As people focus on storing wine, rooms are replacing cellars
Wine cellars, the cherished storage places of wine aficionados for centuries, are experiencing a revolutionary metamorphosis that is bringing them out of the basement and into the living room. These modern walk-in wine cellars flaunt not just the numerous vintages but also the discerning palates of their owners with their transparent glass doors and bright LED lighting. According to Jim Cash, proprietor of Revel Custom Wine Cellars in East Lansing, Michigan, "they are like pieces of art, where the wine is the star of the show." "I have non-wine drinking customers who insist that their mansion deserves a wine cellar because of its size." President Al Fuentes of the Miami and Madrid-based winery Dragon Cellars has revealed that he has just set up such a space on Fisher Island. He said that while the hosts did not partake in the alcoholic beverage themselves, they still saw the need to have a dedicated wine cellar for the benefit of their visitors. Andrew Speer, owner and director of Cellar Maison in Dulwich, England, built a conventional 2,700bottle walk-in wine cellar in a barn in the London district of Surrey. He said that the wine cellar was accessible from the drawing room through a secret path located behind a bookshelf.