Wine is delicate; maximizing its potential and accentuating its subtle aromas requires special care and attention…

Through its scents, colors and aromas, clues to the life story of a wine can be found. The age of a wine, the variety of grapes and the conditions of growth can be identified by tasting a glass of wine; it is also possible to tell whether the wine was preserved properly or not.

Special care in preservation is essential for perfect maturation and the unfolding of rich bouquets. Over the centuries, wine culture and production methods have undergone numerous changes. Throughout history new wine grapes have been cultivated, techniques of viticulture and winemaking have evolved. Yet, over the years, one thing has remained unchanged; the necessary conditions for the proper preservation of wine:

An environment at a constant and relatively low temperature, a high but not extreme level of humidity, protection from vibration, unwanted odors and the harmful effects of sunlight…

This is what wine has always asked from us. Aged in wine cellars offering this calm environment, wine reaches the peak of its potential; developing richer aromas and more complex bouquets. It is for this reason that every passionate wine lover aspires to own a private wine cellar.

The practice of wine preservation started in the underground caves of Europe.

These caves provided the conditions suitable for aging wine perfectly.

Thanks to modern technology, we do not have to go underground to preserve our wines. Wine cellars of our day offer the environment where hundreds of wines can age and mature in total calm for years as if they were in an actual underground cellar. The manufacturing and installation of wine cellars involve as much expertise as their design do.

One of the most important reasons a cellar must be realised by a specialised team is the issue of insulation. Insulation is fundamental to sustaining the necessary physical features of a wine cellar, including temperature and humidity control. Insufficient thermal insulation and vapor barriers cause undesirable circumstances such as wide temperature fluctuations, extreme humidity, mold and odors. Temperature fluctuations result in the fast oxidation of wine while extreme humidity damages bottle labels and undesirable odors can taint the bouquet thus ruin quality.

In other words, more than the degree of temperature, it is the prevention of temperature fluctuations which plays the crucial role in an ideal wine cellar. Cellars by FWC are equipped with purpose-built special wine cellar air-conditioners which ensure that the cellar’s temperature is always at the adjusted degree and the critical temperature fluctuations are avoided. These highly sensitive pieces of equipment will function properly only when and if the cellar space is sufficiently and correctly insulated.

Humidity is also maintained at the desired range by these special air-conditioners. Their superior air ventilation feature prevents stagnant air inside the cellar and circulates it continuously. As a result, variation of temperature between the floor and the ceiling and thus the uneven maturation of wines on different shelves are avoided.

Another key feature of the cellar to preserve the wines properly is the door which is the most tricky element of a wine cellar because it is the weakest point of the cellar in terms of insulation efforts made for ensuring the temperature stability and condensation control. Engineered details, including carefully picked and crafted materials make the cellar doors by FWC technically superb.

Every wine cellar is shaped by a negotiation between the two inherent but contradicting functions of a wine cellar: exhibiting and safeguarding. The task is sometimes so complicated that each wine cellar becomes a new invention on its own; it is shaped by pushing the limits of technical possibilities.