The evolved world of wines and champagnes is now open to Indian buyers. Their storage, however, is a matter often taken lightly, leading to a degradation of the stellar spirits. Cellar Maison provides bespoke solutions to this issue, with their finely crafted wine cellars, walls and pods, custom-built for your homes

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SAJDA QURESHI

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W I N E S

HIGH SPIRITS

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Cellar Maison’s wine cellar pods are the most urban and efficient spaces that can be created within living rooms of apartments

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ome things are just disappointing. Like a bottle of �nely cra�ed, expensive Pinot-Noir emerging out of a Korean refrigerator. �e world of �ne wines is a world of great care and diligence – a�er all this is what makes a wine �ne, and distinguishes it from sweetened fermented grape juice – and o�en makes for the largest chunk of the price tag. �e care provided by the makers until the bottling of the beverage is, in many ways, the responsibility of the connoisseur to carry forward – lack of care and diligence while storing it is almost disrespectful to the many years the liquid has spent underground in mindfully made casks. Sure, there are speci�cally made storage solutions for wines, but in their mass-marketed manner, these can be only so much – products. Look at the matter from the other direction, and collectors will realize that there really is nothing as respectful for a bottle of good wine than storing it in a custom-built cellar, housed within the residence of

S the host, retrieved fresh out of a carefully controlled vault to release the �rst whi�s of uncorking, as intended by the wine creators. �e result may well be the advancement of a hobby into the realm of an art – the art of knowing good wine.

UK-based custom wine cellar designers and manufacturers Cellar Maison have been acing the solutions for years now, providing bespoke and �nely cra�ed wine storage spaces for connoisseurs around the world. �e solutions range from dedicated wine cellars which can be retro�tted mansion rooms, custom designed wine walls within private bar spaces, and modern wine pods which can even be designed to �t into the corner of a room in an apartment. �e idea works in two ways – �rst by creating a safe and comfortable storage zone for your valued wines, and then to make it look like the hundred-thousand-dollar cellar that houses distinguished beverages of similar

Full-blown wine cellars are the best option for large residences, with

dedicated rooms created with the specific purpose of storing wines optimally.

Intimate serving and sampling spaces can also

be incorporated within

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Cellar Maison’s turnkey approach creates solutions to fit the clients’ brief, budget, and space

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value. �e �rm’s team of experienced and innovative cellar designers has taken it upon themselves to continually push the envelope when it comes to wine cellar design, and create solutions that �t into the client’s brief, space and budget.

�e �rm o�ers three signature cellar solutions – the �rst, most exclusive and most preferable amongst them is a full-blown custom wine cellar. �ese cellars can occupy an entire room, or be fashioned as a bespoke walk-in space that has its own insulated entrance, which allows preservation of the wines at optimal temperature and humidity. Customers have also opted for small, cozy tasting spaces within the cellar that can be converted into wine and dine experiences for special guests, complete with the clients’ choice of materials, �xtures and lighting.

�e next signature solution in line is the wine cellar pod – a walk-in spaces that can be created in the corner of a room, with curved glass corners or squared-o� glass walls. �is sleek and visually stunning setup allows for a great view of the bevvies stored inside, and at the same time allows to delicately isolate and control the weather inside the pod to ensure that nothing is lost in the many-year journey of a wine, from grape to glass. As a third option, Cellar Maison’s wine cellar walls make for e�ective and e�cient storage-cum-display spaces, in case a large wine cellar is not an option, or if space within the room is at a premium. Wine bottles can be conveniently stored along walls or under staircases, where the �oor area is limited, and o�en unused. �e �rm’s designers however have the ability to transform this solution into a spellbinding piece of interior décor that is more purposeful than most �xtures, what with an entire wall full of wine bottles housed behind frameless or framed glass, with its own climate control and feature lighting. �e clincher is the fact that this entire display can be accommodated within a depth of 60cm – just a little more than a standard bookshelf.

Cellar Maison’s turnkey approach brings its personnel into close contact with clients from the word go, enabling them to understand the requirements and constraints of the unique spaces and challenges that may come their way. Concepts and designs are rendered in photo-realistic 3D images to give a fair idea of the cellar even before it is built. Climate control is a critical aspect of the entire process, and the �rm’s designers have a host of solutions ranging internal ducted coolers, split systems which require no ducting, as well as water-cooled systems that can be linked with pool-heating systems to create a safe storage environment for wines. LED lighting and �xtures are then brought in to throw light on the piece of interior-design art, which is designed to impress both owners and visitors. �e �rm o�ers comprehensive warranty and a�er-sales maintenance solutions for its cellars too. �umbs up for the pin-to-piano approach, especially in this much neglected space of high-value wine storage solutions.

Custom-built wine walls take a tiny amount of

space, creating efficient enclosures for storing

wines, and also making for stunning decor

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