Underground Wine Cellars Research Articles

Documentation and Virtualisation of Vernacular Cultural Heritage: The Case of Underground Wine Cellars in Atauta (Soria)

The cultural heritage associated with rural systems is extremely valuable and is a sign of identity for cultures that are disappearing or undergoing transformation. This paper explains and illustrates the series of procedures that have been carried out to document and subsequently virtualise the ethnological site of the “El Plantío” underground wine cellars in Atauta. The ensembles of underground wine cellars are located immediately outside the village of Atauta, from which they are separated by the stream of Arroyo de la Laguna or Golbán, thus giving rise to two environments that are characterised by the perfect interrelation between their natural and architectural heritage. The visual and scenic relations between both these elements make this area a prime example of a cultural heritage that is associated with wine production systems. This documentation was obtained through a combination of different geomatic techniques. The results are organised on a web platform to enable their digital visualisation (2D/3D). This platform provides a virtual environment such that users can understand these underground heritage assets in an integrated way together with the immaterial cultural heritage and the cultural landscape—all of which converge on this ethnological site. The project offers different types of audiences, both real and virtual, access to all of the documentation.

Numerical simulations for the optimisation of ventilation system designed for wine cellars

The wine-ageing process is one of the most important phases of the wine production and it can be considerably affected by the micro-climatic conditions inside the ageing rooms. Underground wine cellars in small-medium wineries are designed with natural ventilation systems, able to maintain optimal indoor condition. However, critical factors emerge, such as mold growth or wine evapo-transpiration, where ventilation proved to be poorly designed, insufficient in the first case or excessive in the second one. The zones around the wooden barrels proved to be the most sensitive and problematic. These areas are the most investigated in terms of temperature and humidity values but surprisingly not in terms of air velocity. In this paper, a ventilation system has been designed and optimised to support the lack of ventilation, by means of computational fluid dynamics modelling. Eight configurations have been performed and analysed, identifying the best two according to the air velocity range. Specific parameters have been defined to appreciate the application limits of each configuration. These parameters can be used as reference for system design in similar studies and applications and can help scholars and professionals to identify the optimal configurations for the implementation and proper placement of the system inside a cellar.

Assessment of underground wine cellars using geographic information technologies

Geographic information technologies (GIT) are essential to many fields of research, such as the preservation and dissemination of knowledge of cultural heritage buildings, a category which includes traditional underground wine cellars. This paper presents a methodology based on research carried out on this type of rural heritage building. The data were acquired using the following sensors: EDM, total station, close range photogrammetry and laser scanning, and subsequently processed with a specific software which was verified for each case, in order to obtain a satisfactory graphic representation of these underground wine cellars. Two key aspects of this work are the accuracy of the data processing and the visualisation of these traditional constructions. The methodology includes an application for geovisualising these traditional constructions on mobile devices in order to contribute to raising awareness of this unique heritage.

Experimental analysis of shallow underground temperature for the assessment of energy efficiency potential of underground wine cellars

Energy saving in production processes is a topical issue in wine sector, where energy demand is mostly due to temperature control. Thus constructive solutions and technological systems that maximize energy efficiency are requested by companies and stakeholders. Underground cellars may represent a solution, as they can provide temperature peaks dampening, thermal wave phase shifting and temperature variation breaking down. The effects depend on building and site features; therefore the knowledge of underground thermal properties and space-time variability of thermal phenomena are fundamental for building design.The objective of the study is to identify time variations of temperature distributions related to ground layers interacting with underground buildings in the wine sector. A monitoring system was implemented and experimental analyses were carried out on two boreholes at different distances from a real underground cellar.Results showed to what extent building design can take advantage of underground thermal properties to minimize energy demand for temperature control. The validity of the standard model of underground temperature distribution was verified for the shallow zone and a procedure was proposed and validated for the assessment of thermal diffusivity. The research represents also a basis for theoretical provisional model definition for surface zones.

Geomatics and Geophysics Synergies to Evaluate Underground Wine Cellars

This article presents a multidisciplinary study to evaluate the internal and external state of underground wine cellars. In particular, five historical subterranean wine cellars that present a complex structure and whose underground three-dimensional (3D) shape and their connections with the external surface are unknown. They are recorded and analyzed with non-invasive techniques. An approach that integrates surveying geotechnologies (terrestrial laser scanner, global positioning system) with geophysical prospecting equipment (ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography), was used in order to plan architectural restoration actions. The combination of both sets of techniques implies an improvement in the information gathered compared with they are applied separately, facilitating the interpretation of geophysical data to generate accurate geometric geophysical profiles and highlighting the evaluation of the state of this type of architectonic heritage.

