Why a wine cellar adds value to your house

Wine has become the beverage of choice for the people who love their liquor and one of the most favourite drinks internationally. Wine collecting is a hobby for many individuals around the world and one of the primary reasons why some home-buyers prefer houses with wine cellars, there are also accolades associated with wine such as the ‘Master of Wine’ award. People who love wine, want to store their wines correctly and also display their wines in areas in their homes, which is why, if you have the space you should consider a wine cellar.

Things change from time to time and, if you decide to sell your home some time in the future, a beautiful and well-constructed wine cellar will undoubtedly add financial worth to your home.

Home-buyers who are already in the market for new homes with wine cellars will make a beeline for your property when it comes on the market. You’ll be able to call the shots in terms of pricing since you’re sure that your home is exactly what these home-buyers need at that point. A dedicated wine storage room can add anywhere from £10-20,000 to the value of a house, depending on how it’s been constructed and its size. This makes financial sense when thinking about installing a wine cellar as it will more than pay for itself since you also have the opportunity to store hundreds, if not thousands, of wine bottles until you move house.

To build or install a wine cellar in your home isn’t rocket science; in fact, it’s not even as complicated as you’ve been made to believe. Several options are open to you when it comes to building the wine cellar that will boost the resale value of your home in years to come. You also have lots of wine rack choices, stain choices, wine accessories, add-ons etc. available for you to choose from at any time.

So, all you need to do is to pick yourself up and visit any of the numerous DIY shops as well as hardware stores that sell ready-made kits that you can use for building your wine cellar. This is an excellent option for you if you’re a DIY fan and you have a pretty low budget.

However, the best thing to do when you’ve made up your mind to add a wine cellar to your beautiful home is to seek the help of certified wine cellar construction company. There’s nothing more heart-warming that sitting back and relaxing while a team of building professionals goes to work in your house.

Not only is this incredibly convenient, but you’ll also be able to chip in your thoughts or plans about the design of the wine cellar while these professionals – with years of building wine cellars under their belts – can advise you accordingly; it’s just like designing a new kitchen!

Nevertheless, whether you choose to build the wine cellar yourself or hire the services of professional wine-cellar builders to do it for you, you’ve made an excellent decision by making up your mind to add a room or two in your house for your priceless wine collection.

Of course, although your primary intent for constructing a wine cellar may be for your personal enjoyment, the resale value of your house will increase significantly, thanks to the existence of the wine vault.

There are lots of options to think about when designing a wine cellar, for examples the racking, humidity and temperature equipment as its critical the wines are stored correctly to make this project viable. One of the most common additions to a wine cellar, which may seem odd, is a wine cooler or wine cabinet. These are used primarily to bring a small selection of wines that are ready to drink to their optimum service temperature. If you’re going to invest in a wine cooler, its best to buy a high quality unit like the range from Elite Wine Refrigeration, as not only will this help save the planet but it will also ensure your wines are stored correctly with less of a chance of a break down which may sour the wines.

Once the wine cellar is constructed, allow the room to run at its set temperature correctly for a period of time to ensure there aren’t any unforeseen breakdowns which may damage your wines.

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3 Reasons to try a beer subscription

Clubs and associations are the easiest way to bring people with shared interests together. Many of these now operate online. Beer clubs are one such enterprise. People pay an individual subscription and receive a selection of craft beers each month.

Using Amazing Clubs beer club, we want to highlight the positive benefits of membership in this post. Here are three good reasons why you should consider joining a beer subscription service!

Taste quality beers from home and overseas

Amazing Clubs beer club specialises in premium quality, hard to find beers. They offer the best beers brewed both locally, nationally and internationally – as selected by in house experts.

Most beer drinkers want to sample different beers. A chance to experience the various brewing methods and taste the subtle flavours incorporated. There’s so much variety and complexity on offer in the craft beer world. You now have the option of bringing these amazing beers straight to your door.

New and exciting craft brewers are springing up all the time; these may be a long way from home. Therefore, under normal circumstances, you might never even hear of them let alone taste their products. A beer club subscription will give you access to them.

Many of the gourmet selections offered through beer clubs are unavailable to the general public.

Convenience & money saving

When you compare a beer club membership to heading out into bars and specialist stores there’s often money to be saved. In fact, Amazing Clubs beer club guarantees that you won’t find the products offered at a lower price elsewhere.

Busy bars aren’t for everyone either. More and more people are opting to have a drink whilst relaxing at home (and sometimes even the most gregarious of us just fancy a quiet night in). With beer clubs, you have the convenience of that option.

You pay a monthly subscription fee; and with this, the hassle of searching out interesting beer choices has been removed. They’ll arrive, securely packaged, right to your doorstep.

Beer clubs offer a wide array of services

Before joining any club, take time to know it and the quality of service that they deliver.

Most beer clubs ensure that their in-house experts taste and rate the beers before sending them your way. This is certainly the case with Amazing Clubs beer club.

Each month, you’ll receive an ever-changing selection of beers. From these you’ll be able to identify favourite brewers and brews. Amazing Clubs beer club guarantees that you won’t receive the same item twice.

