How to make a temperature-controlled wine cellar, on the cheap.

Odds are, you don’t have an expensive, temp-controlled wine cabinet, and don’t really need one. But you wouldn’t mind having decent wine storage, so you could keep a few special bottles. Maybe you’ve looked at some of those smaller cellar units in Lowes, Home Depot or Costco, but they were still more than you could rationalize spending. No sweat, I’ve got the hot tip for keeping your wine properly cool.

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve got an old fridge in your garage. But it’s really too cold to let wines age. (In case you didn’t know, wines age best at 57F. Typical fridge temps actually put wine into a sort of suspended animation.) Here’s the good news: There’s a gizmo out there that’ll make your old fridge stay at 57F 24/7/365. That’s exactly how I started, all those years ago.

First off, I don’t know the folks that make these gizmos. Nor do I get any sort of compensation from any of them. Clear? Good, we’ll go on. But the things do work. Years ago I bought one called The Cellar Steward. (I’ve since given it to a buddy, and it’s still doing the job.) I couldn’t find it on the web, so they may be out of business. However there is one called the Winestat (wine + Thermostat. Clever, huh.) On their web site, they’re selling the base model for $149. I’m betting you can find one on Ebay for less, but that’s just me.

Anyway, these thingies work by controlling the temp the fridge stays at. Basically, they’re a box with a temp sensor on a wire out one end, and an electrical socket on the other. You put the temp sensor in the fridge, shut the door, plug the fridge into the box, plug the box into the wall, and that’s it. OBVIOUSLY, you should follow the directions your gizmo comes with, but that’s how simple it’s gonna be.

Now, you just have to figure out how you wanna stack your bottles. You can buy ready-made racks, use shipping tubes, or cut down PVC pipes. Or do what I did, and just use the fridge’s shelves (reinforced for the weight, of course). No matter what you do, always be careful how you open the wine fridge. And never put the fridge where it gets direct sun. That’s it, you’ve got your very own wine cellar!

Now all you have to do is fill it. But that’s the fun part!

Cheers!