A British company aptly named Spiral Cellars has been creating these underground wine caverns since 1981. The concept was originally born out of a design by Frenchman, Georges Harnois, in the late 1970s. He discovered that people wanted a place to store their wine in homes that were often lacking cellar space.

The result was a perfectly insulated spiral staircase wine cellar that could be accessed via a trapdoor from any chosen room in the home. It requires absolutely no power to maintain and is in many ways similar to the old Roman style of underfloor heating and cooling. Once installed, it requires no more action, other than the adding and subtracting of great wines.

The cellar itself is made out of concrete and has a waterproof lining to prevent damp as well as resilient to outside temperature changes. You can read more about how this spiral wine cellar works by taking a peek at this fun interactive diagram.

I must say, I am very impressed with this concept and would one day love to have one of these spiral wine cellars installed beneath one of my floors. The entertainment value as well as the functional aspect is immense. They add a whole new dimension and interior to the home. Interior rooms where the spiral wine cellar trapdoor can be installed include the floors in the living room, dining room, hallway, kitchen, library and also the garage.

Hat/Tip: Home Designing

A company called Newton Vineyard in the Napa Valley commissioned the young British designer (seen in the picture above with the instillation) to create the work. Standing at six feet high, the piece was constructed using re-purposed red wine oak barrels and 300-year-old oak wood acquired from a Bristol (UK) wine merchant.

The wine tasting instillation is comprised of 112 individual oak segments which allude to the Newton estate’s 112 distinct vineyard blocks. It also includes two glass shelves which make up the bar as well as a hanging rack for glasses and spaces to store the wine bottles.

This piece is one of five wine tasting bars that Claire Danthois as created using recycled natural materials. Her other work can be seen in London, Tokyo and even on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena.

It’s without doubt a wonderful edition to any wine connoisseurs’ tasting room or wine cellar and a dream for an Interior Designer. Perfect for a wine club meeting. Could you imagine entertaining guests around this?