Customer Reviews

How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar, Fourth Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are planning to build or are building a wine cellar you need this book, it is the source. Dr. Gold draws on his experiences and research in building his own cellar and offers clear explanations as to the "why's" and concise specifications for the "how's". I bought edition 3 for myself and my contractor to guide the construction of my passive cellar that has maintained a steady 54 degrees thru its first winter and 60 degrees thru the summer.
Picked up edition 4 to see what's new - updates on newest construction materials and new information on sourcing wines and wine info thru the internet.

Richard Gold's book is the consummate cellar dweller's guide to designing and building a wine cellar for the home. Through detailed examinations of wall sections, insulation, cooling units, moisture and temperature control and other considerations, Gold evaluates a variety of techniques and technologies applying analysis and personal experience to highlight the most promising strategies. His generally noninterventionist approach to cellar design is a refreshing alternative to the propositions of the cooling unit manufacturers, reinforcing the importance of proper design and superinsulation strategies - which hold the promise of improved reliability as well as reduced dependence upon your local energy company. Needs some additional editing, but definitely a recommended read for anyone contemplating construction of a new home cellar.

Dr. Gold's book was the best reference over a decade ago when I was looking for information on how to build a wine storage area in my basement. There was, and still is no other source of information that is as complete and current. His instructions are intelligent, exhaustive, and useful.

This book has been extremely helpful. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I received it as it wasn't covered in color pictures of steps along the way, as other books include. However, in browsing other books they fail to address the details and precautions based on experience that the author's instructions provide. The author does a great job of defining the steps, yet allowing the reader to develop his own designs to suit his needs. Books with pictures would tend to sway the reader to try to build what they see. Thanks again for developing this guide.

I ended up purchasing an electronic cellar, but after reading this book, felt I definitely could have built one from scratch. If you're a handyman, give it a try, the author seemed to know what he was doing.

With all due respects to Karen MacNeil this book could be titled The Wine Cellar Bible. Some might find it a bit over the top, but this book would help everyone that wants to build their own cellar.

This is a really excellent book. Gold's practical advice based on his own actual projects and it really works. I used an earlier edition to build my cellar and it works superbly.

There are some real surprises... Gold emphasizes keeping uniform high humidity, saying this is more important that temperature fluctuations. But, if humidity is too high, the labels mould. He has a solution: a dry well dug into the floor insures that your humidity won't get too high in the spring. It's simple and it works.

I liked that he conducted experiments (tasting a bottle left out in the sun for a few hours, one high temperature excursion will permanently affect the wine), and he has practical advice for sharing fine wines with friends (e.g., if you don't take care, they'll just pour and drink your 1982 Pichon Lalande, go on talking, and never notice it).

This book has helped me more with wines that any other. I highly recommend it.

This is a top notch book on wine cellars that goes into wonderful detail about the building of a wine cellar and the value of building one. It is well written and a delight to read both from the standpoint of a wine connoisseur and from the point of view of an engineer building an optimal wine cellar. I think it is a must read for any owner or builder of a wine cellar.

Thank you Dr. Gold for an excellent book!

At best, I would recommend this at the end of a very long reading list of wine cellar construction books, as it touches on some odd facts and eccentricities, especially concerning the physics of wine cellar construction. It seems to practically ignore the fact that most wine cellars are made with a foam barrier, automated refrigeration, and humidification/de-humidification systems, making his techniques of measuring soil temperatures for passive wine cellars practically obsolete. It is not organized very logically, spending long periods of time obsessing over hand-drawn formulas that are clearly the work of an intelligent man but not very pragmatic or applicable to "building your own wine cellar," which is ostensibly the purpose of the book. It does practically nothing to help you build your own wine cellar.

I do believe that this is the best authority on the theory of building a wine cellar. Practical building advice is slim. Drawings of wall and insulation use are rudimentary at best. You will learn the importance of outside soil temperatures but no guidelines on what they may be in different regions of the country. This is a great book but it will leave you with questions. Not a step by step guide.