While few wine lovers will be in the league of the collector who paid nearly half a million US dollars for a crate of 1978 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti at Christie’s in Hong Kong last year, wine collecting is becoming an increasingly profitable and popular pastime – which is leading to growing demand for designer rooms in which to house this tasty asset.
Wine rooms in new luxury homes have moved a world away from a simple temperature-controlled cupboard to a full tasting experience. Indeed some – such as those seen in Finchatton’s developments in Chelsea’s Manresa Road and Belgravia’s Chester Square – are like art galleries, designed to make you stop and stare. They also show off the height of new technology, including finger-recognition entry and wireless inventory systems.
If the old-style wine rooms were simply about storage, today’s are about the whole social scene that goes with drinking – not just collecting – fine wines. “They will be fully kitted out with yards of wine racks, comfy seating, a central table and sometimes a spitting bowl so that buyers can not only store their wine collections in the best possible conditions but also invite friends round for tasting sessions,” says Lochie Rankin from Lichfields buying agency.
A prime example is Octagon’s new five-bedroom mansion in Totteridge, North London, on sale for £16m through Knight Frank, where the owner can sashay between their private cinema and a wine room (and separate tasting room) with Gatsby-style opulence. Newcourt Residential’s Ellerton Road development of two palatial six-bedroom houses overlooking the Royal Wimbledon golf course – costing from £6.95m – offer similar luxuries.
Some one-off cellars in private houses would suit London’s poshest clubs. Take Lyall Mews, a £10.75m mews house in Belgravia, where you can view the designer racks below through a circular glass floor in the entrance hall. “This is by far the best private wine cellar, let alone the most amazing contents, that I have ever seen in a private home. You can see the owner’s pride and joy as soon as you walk through the front door,” says Charlie Willis, partner at Strutt Parker.
Developers are also tempting buyers with wine rooms in their private members’ bars – a way to enjoy an exquisite collection without the expense of building it up yourself. Lillie Square, part of Sir Terry Farrell’s masterplan for Earls Court, includes 10 penthouses and 15 premium apartments from £1.575m whose owners will be able to sip fine vintages in the wine cellar of the vast, futuristic Clubhouse.
And some developers are teaming up with big names in wine to ensure the contents are as salubrious as the surroundings. Ten Trinity Square in the City of London – the former Port of London Authority’s HQ in a Grade-II listed building, now being turned into 41 residences costing from £5m and managed by the Four Seasons hotel – will include the first Château Latour room in a private members’ club, exclusively stocked in a location outside its Bordeaux vineyard. Owners will be able to buy bottles for their own collection or wine by the glass when they’re in the club.
This desire to have a top wine producer or merchant stock your cellar is something Alex Newall from Hanover Private Office sees frequently – a rising trend he attributes to the influx of Asian buyers in London’s £5m-plus market. “Corney Barrow stock the cellars belonging to our clients and they are demanding Pétrus, Mouton Rothschild 2000 and Latour,” says Newall.
The look of the latest wine rooms is changing too, with clients wanting something personal to them and their home. “These rooms have evolved into beautiful showpieces. We are now installing more sumptuous timber veneers with accent bronze detailing and moving away from the more industrial stainless steel and glass,” says Adam Hunter, Finchatton’s head of projects.
With a clientele of “rock stars and some of the richest people on the planet”, Richard Miller, MD of Somerset-based cabinet makers Halstock, has hand-crafted wine rooms to suit every taste. No names allowed, naturally – certainly not of the client who wanted a specially-designed room to suit his penchant for Nebuchadnezzars, which are 20 times bigger than the average bottle – but Halstock’s wine cellars can cost up to £350,000.
It’s not something that property agents generally reckon will add value to your home, which means you’d better really enjoy it. But how hard can that be?