Frequently Asked Questions

Wine Cellar

Why do I need a wine cellar?

Light, heat, humidity, and vibration are the natural enemies of wine. Storing it in a wine cellar helps to neutralize the effect of these by keeping your wine at the correct temperature and humidity while protecting it from sunlight. Most wine cellars run at minimal or no vibration so this shouldn’t adversely affect your wine. Bodega wine cellars are designed in such a way to keep your wines in the most optimal environment, to preserve your wines' flavours, colours and consistencies. Best of all, when you want to enjoy a bottle, it’s ready for serving straight from the cellar. Read more here: https://www.bodegaliving.com/articles/is-a-wine-cellar-necessary



Power consumption of wine cellar

Power consumption of wine coolers depends on the capacity and the cooling technology. Larger units consume more electricity though well-engineered units made by recognized brands like strive to manufacture wine storage units that cool efficiently with the lowest possible electricity requirement. For example, BCD8180B1 is a 177-bottle compressor-operated wine cellar with dual temperatures and it consumes only 1.35 kWh/day.



Where to place and how to install a wine cellar?

Your wine cellar must be placed on an even floor that is capable of supporting the weight of the appliance when fully loaded. Always place the wine cellar in the coolest spot within your home or away from direct sunlight and heat-generating appliances. Note however that most wine chillers are designed to be used in ambient temperatures between 10 – 27 °C and if the ambient temperatures reaches over 30 °C. the wine chiller/cellar may not be able to maintain the set temperature inside the unit. Bodega Wine Cellars can withtstand temperatures up to 38 °C. Bodega Wine Cellars are rated for use in ST (Subtropical) climate, which are intended to operate at +18°C to + 38°С ambient temperature. For freestanding wine cellars, ensure that it is placed in a well-ventilated area, as they are usually designed with the vent on the back of the unit. If you place a freestanding wine cellars under a counter or into a cabinetry, heat is unable to dissipate and eventually, heat will build up to the point and the unit will overheat and stop working all together. For built-under and built-in wine cellars, they are designed with the vent on the front of the unit. hence they can be installed under a countertop and inside the cabinetry, offering you plenty of space for your wines in smaller kitchens.



How do I choose a wine cellar?

Taking into consideration your budget, you will want to consider the following main features when selecting your wine cellar. Size: Think about how many bottles you will need to store? If you already have a dozen or so bottles, look for a chiller/cellar that can store 20-30 bottles. Type: Where in the house will you place your wine cellar? Choose between freestanding or built-in models, and avoid placing your wine cellar in direct sunlight. Depending on the area for display and size of cellar you have determined, you can choose a built-in cellar for a small collection of 30-50 bottles. If you have space, a freestanding cellar for up to 182 bottles is a good option. Single or Dual Temperature: Are you looking to cellar or serve with your wine cellar? Single temperature cellars are ideal for cellaring (all wines cellar at 12°-14°), whereas dual temperature cellars are designed to serve your reds and whites at the proper drinking temperatures. Cooling Technology: A compressor cellar (similar to a refrigerator) provides very stable temperature while a thermoelectric chiller which offers silent, vibration-free operation and works well in spaces with a mild ambient temperature. We highly recommend a compressor celllar especially for South East Asia countries with a hotter and more humid climate. A compressor cellar like Bodega wine cellar comes with a condenser equipped with an extra fan to increase the heat emission, thus ensuring the ambident temperature within the chiller/cellar to kept a stable range of between 8 ℃ - 18 ℃.



Do you provide free delivery within Singapore?

We provide complimentary delivery to anywhere in Singapore, with the exception of offshore islands and restricted zones such as Airport Zone, Changi Cargo and Sea Ports, Military bases, Construction Sites and Jurong Island.



Wine Storage

What is the ideal temperature to store your wines?

The recommended storage temperature for all types of wine is 12°C - 14°C. More specifically, Red wines like Bordeaux, syrah, and red Burgundy best show their characteristic taste at slightly higher temperature, at a round 17°C. Whites like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, reisling or Rose are recommended to be stored at around 8°C - 9°C.



If you store your wine in an area where temperatures exceed 25°C

Your wine can spoil within a matter of weeks. The wine will taste like spoilt fruit flavours or have an off-odour smell. Avoid leaving your wines exposed to light, sunlight in particular too as UV light causes hydrogen sulphide compounds in wine, which affects the tannins and colour of your wine. it is important to store your wines in a wine cellar to preserve the taste and aromas.



