Questions to Ask About Wine Cabinet Construction and Design

Faux wood is sometimes used
Large foreign manufacturers use faux wood or plastic wood laminates on the exterior of their wine cabinets. Domestic manufacturers primarily offer oak as the standard wood used on the exterior of their wine cabinets. Unfortunately, Oak has a strong grain that is considered to be unsophisticated. Some manufacturers use confusing language when describing their finishes (e.g. "mahogany finish"), when in fact this refers to the stain color that is applied to the wood and not to the wood itself. If you don't like the heavy grain and texture of oak wood, ask for the cost to upgrade your wine cabinet to a premium wood, such as cherry, mahogany or maple.

Le Cache: Premium wood is STANDARD
Hand-crafted from kiln-dried wood with dowelled construction, each wine cabinet is clad in premium Cherry veneers and embellished with architectural details such as insulated framed panelling and designer pulls. Le Cache wine cabinets are available in a choice of hand-stained finishes created to highlight and accent the beautiful grains of Cherry wood. After staining, Le Cache wine cabinets receive a clear-coat sealant by hand—twice—to protect and enrich the wood finish.

The effectiveness of the insulation used in building a wine cabinet depends on the type of insulation and the thickness of the insulation used.

Wine cabinet manufacturers generally use one of three types of insulation in building wine cabinets:

1. Expanded polystyrene (white styrofoam):
R-Value per inch = 3.8

2. Extruded polystyrene ("Blueboard"):
R-Value per inch = 5.0

3. Foil-covered polyisocyanurate foam:
R-Value per inch = 6.5

Be wary of manufacturers who advertise inflated R-Values (12 seems to be a popular number!). In order to calculate the true R-Value, ask the manufacturer what type of insulation is used to build the wine cabinet, and how thick it is, and then multiply the R-Value per inch (see above) times the thickness of the insulation.

Le Cache: Best-quality insulation
Le Cache exclusively uses foil-covered polyisocyanurate insulation, the best quality insulation available, in all of our wine cabinets.

Our wine cabinets have 1.5 inches of insulation, and the R-Value of our cabinet walls exceeds 10.0. In addition, all the seams are sealed to create an airtight environment inside our wine cabinets.

The materials used in building and finishing your wine cabinet will determine how well the wine cabinet ages over time, and the window design and insulation used will determine how effective the wine cabinet is at preserving the conditions inside your wine cabinet and how hard your cooling system must work to maintain those conditions. The better your wine cabinet is insulated and sealed, the more years of trouble-free operation your cooling system will provide. Ask if your wine cabinet doors are made from hardwood or laminate; find out if the windows are made from glass or plastic; and ask what kind of insulation is used inside the wine cabinet walls.

Le Cache: Finest materials and workmanship
Le Cache wine cabinets are constructed from the finest wood, glass and insulation materials. Standard features include premium wood veneers, hardwood doors, double-pane tinted glass windows, the highest-grade insulation, and sealed seams throughout the wine cabinet.

Decide for yourself!

Purchase direct from Le Cache or visit any Le Cache dealer, where you can touch and feel a premium wine cabinet and decide for yourself. Call Le Cache for a free wood sample!

The two most common types of hinges used in wine cabinets are piano hinges and refrigerator hinges. Piano hinges are cheaper because the brass-colored hinges can be seen running up and down the entire length of the wine cabinet doors, even when the doors are closed. Refrigerator hinges are more expensive because they are much more durable than piano hinges and are mounted out of view (at the top and bottom of each wine cabinet door).

Le Cache: Custom refrigerator hinges
Le Cache wine cabinets use steel refrigerator hinges, powdercoated black, for aesthetics as well as for durability. You won't see the hinges on our wine cabinets unless you're looking for them, and you'll get many years of trouble-free service from the high-quality refrigerator hinges.