14 Aug Wine rooms
“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine….it’s summertime!” Sound familiar? This is from a Kenny Chesney song, which I can hear in my head as I write this. I thought it was absolutely appropriate to use since I live in Nashville, and I’m writing about fantastic wine cellars. I’ve been in quite a few homes around town with impressive wine rooms and remembered that a woman I work out with at our local YMCA had a few girls over one night after a Women & Chardonnay event and she showed us her wine cellar. So I asked her if I could revisit it to feature on Stylish Retreats.
This space in Kristen and Brian Junghan’s basement used to be a bathroom which they converted into a wine cellar. As a matter of fact, that’s the whole reason they bought their gorgeous home in Laurelbrooke. They didn’t have room for a wine cellar and a pool at their old house, so this suited them much more. The cellar was built by George Feith, known for his excellent work. It took several months for him to complete the room with 1 x 10 pieces of redwood lumber.
Something I learned about wine cellar design is that you can’t use wood with a strong odor, like cedar, because that smell can affect the taste of the wine if you’re opening bottles in your cellar.
When Feith started the project, he actually tore the former bathroom and closet space down to the studs, and used templates he laid out on the floor as he worked to create the design and make decisions on the size of the boxes within the racking system because wines come in different size bottle widths and height.
This cellar holds about 18-hundred bottles of wine. But the Junghans told me they only started collecting wine about five years ago!
They had just returned from a trip to Italy and were inspired by design there which influenced their choices when building this cellar. The domed ceiling is one example.
On one trip to a vineyard in Paso Robles, California, Brian and Kristen met the proprietor and winemaker at Herman Story Wines. He’s apparently quite a character. Russell P. From says on his website, his wines, “are made, schlepped, peddled, and drunk with friends by me.” That’s his picture he sent them sitting by the sink!
For anyone with a sense of humor and a love of wine, you really need to check out his web site. It’s hysterical. And he apparently makes good wine. Just read his description of his 2016 Tomboy spring release! He even gets customers to send in their most awkward photos of themselves to put on labels of wine with equally funny names. Here’s just one example from the Junghan’s collection.
I’ve also featured homes with very edgy wine cellars that fit their contemporary style. An example of that is this floor to ceiling climate controlled wine cellar with steel and glass doors.
This was featured in a Brentwood Parade of Homes showhouse last year, in the Witherspoon development, built by Austin Pennington with Barlow Builders. Quite a focal point in the dining room, and quite accessible during dinner parties!
Another similar design is in a contemporary home built by Castle Homes in Belle Meade.
Obviously I took these pictures during the holidays. This wine room is right off the home’s foyer, and accessible from the dining room, but can be seen from upstairs too, due to the openness of the home.
And then, there’s a wine cellar that I feel is a mix of all three of the previous spaces I’ve shown you.
In this cellar, you’ll find alot of warmth with the wooden cabinets and warm lighting, but then there’s alot of glass and an onyx shelf you see in the center of the display cabinet. Nashville Custom Cabinetry designed the cabinets. This large space has room for about 18-hundred bottles of wine. I featured this home when it was for sale.
So whether you love old world or a more modern feel, you can do whatever fits your lifestyle and budget for your wine cellar.
And if you want to drink fantastic wine and support local organizations fighting cancer, there’s the Nashville Wine Auction to keep in mind. Its mission is to produce wine related events that raise money for local cancer related non-profits in middle Tennessee. Since 1980, the Nashville Wine Auction has raised more than 20 million dollars for organizations, whose purpose is directly related to treatment, patient care and the eradication of cancer.
So, let’s raise a glass to that, or a bottle! A great big bottle!
I appreciate the Junghans for opening the door to their lovely cellar. They have hosted events for the Nashville Wine Auction and opened their home for vintner dinners. They may like this quote from W. C. Fields, “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
Thanks for following Stylish Retreats. Stay tuned for more stories, videos and gorgeous pictures of stylish homes!
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