Tips to organising your wine bottles

. Stacking different shapes and sizes All wine cellars available in the market are designed based on the shape and size of a standard 750ml Bordeaux bottle. Although many bottles may look similar to the standard Bordeaux bottles, most actually vary in size such as the diameter, height, length of the neck and shoulder etc. Here’s the standard 750mL Bordeaux shape and size which all wine cabinet capacities are based on: Due to the different shapes and sizes of wine bottles, sometimes the storage of the wine bottlers are stored at the detriment of its intented maximum capacity. 2. Reaching maximum capacity To reach the maximum capacity in Bodega Riserva Collection, bottles must lie with the necks comfortably interlocking each other. To reach maximum capacity, most cellars require stacking of bottles on multiple levels, which makes getting the layout of bottles “right from the start” all the more important (see tip no 3 which will help you achieve multiple levels of bottle stacking). Another important point to consider, as a general rule, the more shelves you load in your wine cellar, the lesser the total capacity as shelves take up space, and shelves “on every level” tends to restrict the bottle diameters which the shelves can accommodate. Remove a few shelves from your cabinet can sometimes help store more wines, as well as bottles of unusual shapes or large diameters (such as wide Champagne bottles), as less shelves frees up “vertical” space. For this same reason, some wine cellars require that you use less shelves than what is supplied to reach maximum capacities. The default shelving layout in Bodega wine cellars are generally designed more for optimal accessibility rather than maximisation of capacity. To reach the maximum bottles capacity, do remove some shelves to allow for more vertical space for storage. 3. Organising your wines for ageing & accessibility We suggest stacking the bottles you wish to cellar and mature at the back of the shelves, and the wines you wish to consume in the short-term at the front, making it accessible for you to access your "everyday" wine without affecting the storage of the wines you are cellaring.



What is the humidity level in my wine cellar?

The humidity in a wine cellar should be over 55% so that the corks do not dry out and shrink. If humidity levels goes below 55%, it can lead to your wines spoiling due to oxidation. All Bodega wine cellars are designed to maintain humidity levels above 65%.



Do I need a humidity control when cellaring my wines?

Yes. Humidity is important to ensure that corks do not dry out and shrink. In a low humidity environment, the cork can dry up and it will shrink and crack, allowing oxygen to seep in and causing oxidation and generating off-odours. Cork will also break or crumble when its being removed. (It is highly recommend storing wine on its side as the contact between the wine and the cork keeps the cork from drying.)



Are my wines affeced when I open and close the door of my wine cellar?

No. You may see a change in the temperature, especially if you leave the door open for awhile. However, this change in temperature is only in the ambient temperature of the wine cellar and it does not affect your wines as the thermal mass of the wine and glass bottle are still maintaining the overall temperature of the wine. The thermostat in the wine cellar senses a change in temperature changes and activates the compressor immediately. The compressor will bring the ambient temperature (the small amount of air between the bottles) back to the desired level.



Troubleshooting

There is condensation/water on the outer surface of the glass door of my wine cellar

This is normal due to the hot and humid temperatures in South East Asia countries, especially if you have set your wine cellar at a lower temperature. When water vapour from the air comes into contact with the cold surface of the glass door, condensation will form on the surface of the glass, causing a foggy effect or in some cases, water can even flow off. We suggest to set the temperature of your wine cellar between 12-14°C to minimise condensation.



My wine cellar is making a lot of noise

All Bodega Wine Cellars should produce less than 36 dB of noise. If the noise seems above this level, it may be due to: 1) the wine cellar not properly levelled or the wine bottles stacked incorrectly. Do empty the unit, check the if the wine cellar is levelled, 2) the wine cellar may be over-heating. If the noise persists, please contact us via "Contact Us" form for further advice



The temperature on my wine cellar cannot be adjusted/set

You will need to wait approximately 12 hours before noticing the effects of the temperature adjustment. The thermostat will maintain the temperature inside the wine cellar within a +/- 2.5ºC range. The temperature setting can be adjusted from 5-22°C.



What happens if there is a power shortage?

Bodega Wine Cellars well insulated and the thermal mass of the wines can maintain the temperature for hours before there is any change in the wine temperature itself. It is advisable not to open the doors during the power shortage. Once power is restored, the wine cellars may revert to factory setting, of generally 12 deg C which is an appropriate temperature for cellaring. Please reset if necessary.