The generous folks over at Random House sent me a copy of an amazing book, Living With Wine and if you're building an even moderately grand wine cellar, you would be crazy not to have this by your bedside while you dream. While I was sucked in and read it cover to cover by the thoughtful writing of Samantha Nestor and Alice Feiring, it still has enough pullouts accompanying the amazing photos by Andrew French to satisfy the casual reader. I particularly like the "cellar snapshot" feature at the end of each cellar profile. Each snapshot shows the capacity of each collection and a sample of the special bottles inside so you can get the gist of each collector's tastes.
Some cellars are drool-worthy in just what wines you can see in the photos, like the arch of Caymus Special Selections and drawers that hold 6 wooden cases each on special rollers, both on the cover photo. Note the cases of Grange and Lafite. How do I get an invite there? Other particular problems and solutions you can learn from include what to do with lots of big bottles, multiple rooms, and building wine showcases.
For the designer and decorator, there is a great "resources" section in the back with every cellar designer as well as where to find the furnishings in each photo. Highly recommended.
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