Technology in service of the project
A wine cellar never functions as a collection of separate elements.
Temperature, humidity, airflow, insulation, glazing, lighting, materials and use are all closely interconnected. A decision made about one of these elements can have consequences for all the others.
Our know-how lies in considering them together from the very beginning of the design process. Volume, environment, climate, collection and use determine the technical solutions required.
For us, there is no predetermined technical solution. Each project is studied individually, according to its particular requirements and the conditions in which the wine cellar will operate.
Technology is never an end in itself. Its purpose is to protect the collection and, once the project is complete, to fade into the background.
Wine preservation & Engineering
Preserving wine is not simply a matter of producing cold air.
It means creating a stable and consistent climate, suited to both the collection and the place in which it is kept.
Temperature, humidity, airflow, volume, glazed surfaces, insulation and external conditions all contribute to this balance.
How the cellar will be used must also be taken into account: a wine cellar in an air-conditioned residence does not face the same constraints as one installed in a hot and humid environment. Similarly, a display that is opened frequently will behave differently from a cellar intended for long-term ageing and opened only occasionally.
Two wine cellars of comparable size may therefore require very different technical solutions.
The composition of the collection also plays a part: red wines, white wines and Champagne may require different temperatures depending on how they are to be stored and on the preferences of their owner.
Producing cold
The refrigeration system is sized according to the project: volume, required temperatures, glazed surfaces, insulation, environment and climatic conditions determine the cooling requirements and the equipment needed.
In particularly hot or humid regions, we can specify tropicalised condensing units, designed to operate in these conditions.
Depending on the project, the refrigeration system can be integrated into the wine cellar or remotely located in a technical room.
Remote refrigeration keeps the condensing units away from the cellar, frees up space within the installation and preserves the comfort of the living areas. It requires careful consideration of distances, refrigerant lines and installation conditions.
An integrated solution can, by contrast, simplify installation and allow for a Plug-In configuration.
Where the constraints of the building, installation or climate require it, our engineers and partners can adapt an existing solution or develop one specifically for the project.
Managing airflow
Achieving the right temperature is not enough: it must be distributed evenly throughout the entire volume of the wine cellar.
Air circulation is therefore an integral part of its design.
In DOLIA, forced air circulation allows air to move through the different levels of the display, helping to maintain consistent storage conditions throughout.
Airflow also depends on the design itself: shelves, bottle supports, grilles and the spaces around the collection can either facilitate or restrict circulation. Where necessary, we adapt their design or create dedicated air passages to ensure the required airflow.
In DOMUS, where the entire room becomes the storage environment, air must circulate throughout the whole space, between return and supply air points positioned according to the architecture.
Airflow is one of those elements that should no longer be noticed once the wine cellar is complete, yet must be considered from the very first drawing.
Managing condensate
Refrigeration naturally produces condensation, which must be properly collected and drained away, in both DOLIA and DOMUS, to protect the wine cellar and the building in which it is installed.
Beneath each DOLIA, an electronically controlled heated condensate tray collects and manages the condensate.
Depending on the project configuration, drainage is directed to a suitable outlet; where gravity drainage is not possible, a condensate pump can be integrated.
The location of the equipment, its drainage and accessibility for maintenance are all considered from the design stage.
A complete technical design must also take into account what cannot be seen.
Monitoring over time
Once the required storage conditions have been established, their performance must be monitored over time.
Connected systems are remotely monitored 24 hours a day from the workshop in Italy. In the event of an anomaly, an alert can be issued so that it can be identified before the owner even becomes aware of its effects.
Where the property has a home automation system, the wine cellar’s lighting and door controls can be integrated into the existing system, subject to its technical capabilities. Temperature and humidity remain managed by the wine cellar’s own systems.
Monitoring a wine cellar is not simply about displaying a temperature. It is about following its performance over time, without that monitoring becoming a concern for its owner.
Mastering glazing
In a wine cellar with extensive glazing, glass is not simply an aesthetic element.
It forms part of the cellar’s climate-controlled enclosure, contributing to its insulation, the stability of storage conditions and the management of condensation.
For DOLIA, we have developed a solution combining triple glazing, UV protection and anti-condensation heated glass.
Triple glazing enhances insulation, while UV protection limits the collection’s exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Heated glass helps prevent condensation from forming on glazed surfaces, including when the doors are opened frequently.
The transparency we seek demands genuine technical mastery of glazing: the more the visual boundaries of the wine cellar disappear, the more precisely its enclosure must be designed.
Creating an airtight enclosure
Creating controlled storage conditions also means being able to maintain them.
The climate-controlled enclosure is designed differently depending on the nature of the project.
In DOLIA, the structure, insulation, glazing, doors and seals form a continuous enclosure built around an insulated monolithic stainless-steel tank. Made as a single piece and insulated with polyurethane, it limits heat transfer and reduces potential weak points caused by joints and breaks in insulation.
In DOMUS, the principle is different: the room itself becomes the climate-controlled enclosure. Walls, floor, ceiling, openings and technical penetrations are considered as a whole in order to define the necessary requirements for insulation, airtightness and the integration of technical systems, in coordination with the building professionals involved.
Door airtightness is equally important. We favour hinged doors; sliding doors can be considered in certain configurations, but as they provide less effective airtightness for maintaining stable climate conditions, we generally advise against them.
