Buyers & Cellars
Wine rooms and chic displays are becoming a must-have for high-end home purchasers.
No longer hidden away in a dark basement or cupboard, wine collections are increasingly becoming a defining feature among prestige homeowners, and an elevated and celebrated point of difference among architects, designers and developers.
Turner Studio project designer Daniella de la Harpe, who works on high-end apartment projects in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and north shore, has dedicated hours to carving out valuable floor space for wine displays.
Even as space remains at a premium in apartment living, de la Harpe says wine displays can work at almost any scale.
“Your collection doesn’t have to be huge,” she says. “It can centre around a special bottle, or it can be a small collection that’s really meaningful to someone.”
For some well-heeled homeowners, the room housing the collection has become as important a statement as the wine itself.
Thomas Hamel & Associates senior associate Brendan Guy says wine rooms have evolved considerably over the past decade. Now they are less about storage and more about storytelling and entertaining at home.
Guy has designed cellars tailored to specific wine collections, alongside tasting rooms featuring charcuterie and cheese stations, and spaces inspired by private members’ clubs and luxury hotels.
Stone, leather, timber and metal accompany climate control, museum-grade lighting and integrated technology.
“Homeowners want to pack a punch,” Guy says. “Often wine displays or rooms are smaller, more intimate spaces, where people aren’t afraid to turn up the volume on the design element.”
“The storytelling is often about how someone came to collect the wine, celebrating special releases, pairing it with food, showcasing a special bottle they discovered on holidays. Ultimately, it’s about bringing together people and sharing those moments.”
While studies suggest wine consumption is at its lowest level globally since the 1960s, buyers have become increasingly focused on premium and collectable wines, creating extra impetus for climate-controlled environments that protect valuable collections.
“I think of the grand tour back in the day. A library of books was a status symbol but ultimately the people didn’t read those books, and it can be the same with wine,” he says.
“We’ve created wine cellars for non-drinkers too, who still collect wine and like to host and entertain. Wine remains a status symbol, and where it’s displayed becomes an incredible room in the house.”
Wine rooms are also finding their way into residential communities and apartment projects, where the value of a dedicated wine space aligns with the demographic and buyer lifestyle.
At Lovedale Farm in the Hunter Valley, Capital Corporation managing director Jim Hunter says wine storage was an essential part of the design process for the master-planned community, where buyers of turnkey homes – priced from $1.2m – can add a dedicated wine room.
Hunter says it’s been a popular offering, with one in three buyers selecting the wine room option.
“We’re in wine country. It’s the oldest wine region in Australia. We had to put that at the forefront of the design element,” he says.
“All homes we’re designing have at least provision for a wine room. People want to showcase what the Hunter Valley is famous for.”
Shared wine lockers were once common in prestige developments, but Colliers’ director of project marketing Luke Hayes says buyers increasingly expect wine storage within their own residence.
Hayes says the trend gained momentum after Sydney developments such as One Sydney Harbour at Barangaroo introduced luxury buyers to a new level of wine-focused amenity, creating expectations that competing projects have since sought to match.
“At a certain price point it’s a must-have,” he says, noting buyers spending more than $5m typically expect wine fridges or displays, while a dedicated wine room or cellar has become a prerequisite in residences priced above $10m.
“People are very house proud; they like to entertain and showcase that space,” Hayes says. “Wine has been a part of these people’s lives, and they don’t want to compromise on that.”
Article originally published in The Australian - Mansion, 29 August 2026. Written by Michelle Singer.