitng where you need it. Several linear fluorescent lamps either recessed or hanging over sinks and work areas where you will be measuring and testing as well as some general lighting bright enough to clean up spills.

 

[Rocky]

Ken, sounds really exciting. You have some excellent recommendations above and I would add the following:

• If possible, get a double sink, one side for washing one for rinsing and draining. Stainless steel is best for easy clean up and sanitizing.
• Shelves are good and need to be strong enough to handle full carboys (weighing about 40-50 pounds each depending on size).
• If possible, work in a wine cellar area in addition to the wine production area, ideally that can be temperature & humidity controlled.
• Try to get some type of floor covering for the production area that is softer than concrete and easy to clean & sanitize.
• Cabinets and drawer units are very helpful.
• Build a peg board unit to hang and have at hand all your small equipment items, e.g. wine thier, auto siphon, tubing, spoons, etc.
• As mentioned above, hot and cold water are a must. I have a re-cycled kitchen sink faucet with the pull out hose which works well. A separate sprayer may be even better.
• Your production area will have a "wet side" where the sink is and where water is commonly used and a "dry side for chemical storage, computer if you plan to use one, etc.
• A floor drain is really helpful if you have one in the area.
• Although getting harder and harder to find, incandescent light is the better than flourescent.
• A vent or exhaust fan is very useful to remove excess humidty.

Sound like a neat project. Keep us up to date on your progress.

 

[Arne]

It would be nice to have a small range in there for when you want to boil water or heat thing up. Arne.

 

[KenS]

Thanks everybody, this is just what I was hoping for. I will definitely have a sink with hot/cold water. I like the idea of a double sink, as that will help with washing and rinsing separately. Rather than a range, I will make room for a microwave for heating up water (I've switched to a heat gun for doing the shrink capsules). Hadn't thought of a pegboard, but I like that idea too.

How would you folks setup 'active work area' vs. 'carboy storage/aging area'? Any suggestions for easier workflow?

And what about flooring? I was thinking of ceramic tile, but is there a smarter way?

Thanks again

 

[roadpupp]

Not to hijack but I'm curious as to why Rocky thinks incandescent is better than fluorescent?

Chad

 

[GreginND]

Not to hijack but I'm curious as to why Rocky thinks incandescent is better than fluorescent?

Chad

Personal preference for the type of light? Some people find fluorescent light rather harsh on the eyes. It doesn't bother me much but I do notice a difference with warmer LED lights.

 

[Boatboy24]

And what about flooring? I was thinking of ceramic tile, but is there a smarter way?

Thanks again

If it's concrete, I'd be tempted to simply epoxy it and put down some rubber mats to provide a little protection against dropping things. Need to clean? Take the mats out to the driveway and hose 'em down, mop the floor while they dry off.

 

[photony]

By all means use a faucet with a deck-mount sprayer!
I think a ceramic tile floor is fine. My carboy storage area has a concrete floor, so I use carpet squares to place the carboys on when I need to place them on the floor temporarily. It doesn't take much of a blow to crack a glass carboy.
I like the idea of a small cooktop for dissolving sugar or steaming juice.

 

[Rocky]

Not to hijack but I'm curious as to why Rocky thinks incandescent is better than fluorescent?

Chad

Chad, I was thinking more along the lines of UV light emission and the possible danger to the wine. It is probably not a huge deal either way.

As far as a range or cooktop, I have a small hot plate that I use (very occasionally) that is electric. If you go this way, be sure you have the proper amp circuit to light it up.

 

[roadpupp]

RE: Rocky's note
Ahh. I see. Still, in order to generate the amount of light you want in a wine work area, I would highly recommend linear fluorescent. My carboys sit inside a cabinet and my bottles sit on a rack that does recieve some light but I am not worried because I am lucky to get two or three hours a week in the wine room at this point! If the wine will be exposed for long periods of time, it should be protected from light. UV sleeves are available for fluorescent but it isn't just UV that spoils wine.

 

[Bartman]

Everybody beat me to all the good ideas!
In addition to those above, if you don't have one already, I would get a small refrigerator for storing some wine-related items in the refrigerator, primarily yeast. Especially if you don't live near a LHBS, since yeast need to be kept cool to store.

 

[Scott]

They only thing I could add is... to take up more than the 12x12 space!

 

[DaveL]

I am much newer to this than all of the above but I believe I have read about humidity control as being important on the storage side of the obsession. So if your going to be storing in the same room or a stand alone "cellar" why not address this as well when in the construction phase.
I'm sure there are specialized coatings and or wall material that could/should be used to help control humidity on both sides of the wall. Also any kind of humidifier needed could probably be done cheaper now than later.
Also think about any possible condensation that could result and the appropriate mold, moisture aversion steps.
In case its not obvious I am new to wine making but old to construction.
I am curious what some of the Vets think about this as well because I to have an unfinished basement with a future wine room in the plans

Best of luck.
Dave

 

[ShtWine]

The only thing I would add to all these great rec's is cover every wall and ceiling in glassboard so you can hose down the entire place in sanitizer.... heh... and like Scott said, use more space.

 

[sdelli]

Just got done building my small wine room. With purchased wine racks to maximize space it should hold around 550 bottles.... I did a lot of reading on the Internet about this. Just google building a wine cellar or something close. You will get more info then you want! But to answer your question. Insulate the room well then staple down 8 mil plastic to seal walls and ceiling. Then finish walls and ceiling. Try to figure out what type of unit you plan on using for cooling and humidity so the cutout can be made.

 

[dcteague]

Don't forget a music source of some form.