Whether it is the self-contained enclosure of a DOLIA or an entire room transformed into a DOMUS wine cellar, the principle remains the same: controlling storage conditions begins with controlling the space that protects them.
Selecting materials
A material is never chosen for its appearance alone: it must be suited to its function, remain stable over time, respond to the particular conditions of a wine cellar and achieve the desired aesthetic result.
In our woodwork, solid wood is used where its qualities are most appropriate, while stable panels and genuine wood veneers respond to different surfaces and requirements.
Veneer itself becomes part of the design. The species, direction of the grain, cut and arrangement of the leaves can create compositions that are either regular or more individual, such as Mix-Match. For certain projects, selected strips are stitched together like fabric before being applied to their support.
Approved samples are referenced, while finishes, adhesives and treatments are selected according to the environment in which they will be used.
Metal, glass, aged mirror, marble, stone and backlit translucent stone can also become part of the composition.
A material is never chosen in isolation. It belongs to the overall architecture of the wine cellar.
Lighting the collection
Light serves two essential purposes in a wine cellar: allowing bottles to be seen, selected and identified, while also revealing the collection and its architecture.
We therefore distinguish between functional and ambient lighting. Light sources can be integrated into uprights, frames or shelves, with diffusers creating an even distribution of light.
Light levels can be adjusted to suit different uses and, where the project allows, lighting control can be integrated into the property’s home automation system.
Lighting is also considered in relation to the glass, materials and position of the bottles.
We do not seek simply to light a wine cellar. We seek to illuminate what is meant to be seen.
The bottle as a starting point
A bottle is not an abstract unit of measurement. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, magnums, large formats and cases neither occupy the same space nor serve the same purposes.
Storage design therefore begins with the bottles it will actually hold, but also with the way their owner wishes to see and use the collection.
Label, neck or base; horizontal, inclined, displayed prominently or incorporated into higher-capacity storage: different presentation methods can coexist within the same DOLIA.
Depths, shelves and supports are then adapted to the formats, their accessibility and the desired presentation.
In DOMUS, this freedom extends to the entire room. We have developed seven concepts for presenting and storing bottles. These are not seven models, but a vocabulary that can be combined, adapted and reinterpreted according to the place and the collection.
Dimensions, angles, supports, rails and protective elements are designed accordingly.
We do not ask the collection to adapt to the storage. We design the storage around the collection.
Technical Glossary
Airflow engineering refers to the study and control of air circulation.
In a wine cellar, it helps ensure that storage conditions remain consistent throughout the entire volume. It also takes into account air intake and exhaust points, particularly the removal of warm air generated by the equipment to an appropriate location. The design of shelves, bottle supports, grilles and air passages also plays a role in maintaining effective airflow.
Forced air circulation uses a ventilation system to move and distribute air throughout the refrigerated volume. In DOLIA, it allows air to circulate between the different levels of the display, helping to maintain consistent storage conditions around the collection. Its effectiveness also depends on the interior design: shelves, supports and air passages must allow air to circulate freely.
Condensate is the water naturally produced when moisture in the air condenses on the cold components of the refrigeration system. In a wine cellar, this water must be collected and drained away to prevent it from affecting the cellar or the building in which it is installed. Depending on the project, this may involve an electronically controlled heated condensate tray and, where necessary, a condensate pump.
A monolithic tank is a structure made as a single piece, rather than an enclosure assembled from several separate panels. In DOLIA, this polyurethane-insulated stainless-steel tank forms the technical core of the display. Its construction reduces the number of joints and breaks in insulation, contributing to the continuity and thermal performance of the climate-controlled enclosure.
Airtightness refers to the ability of a wine cellar’s enclosure to limit air exchange between the interior and exterior. It depends in particular on the continuity of the enclosure, glazing, doors, frames, seals and technical penetrations. Good airtightness helps maintain stable climate conditions and reduces the demands placed on the refrigeration system.
Integrated refrigeration is a system in which the equipment required to produce cooling is incorporated directly into the display. Where the project configuration allows, it can provide a simpler installation, without a remote condensing unit or refrigerant lines running to a technical room. Depending on the characteristics of the display, it can also allow for a plug-in installation.
Remote refrigeration is a system in which the condensing unit is installed away from the wine cellar, usually in a technical room or another suitable location. It keeps the noise and heat generated by the condensing unit away from the living space, while also freeing up more space within the installation. Its implementation requires careful consideration of distances, refrigerant lines and installation conditions.
Humidity refers to the amount of moisture present in the air. Together with temperature and air circulation, it contributes to maintaining balanced storage conditions.
Careful design of the insulation and continuity of the enclosure helps prevent thermal bridges. A thermal bridge is an area where insulation is less effective, allowing greater heat transfer between the interior and exterior. In a wine cellar, it can disrupt temperature stability and contribute to condensation.
UV protection significantly reduces the transmission of ultraviolet radiation through the glazing, helping to limit the collection’s exposure. In DOLIA, it complements the performance of the triple glazing and helps protect the wines from external light.
Triple glazing consists of three panes of glass separated by insulating spaces, designed to improve the overall thermal performance of the glazing. In DOLIA, it contributes to the insulation of the climate-controlled enclosure and the stability of storage conditions. It can be combined with additional glazing functions, including UV protection and an anti-condensation heated-glass system.
Heated glass incorporates a system designed to prevent condensation from forming on the glass surface. In DOLIA, it helps maintain the transparency of the glazed surfaces, including when the doors are opened frequently.