Winemaker's Cabinet

[fcoulter]

My house is relatively small, and I was thinking about how to avoid taking over large portions of the house with my wine making. And I realized that a dedicated cabinet might do the job. But I looked online, and I couldn't find anything out there. So I'm asking if anyone else has seen anything like this.

What I'm imagining is a side by side two door pantry style cabinet. The bottom shelf on both sides are strong enough to hold a filled six gallon primary fermenter (with airlock) or a filled six gallon carboy (with airlock). The second shelf on one side could hold another one, thus providing the heigh necessary for siphoning. The other side would have two shelves so that smaller carboys and primary fermenters could be accomodated.

Above that would be some drawers to hold equipment. (Or the equipment drawers could be below the second shelf.)

Above the two working levels of shelves and the drawers would be enough space to hold empty carboys and primary fermenters. (Empty ones tend to be much lighter, so putting them up high shouldn't be a problem.)

When I'm not physically working on the wine, the doors would be closed, limiting the amount of light that hits the wine.

The biggest concern I have is with the weight of the filled fermenters and carboys.

Are there any cabinets out there like the ones I described? Or has anyone drawn up plans that could be put together to make a cabinet like this?

 

[Putterrr]

Make your cabinet wide enough for 2 carboys. each side would be around 12 inches. make the second shelf go all the way accross (dado it into the sides) and support it with a divider, it should be strong enough to hold a carboy. do the same for second shelf. top will have your drawers or smaller shelves. something this narrow and tall should be fastened to the wall.

good luck

 

[jason1969]

I was thinking the exact same thing. A cabinet two carboys wide and very tall. also a larger base to store equipment, finished bottles and such. The base should incorporate a pull out table or perhaps a fold down. The fermentation section could be temperature controlled. I am a cabinet maker by trade and wine enthusiast, I'll try to post the outcome as i think this would be much better than the kitchen table.

 

[peaches9324]

Make your cabinet wide enough for 2 carboys. each side would be around 12 inches. make the second shelf go all the way accross (dado it into the sides) and support it with a divider, it should be strong enough to hold a carboy. do the same for second shelf. top will have your drawers or smaller shelves. something this narrow and tall should be fastened to the wall.

good luck

good idea! If I were a carpenter this would already be made!

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

Hi Fcoulter - Attached are a couple pics of what I built. I made a two sided cabinet that I believe was 18" deep and 5' wide (two 2.5' wide closets). I figured I may want to control different temps at the same time for beer or wine. Each side is insulated with 1.5" R-Board and it was framed out with 2x4's tipped up. Doors were also insulated and built out of 2x4's and I adhered a window seal around the frame to seal the doors. 2x4's for the shelves were just glued and screwed to the vertical supports and they seem plenty hefty to hold a couple of 6+ gallon carboys on one shelf. Have fun!

 

[NorCal]

Hi Fcoulter - Attached are a couple pics of what I built. I made a two sided cabinet that I believe was 18" deep and 5' wide (two 2.5' wide closets). I figured I may want to control different temps at the same time for beer or wine. Each side is insulated with 1.5" R-Board and it was framed out with 2x4's tipped up. Doors were also insulated and built out of 2x4's and I adhered a window seal around the frame to seal the doors. 2x4's for the shelves were just glued and screwed to the vertical supports and they seem plenty hefty to hold a couple of 6+ gallon carboys on one shelf. Have fun!

Hey LBGF,
Nice job. Do you have an AC unit to control the temps on the cabinet?

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

No I didn't, this room is in our basement so I did rip out the insulation between the concrete basement walls and the closet. The closet that is closest to the basement wall has stayed at 61-62 degrees and the other closet up around 67-68. We'll see how much that rises as summer comes.

 

[sour_grapes]

No I didn't, this room is in our basement so I did rip out the insulation between the concrete basement walls and the closet. The closet that is closest to the basement wall has stayed at 61-62 degrees and the other closet up around 67-68. We'll see how much that rises as summer comes.

This is what I do, too (in Milwaukee). Mine stays below the upper 60s through the summer.