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Monday, August 27, 2001
It's one thing to have a passion. It's something else to have it sitting around your basement in cardboard boxes.
Mary Ann Ekman knew it was time to organize the hundreds of bottles of wine she and her husband have been collecting for almost 20 years.
"We really didn't know what we had anymore, we had so many boxes lying around that we were afraid that we would let something go past its prime," she said.
After asking around, the couple found Kevin Pettit, owner of Vintage Solutions, who crafts custom wine cellars for homeowners such as the Ekmans.
Pettit can turn a spare room, cluttered closet or an unused basement into a showcase wine cellar.
"We had a cluttered-up closet with a lot of ski equipment and camping equipment," said Ekman. "It's a lot more fun having a wine cellar."
With a background in chemistry and his own passion for studying wine, Pettit offers more than carpentry when it comes to building wine cellars.
"I've studied and collected wine myself for 20 years," said Pettit. "Part of learning about wine is understanding the storage needs."
Pettit works closely with clients to design the cellar, decide on wood, slate or tile floors, select a cooling system, and all the myriad details that go into wine keeping.
Shelves are designed to cradle the bottles, but still allow air to circulate; walls are insulated, counters built and sinks installed if called for in the design; and the lights are connected to a timer.
The cooling system is crucial.
Pettit said the ideal storage temperature for wine is between 53 and 62 degrees. A consistent temperature is critical.
"The lower the temperature, the slower the wine matures," he said.
In-home wine cellars can range in capacity from a few hundred bottles to more than 3,000.
An easy way to see some of Pettit's bigger work is inside McCarthy and Schiering Wine Merchants at 2401 Queen Anne Ave. N., where he built all the display racks for the store.
Owner Dan McCarthy said that when he met Pettit, he had an idea for racks that would allow wine to be displayed lying down -- to keep the cork moist -- instead of standing up, as it is in many stores.
"His racking is impeccable, we put it through a lot of abuse, we are always pulling and pushing on it. It has held up beautifully," he said.
McCarthy said the real testimony came the day of the Nisqually earthquake.
"I stood here listening to all the bottles rattling, and not one of them broke," said McCarthy. "We didn't lose a single bottle."
McCarthy said he routinely recommends Pettit's work to his customers.
The cost of having Pettit design and build a custom wine cellar starts around $5,000 for something simple and modest. The price can easily stretch over $15,000 and well upward, depending on materials and details such as adding a wine bar and sink for wine tastings.
Doors must seal tightly to keep the cool air in the wine room. Pettit suggests a windowed door to show off the wine inside.
"It is a high-end product, if you really want the best," said Pettit.
He said that despite the slowing economy, there has been no slowdown in his business, which he has operated for about three years.
Ekman said she appreciated the way Pettit handled the project from beginning to end.
"He took care of everything. He did what he said he was going to do," Ekman said. "It was a very pleasant experience."
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