FoodBanter.com - UK wine storage problem 150-400 bottles

Hello, I bought this house a while ago without a cellar. In my
previous house I had built up a moderate collection of about 100-150
wines for laying down as well as about 100-150 everyday wines for
drinking within a year or so. When I knew I would be moving soon, I
stopped buying any new bottles. This has brought my stock down to
about 70odd laying down wines and only two dozen everydayers.

My better wine as it were consists of some Australien bottles that
benefit from a couple of years or so (e.g. Pirammimma Petit Verdot
2001 or some Margaret River Cab Sauv 1998). I know they are drinkable
but I prefer to keep them for a while longer (maybe a year or two). I
have some Bordeaux, usually lesser Chateaux which will be drinkable
soonish (within five years) as well as a few bottles of Ribera del
Duero that needs another year or two.

But not without any form of storage. Realistically, I will probably
not have the funds (storage issues aside) build up more than about
150odd bottles for laying down. My wines are usually drinkable within
five years of cellaring, so, I would not expect to buy more than say
36 bottles a year for this purpose. Everyday wine I usually stock up
on a booze cruise to France. There I usually buy bulk, 60+ bottles per
trip easily.

Here is what I have considered: converting an outhouse into above
ground cellar. I would require proper insulation (with Kingspan or so,
should be moderately cheap), cover with plasterboard and think about
the door (I expect the door construction to be the major problem) and
then connect some form of cooling machine to it. I looked at FOndis
Winemaster which is I think about 2000k pounds - way too much on top
of the diy building project.

Buying a wine fridge. I am looking at one of the Liebherrs for 169 I
think bottles. They come for round about 900 quid. That would be for
the laying down wine, and then convert parts of the understairs
cupboard to acommodate the everyday wine. Problem here is that the
Liebherr would again have to go into the outhouse as the understairs
is not big enough and has no power even nearby. But they aren't built
for moderately low temperatures (I have measured temps in the
outbuilding as going as low as 5 deg celsius).

I mean the thing to do would be to rent a warehouse, convert it and
offer wine storage as a service because other people in my region will
have similar problems. Trouble is I am not looking for a new job ;-)

Right, anybody with a good idea out there?

Fred