Commercial custom wine cellars are projects that involve meticulous planning more than you know. Compared to residential home wine cellars, we must make project decisions with the customers in mind. Besides the theme, our experts also think about the convenience or ease of shopping and create that overall experience that makes every customer want to buy from your collection.  

Today, we’re here to show you an example of a commercial wine storage project that The Wine Cellar Specialists team worked on — a sprawling wine shop with high ceilings, a cold storage area, and a wine bar that has become the favorite of local and outside communities! 

How Commercial Custom Wine Cellars Are Planned and Built 

City Vineyard, one of the West Coast’s premier wine and craft beer shops, wanted to expand their existing warehouse-type shop to: 

• cater to more wines 
• provide enough space for people to comfortably walk around and; 
• have a lounge area where customers can have a relaxing time before or after they shop 

The original space was a bit cramped because of the enormous number of wines they had in stock, so they extended the area and hired professionals to curate the space better.  

For wine cellar builders like us to design and create a commercial custom wine cellar in Union Square, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, and more, we first need to know the following: 

• Your store’s area size and shape  
• The types of wines, spirits, or beer you sell 
• The number of bottles you have in stock and are planning to stock in the future 
• Size of the bottles 
• The theme/aesthetic you want to have in your store 
• The location of other important areas in your store (I.e., stockroom, cashier counters, package counters, lounge area, entrance and exits, windows, etc.)  
• Your average customer traffic 
• The ambient heat and humidity  

Knowing these types of information can help experts calculate the amount of custom commercial wine coolers your space needs, the size and density of your commercial wine cellar racks, the placement of all the fixtures and furnishings, and more.  

This is how we ensure your customers enjoy their shopping experience, become enticed to buy right then, and become recurring customers in the long run.  

Compared to residential wine cellars, commercial wine cellars or wine stores include another level of planning and expertise. Working with professional is crucial especially that you’re working with thousand of wines that are highly sensitive. You cannot risk getting your air-conditioning broken or have too much moisture inside your store because that will impact your investment in the long run.

Commercial-Grade Commercial Wine Cellar Cooling System for Large Wine Stores 

Like all other legitimate wine cellars, a strong and durable wine cellar cooling system is a must. Furthermore, it needs to be powerful enough to sufficiently cool a large space 365 days a year. This is very important, especially when you have a highly valuable wine collection or when you’re selling wines.  

Although the store had really high ceilings (useful in separating warm air molecules), it also had colossal glass windows that attributes to the abundance of natural light (and possibly heat). So, when the owner decided to expand the space, part of the plan was to adjust the wine cellar cooling system for it to efficiently serve the entire area.  

There are loads of powerful, commercial-grade wine store cooling systems made by trusted manufacturers. What’s important is that you choose a system that could adequately maintain the coolness throughout your store, throughout the year. Remember that wine stores are not your ordinary stores. You can’t shut off the system after store hours like the other because the wine needs to be in a constantly cool environment. Professionals like Custom Wine Cellars San Francisco and Coastal Custom Wine Cellars will help you select the right cooling system, no matter how small or large your space is.

City Vineyard’s Commercial Wine Cellar Racking Plan 

If you’re building a wine shop, the biggest investments you’ll have to spend on are the cooling system, insulation, and wine racking.  

In this project, the team brought in commercial wine racks, all custom-made for the shop. More racks were added since displaying more bottles is better than keeping them in the stock room. When customers see how full the shop is, they will think that the store has everything they need and will want to spend more time in the shop to look through their options.  

Round-aisle wine racks and rectangular wine racks constituted most of the racking in the store. All the top rows of these racks showcase the bottles in a label-forward, angled orientation so customers can read the labels easily. In particular, the rectangular wooden wine racks have three rows of high-reveal racks followed by eight rows of single compartments for standard 750ml bottles.  

The team also put effort into thinking about how to organize the collection best. If you can visit this wine shop, you can see how the wines are grouped according to origin and type of wine.  

Wine rack height can also influence the shopping experience. As much as possible, you would want to keep the entire store feeling open, such that your customers can see the entire shop wherever they stand. To achieve this, the team kept the tall wine racks on the sides and positioned shorter ones in the middle. All the middle wine racks in this store are free-standing with heights only up to shoulder or breast height. This way, the racks don’t block the customer’s field of vision, and they can easily read the labels without straining their necks.  

A Wine Lounge for an Immersive Experience

Another unique entertainment feature of this wine store is its wine lounge. They have 16 beers on tap and four wines on tap ready to be served. Customers can order by the glass or by the bottle, and they can hang out and have a couple of drinks before they shop. This can give customers inspiration or ideas about what to purchase and enjoy brunch on the weekends as well! 

The owners are big fans of craft beer, and they sell beer produced by some of the most popular microbreweries in the country and the world. This is a good way to support local and small breweries and give their customers new and interesting flavors.  

Get More Customers With a Great Looking Commercial Wine Cellar in San Francisco! 

The market for wines and spirits is quite specific, as not all people drink wine. When operating a wine store, you’d hope that every person inside will buy a bottle from you. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen all the time. But what if we say we might be able to increase your chances of more profits in the long run with a beautifully and strategically designed commercial custom wine cellar? 

Custom Wine Cellar San Francisco is your commercial wine cellar builder who’s precisely here to help you out!   

We customize wine stores and commercial wine displays in Union Square, from insulation to lighting, cooling, racking, doors, and more. Get in touch with any of our team representatives, and don’t hesitate to tell us more about what you envision for your wine cellar. Our experts are always happy to help depending on your wine cellar needs.  

Contact us at +1 (415) 508 – 8419 today! 

HERE’S A COMPLETE GALLERY OF THIS MASSIVE COMMERCIAL CUSTOM WINE CELLAR!