Staying in for a glass of wine

April 2nd, 2009 | By: Fred Nystrom

The three wine cellars featured have two things in common. The first is that each of the couples “found” the space for the cellar as they were adding on to their home. The second is that each of these wine cellars is for more than just storing wines; they are an extension of the hospitality offered by the hosts.

Each cellar has been designed to bring guests inside to sample wine and to share the special aroma which is a combination of several thousand bottles of wine, wooden racks, and cool air. All in all, an experience not easily forgotten.

When Marty and Stacy Chilberg purchased their home in Lakemont, the basement was unfinished, but not for long. Marty was able to convince Stacy and their children that part of the space should be developed as a 2,500-bottle wine cellar.

In looking back Marty can chuckle at some of the mistakes he made as he planned out the cellar. “I didn’t realize that the door to the cellar had to be as insulated as a door to the outside of the house. My first door leaked heat into the cellar and cold out into the other rooms” he admits. The separation of warmth and coolness was to be a problem in getting the cellar to function perfectly. The existing heating ducts for the house ran right over the cellar ceiling and eventually had to be rerouted. The beautiful brick arches separating the two rooms of the cellar also restricted air flow just enough that Marty had to replace the original cooling equipment with a larger and more robust unit. “Oh, and don’t forget about the humidor” Stacy reminded him. Humidor in a wine cellar? “Yea, I love cigars and wine so, in my enthusiasm, I built in a humidor at the end of the table inside the cellar, that was before I learned that storing wine and cigars require just the opposite conditions.”

Well, it is all working perfectly now as you can see from these photos. It is not uncommon for the Chilbergs to host several couples in the cellar for part of an evening. Guests seem not to care about the expansive views down and across Lake Sammamish; it’s behind the vineyard-inspired stained glass door where they want to be–and who can blame them?

Richard and Donna Adler were having their home extensively remodeled and as the project was winding down their contractor pointed to an un-insulated, over looked space and suggested that they do something productive with it. Before Donna could suggest a craft room, Richard was designing a wine cellar.

The 1,000 bottle cellar makes great use of a wine barrel as a center table. Guests are encouraged to sign corks and place them among the collection under the glass-top. The Adlers had the mural on the back wall painted by artist David Keck. The mural is a blend of Northern Italy, Napa and Washington vineyards- all places they love to visit.

When asked about how they use the cellar, Richard pointed to the following quote, which rests on top of the many “memory corks” in the barrel table. Donna quickly agreed that the words captured their feelings better than they could express on their own.

“Wine to me is passion. It is family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It is the essence of civilization and the art of loving. When I pour a glass of truly fine wine, when I raise it to my nose and savor its’ bouquet and essence, I know wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature. A joy as pure and elemental as the soil and the vines and sunshine from which it springs. “Wine is life.” Petronius said Two thousand years ago and I know exactly what he meant.”

– Robert Mondavi

Dan and Gay Rowe were in the process of remodeling their home in Sammamish when they discovered some space off the landing between the main floor of the house and the new family/game rooms they were adding. At that moment Chateau Rowe was born. Now, several years later the Rowe’s have a very well-designed wine cellar that holds about 1,000 bottles. As Gay points out “The cellar is big enough to be comfortable yet cozy enough to have a friendly atmosphere.” When asked her favorite feature of the cellar, Gay points to the original painting hanging over the cabinet and sink and says “When I found the painting I knew it had to go into the cellar and after seeing how wonderful it looked on the wall, we commissioned an artist to paint the floors to match the feeling and touches in the painting.”

Dan and Gay collect mainly American wines and he has wisely divided the cellar into informal sections. Dan explains, “On the left are wines for casual consumption and for guests who do not know much about wines. In the middle are good wines for people with some level of appreciation and over here on the right side is the good stuff for those who both know their wines and can appreciate a well-aged bottle.” So if you are ever lucky enough to be invited into the cellar, stay to the right!