Expert tasting notes will help you identify the aspects of beer flavour and type that you gravitate towards for future purchases. There may be online forums where you can chat with other beer lovers.

In addition, they offer gift services – a beer club subscription could be the perfect solution for that special present you’re searching for.

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How to better enjoy wine at home

Enjoying a delicious bottle of wine at home is one of life’s true pleasures. When you order a bottle in a restaurant, sometimes the mark-up on the cost price is scandalous. It’s fair to say that much of a restaurant’s profits comes from the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages rather than the food; this may come as a surprise to many people. This isn’t the case when buying privately for home consumption though.

Here are a few quick suggestions about enjoying wine in the comfort of your own home.

Personal wine fridge

Having your own dedicated wine fridge (or wine cooler to use the American vernacular) brings a level of decadence and sophistication to your love of wine. No longer is it a problem to find a place to store more than just a few bottles without taking up half the fridge in the process or needing a separate cold storage area under the stairs, for instance. Using a private cellar to store wine is essential if you have vintage bottles of Château Lafite Rothschild that collectors fawn over. Alternatively, you can invest in your own wine cooler.

The wine fridges from wineandbarrels.co.uk come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are popular amongst many wine lovers. The tall and slender design is the most popular though, so it’s best to find a good position at home that has access to mains power and will fit a new fridge. The fridges from WineandBarrels offer one or two zones that have two separate temperatures for wines with different ambient tolerances. Dehumidifiers in some fridges protect the wine from any damaging humidity too. The back-lighting looks attractive on many models and reading the wine labels is easier with lighting.

Unrushed and nothing important left to do

It’s best to have an unhurried environment when cracking open a savoured bottle that you’ve been waiting to enjoy. A good wine is not something you should be sipping on when you know you have to get something completed right after because your mind will be consumed with other things. Enjoyment of each sip of matured wine is best done while unburdened. It can also help to unwind after a long day.

It’s also sensible to avoid getting behind a wheel after drinking. Wine contains a substantial percentage of alcohol – far more than the average beer – which sometimes catches unsuspecting wine lovers unaware.

Matching wine perfectly with every meal

When entertaining guests or just alone with your thoughts, consider matching your bottle of wine perfectly for each meal. If you’re not sure how to choose the right wine for each meal, then this article from the Wine Spectator is going to be extremely helpful to you.

What’s key is finding a balance between how acidic or sweet the chosen wine is and how it enhances the prepared meal. Complementary flavours will add interest to the taste of the meal.

Enjoying wine at home is much better value than ordering expensive bottles at a pricey restaurant. When you choose well and take the time to sample good vintages, it’ll provide much more pleasure with every glass.

Price Points: Sweet sherries

Christmas is all about family & friends, presents and of course food & drink. One of the beverages that makes an appearance at this time of year is sherry – sweet, medium and dry. The sweet, syrupy variety suits many seasonal foods like mince pies, chocolate, Christmas pudding and blue cheese. Like any wine, sweet sherries are available in all price ranges. Often, the older the vintage, the higher the price.

Since 2000, sherry has been categorised into 3 divisions. VORS is short for ‘Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum’ (or Very Old Rare Sherry) and indicates wine with an average age of over 30 years. VOS stands for ‘Vinum Optimum Signatum’ (or Very Old Sherry), with an average age of over 20 years. ‘Age indicated sherries’ fall into two categories: 12 years old and 15 years old.

Because of the sweetness of these sherries – they can contain 300 to 400 grams of sugar per litre – they’re best served slightly chilled in a small clipper or schooner glass – only tiny measures needed!

1. Wm Morrison Pedro Ximénez, 37.5cl: £6.00, Morrison’s
At 8 years old, this award-winning sweet sherry is the youngest of our selected trio. We bought a bottle and had some this week with my home-made spiced shortbread. We were so impressed that we’ve already gone out and bought another bottle! And it’s not just us – this is the verdict of a professional wine expert:

It’s almost black such is its sticky sweet richness and the taste is similar to an ocean of sultanas, prunes, dates and figs. Olly Smith

2. Fortnum’s Pedro Ximenez VOS, Bodegas Tradicion, half bottle: £29.95, Fortnum & Mason

Our Pedro Ximenez (PX) has been classified as V.O.S. (very old sherry), with more than 20 years of age. It is deepest mahogany, with wonderful aromas of raisins, prunes and figs. This outstandingly rich, viscous PX can be enjoyed with blue cheese or chocolate puddings and is also delicious poured over vanilla ice-cream. It should be served slightly chilled.

3. Toro Albalá Pedro Ximénez Convento Selección 1931, 75cl: £235.00, Laithwaites

This 86 year old sweet wine is a legend and winner of a near perfect 98 Parker points. Made from mostly sun dried grapes, pressed and partially fermented, it is a gloriously rich sherry with fig, chocolate, spice – the list of flavours is endless.

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Toro Albalá Pedro Ximénez Convento Selección 1931, 75cl
£235.00