Forget Incandescent Bulbs. Stick to LED Lights for Beautiful Wine Cellar Displays, Great Savings, and Quality Wine

wine exposed to lightThe wrong type of lighting system can be detrimental to your wines and cause you to spend more money in the future. Find out the importance of proper lighting, and why LED lights are highly recommended by wine cellar experts.

The Wrong Lighting System can Harm Your Wine

Heat is the number one enemy of wine. Too much heat exposure has devastating effects on the color and stability of wine.

The cork is pushed out by the heated air, resulting in oxidized wine. Off flavors, brownish color and rapid maturation are some of the signs of heat damage. To avoid these problems, proper lighting must be considered carefully when building a wine room.

Choosing the wrong type of lighting system is one of the common mistakes that wine cellar owners make. Your lighting must provide ample light; bright light should be avoided at all costs to prevent wine from losing its desirable characteristics.

Lighting fixtures that produce UV rays must be avoided. This is because radiation causes a “light-struck” taste and smell in wine. You don’t want your favorite vintages to taste like wet cardboard.

Getting your lighting wrong in your wine cellar will not only harm your wines, but will also cause you to spend more for renovations or replacement of wine stock. Working with a professional will help you decide on the right type of lighting suitable for your wine room .

The Role of Wine Cellar Lighting

wine cellar light

Installing a lighting system in your Florida residential wine cellar is necessary for reading wine labels, selecting a bottle of your favorite vintage, and highlighting your collection beautifully. It also allows you and your guests to enjoy the ambiance of the room.

The main reason wine bottles are dark-colored is to protect the liquid against harmful light. The proper lighting system will ensure that your wines are safe by providing low heat output. It should provide ample light and a relaxing mood in your storage space.

One of the favorite options used by wine cellar builders is LED (otherwise known as light-emitting diodes). Using this in your wine storage room creates an appealing display of your collection while keeping your wines safe, and your energy bills low. With its many benefits, it’s understandable why most Florida home wine cellars are now installed with LED lights.

How LED Lights Can Benefit Wine Collectors

Very Low Heat Emissions

LED lights
LED Lights Emit Very Minimal Heat

incandescent bulbUsing incandescent or fluorescent bulbs to illuminate a wine storage room is not recommended because they emit more heat. Faulty flavors and decreased shelf life of a bottled wine is the result of very high wine storage temperatures.

With LED lights, very minimal heat is emitted. LEDs also stay cool and won’t affect temperature in a wine cellar. This prevents temperature fluctuations, thus eliminating the risk of wine degradation and moisture build up.

Using them in your climate-controlled wine storage room will prevent undesirable changes in the overall characteristics of wine because more energy is converted to light rather than heat, and no UV light is emitted. Other lighting systems release 80%-90% of their energy as heat, which can be detrimental to wine.

Money–Saver

LED lighting is in demand all over the world because of its cost-effectiveness. LEDs consume at least 75% less energy than regular bulbs.

Low-energy usage means lower electric bills. Since LED lights do not contribute to heat build-up in a wine cellar, they will not force your cooling system to work harder, thus reducing energy consumption.

They have a lifespan 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Their longevity will save you money on replacement costs.

Offers Dramatic Flair to Your Wine Display

wine rack with led lights
LED Lighting Creates a Beautiful Wine Display

The LED lighting is commonly used for corners, archways, backlighting, high-reveal display rows, and arches in wine racks. It allows the wine collector to highlight his or her precious wine collection dramatically with enough light. With a wide range of color options to choose from, you can create the right mood that you want for you wine room.

Achieve the Ambiance that You Desire with Hidden Light Source

With flexibility and ease of installation, LED lights can be placed in a variety of positions to create the right mood for your home wine cellar. Unlike traditional lighting, there are no physical tubes or bulbs when you use LED-based light. The source can be completely hidden for a clean-looking wine room. This also directs the focus of occupants to the wine, not the lighting fixture.

LED lights can create a romantic and relaxing atmosphere when mounted on top of wine racks. The light will appear like it is climbing the wall, and fading toward the center. Flexible LED light strips can serve as the main light source of smaller wine cellars.

Maximum Control of Light

dimmable led light
Adjust the Brightness of Your LED Lights with a Dimmer Switch

LED lights can be put on a dimmer switch so the owner can adjust the brightness in the room. It will help control and maintain the temperature of the environment. A timer is also necessary in ensuring that the lights are off when you don’t need them. Accidentally leaving them on for a long time can spoil your wine. These control and monitoring features are vital to prevent a waste of investment.

More LED Lighting Tips for Your Home Wine Cellar

  • Use LED downlights to highlight bottles stored in floor-to-ceiling wine racks.
  • For free-standing racks, LED display lights are recommended.
  • Spotlight individual bottles on the racks and the tabletop area with puck lights.
  • Opt for recessed uplights to accent racks from below.
  • Achieve a romantic mood by selecting a LEDs with Chardonnay White color

By choosing every element carefully including your wine cellar lighting, you will have peace of mind that your collection is in good hands. In the end, you and your guests will not only reap the benefits of good wine, but also enjoy the visually-appealing display of your collection.

Want to Have a LED-Lit Wine Room? Talk to a Professional.

You can rely on Wine Cellar International when it comes to creating a unique and tasteful design for your custom wine room. They use lighting systems that add life to their clients’ wine storage space. They also offer high quality wine racks, and commercial grade refrigeration systems. Call them today!

Wine Cellar International

+1 (954) 630-5866