The floor is tiled. Decorative sconces punctuate deep red walls. Recessed lighting is dimmable. The room, at the end of a small corridor lined with wine art, lies behind a glass-paned wood door and is kept dark unless in use. A carving of grapes highlights the view of the door from inside the room.
Gus Kalaris eschews the in-vogue computerization of a grotto's contents, preferring his handwritten log.
A sophisticated air-handling system keeps the room at 59 degrees and 50 percent humidity.
Wine cellars were found in 37 percent of luxury homes in California, according to a 2006 survey. The rise in American wine consumption and collecting, and the burgeoning wine investment market fuel the demand. When figures are tallied for 2007, the U.S. wine market is expected to surpass that of Italy for the first time, hitting 304 million 9-liter cases, according to reports of the 2007 edition of The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast.
Like other sought-after amenities, wine cellars are becoming standard in upper-bracket homes in the Baltimore-Washington corridor -- whether the owner is an investor in wine futures, an oenophile or just likes a cave's cachet.
About three years ago, Charles Stapf, a co-owner of Stapf Custom Homes, said his Abingdon company made wine rooms a standard feature in the multimillion-dollar homes they build. The interiors are stone and cedar with granite counters and decorative tile.
"It's kind of a unique little room. It's gone over real well," he said.
`It's a convenience'
Real estate agent Sisi Wills of Chase Fitzgerald & Co. of Baltimore said adding a wine cellar to an existing high-end home is gaining popularity: "I do think for resale purposes, people are doing it. A lot of people want it when they move in."
But not everyone: Beazer Homes had no takers when it twice offered wine cellars as promotional options on its Maryland houses with price tags up to $1 million. Buyers instead chose enhancing spaces for the entire family, said Diana van Stone, vice president for sales and marketing.
But wealthy oenophiles are not the only ones with wine cellars. Ordinary wine drinkers like them.
As more homeowners indulge in fine wines, they learn that aging improves some or they look to save favorites for celebrations years away.
Pediatricians Josh and Robin Madden installed a 500-bottle wine cellar when they finished the basement of their Ellicott City home two years ago.
