How to Select the Perfect Wine Door

A wine cellar has a need for temperature and humidity control. Good insulation, a vapor barrier and climate control system are all key components, but a huge part of climate control comes in purchasing the perfect wine room door. The incorrect selection can force your wine cooling system to work more and allow unnecessary warm air inside your wine storage cellar, defeating the rest of your careful wine room planning and design.

The proper wine room door maintains a seal on the entryway when the door is shut, allowing the wine cellar cooling unit to mix temperature and humidity-controlled air through the whole wine room without fighting with air leaking into the room from the other side of the door. Whether you purchase a pre-made standard door, or have one built to your desired specifications, all good wine cellar doors have specific qualities that make them right for the climate control demands of your wine room.

Wine Cellar Door Construction

Custom wine cellar builders advise using exterior grade wine room doors, which are powerful enough to withstand temperature fluctuations and keep outside air from leaking in. A precise exterior grade wine door should be weatherproofed and acclimatized to the level of temperature and humidity in the environment where it will be installed; the humidity factor should not be overlooked when picking a door. The recommended humidity for a wine cellar falls generally between 50% and 80%, with 70% being the optimal level. If a wine door can’t survive 70% humidity without warping or additional issues, it isn’t worth the money you paid for it.

Wooden wine doors should have rock-hard construction; by no means use a hollow door as the entrance for your wine cellar. If you use a glass wine cellar door, it ought to be double-paned to help keep warm air out. The recommended thickness for wine room doors varies according to who you ask, but the lowest thickness you should install for your wine cellar is one and three-quarter inches. If your wine cellar door is reachable by children or if you just want more security for your wines think about adding a lock to your door specs.

Wine Room Door Materials

Wine cellar doors are available in a range of materials; wood, glass, even wrought iron. Options include standard doors, carved wood doors or carved wood and glass. You can also get beveled glass doors or wine cellar iron doors.

When purchasing a wine cellar door, the condition of your wine cellar may dictate your purchase to a certain level. Is the wine room already built? Do you need to buy a door to fit your existing entryway? Or do you need a whole set with the door, doorjamb, weather stripping included in a package? Wine cellar doors may come in "door-only" versions or as pre-hung doors. A pre-hung wine room door comes to you installed into a frame which you install into the entryway. Pre-hung doors speed up the installation process if you are doing the labor yourself, but you may need an extra set of hands to help get the door in position and correctly attached.

Some wine doors have optional wrought-iron attachments which are installed on top of your door once it has been installed in the opening, but these don’t have anything to do with climate control issues in your cellar; the wrought iron add-ons are always decorative. If you add these attractive designs, it is essential to fasten them securely to the door to avoid damage to the lacquer finish of the wood.

Wine Cellar Doors vs. Entryways

Many wine cellar door manufacturers offer custom-designed and built entryways. What’s the difference between an entryway and a wine room door? With a custom entryway you are having the entire section of door, doorjamb and related construction included in the package. This can form more of a well-designed look for your cellar and provide some additional custom options for the area. If you order the door only, you can set it up in your existing entryway, which is useful for circumstances where you are already thrilled with the surrounding wine cellar build-out.

Miscellaneous Concerns

Wine cellar doors should come with a threshold, door sweep and perimeter seal. These seals allow the door to be weather-stripped on all three sides to keep out drafts when the door is shut. Weather stripping is a requirement for the entrance to your wine room, or else your wine cooling system works less efficiently and your climate controlled air will enter into the spot outside the wine cellar.

Are you purchasing a custom wine cellar door? You will need measurements of your door jamb or entryway and you must decide whether you want handles or locks. Some vendors do not supply locks or pre-drilling. If you want to install a lock in these cases you will need to do the job yourself based on the design specifications of a particular lock.

Sometimes the direction your doors open can be an issue. When deciding which way your wine room doors should hinge, think about the placement of your wine storage racks or accessories close to the doors, and how wide you need to open the doors should you have to add in a crate or case of wine bottles. If you need additional clearance than the inside of your wine room can offer, make sure your doors can swing open to the outside, and don’t forget a doorstop or additional add-on to prohibit the doors from striking the wall.

Wine cellar doors are significant features of your wine room. Chosen wisely the doors can help your wine cellar work properly and make an excellent first impression to your visitors.