Wine cellars built underground: soil properties in the “Ribera del Duero” (Spain)

The ground properties have a decisive effect on the interior conditions, as well as the integrity and durability of the underground wine cellars. The main objective of this paper is to determine the characteristics of the soils where these underground wine cellars have been dug. The results show that most of the soils present very similar plasticity and swelling properties. They are either concentrated in a very specific region of the plasticity chart or present zero plasticity. High-plasticity soils are uncommon, owing to the higher risk of swelling leading to stability problems in the wine cellars. In terms of grain size, silts and sands under 0.4 mm predominate, with a somewhat lower presence of clays. No wine cellars were found that had been dug in earth with very high plasticity or where gravels or clean sands predominate. We recommend that any new wine cellars should be excavated in earth with similar characteristics.

New uses for old traditional farm buildings: The case of the underground wine cellars in Spain

Traditional buildings are important features of the rural landscape and a valuable documental source about rural technology and ways of life in the countryside. For the last 60 years many traditional farm buildings have lost their original function because of the great changes in the European agricultural sector. Their respectful conversion to adopt new activities provides economic, socio-cultural and landscape benefits for promoters and the whole rural community. Traditional wine caves used for the production and storage of wine are particular good examples of redundant rural buildings needing for viable new uses. The aims of this paper are to present the architectural features of these agro-industrial spaces and to discuss suitable new uses for them. The technical, socioeconomic and legal contexts of the reuse are also examined in the paper. The use of traditional wine cellars in the production of high-quality artisanal wines, cheeses and cured meats, for cultural activities, as restaurants, or in the production of mushrooms, among others, are viable reuse proposals according to the current needs in the Mediterranean rural areas. Nevertheless, special care must be taken when restoring these spaces in order to respect the identity and the aesthetic appeal of the ancient cellars and not to come into conflict with the planning and building regulations.

Seasonal analysis of the thermal behaviour of traditional underground wine cellars in Spain

Traditional underground wine cellars are a good example of bioclimatic construction, providing optimum conditions for maturing wine with no energy consumption. This article studies the annual thermal behaviour of traditional underground wine cellars in one of the most well-known wine producing areas in Spain, the Ribera del Duero. For this we have applied a method based on multiple regression analysis using experimental data monitored for 1 year. The results show that the interior air temperature is fundamentally conditioned by the undisturbed temperature of the ground at the average depth of the wine cellar and by the temperature of the outside air ( R 2 varies between 0.937 and 0.974, with an average of 0.964 for the three wine cellars studied). However, the stability of the wine cellar during changes of outside temperature differs according to the time of year. In the spring and summer, the stability is excellent and the influence of the ground temperature is much greater than that of the outside air temperature (beta coefficient for the ground temperature is 0.85 compared to 0.17 for the outside air temperature). In the autumn and winter, the stability of the wine cellar is reduced by the increased ventilation, reducing the influence of the ground temperature ( β = 0.70) and increasing that of the outside air ( β = 0.42).

The effect of traditional wind vents called zarceras on the hygrothermal behaviour of underground wine cellars in Spain

This paper studies the hygrothermal behaviour of traditional underground wine cellars in one of the most important wine growing areas of Spain, the Ribera del Duero, paying special attention to the effects of traditional wind vents called zarceras. The purpose is to highlight energy-saving practices that aid the design and renovation of similar constructions. This was carried out by monitoring the temperature and relative humidity inside two wine cellars of similar properties throughout 2007, one with a zarcera and the other without. The results of the analysis show that the existence of the wind vent does not increase the ventilation from May to August. On the other hand, from September to March, the zarcera favours ventilation, affecting both temperature and relative humidity. The interior temperature is more greatly affected by the exterior temperature, giving rise to greater variations, although this difference is of little importance for maturing wine (annual variation 2.5 °C more than the cellar without a zarcera). The interior relative humidity is reduced, reducing the risk of condensation and problems of mould (the cellar without a zarcera reached excessively high values, 97% as an annual average, compared to 91% in the cellar with a zarcera). Thus the existence of zarceras in underground cellars improves the overall hygrothermal behaviour, providing suitable conditions for maturing wine without air conditioning systems, an advisable element in the building of new underground wine cellars.

Exponential sinusoidal model for predicting temperature inside underground wine cellars from a Spanish region

This article develops a mathematical model for determining the annual cycle of air temperature inside traditional underground wine cellars in the Spanish region of “Ribera del Duero”, known because of the quality of its wines. It modifies the sinusoidal analytical model for soil temperature calculation. Results obtained when contrasting the proposed model with experimental data of three subterranean wine cellars for 2 years are satisfactory. The RMSE is below 1 °C and the index of agreement is above 0.96 for the three cellars. When using the average of experimental data corresponding to the 2 years’ time, results improve noticeably: the RMSE decreases by more than 30% and the mean d reaches 0.99. This model should be a useful tool for designing underground wine cellars making the most of soil energy advantages.

A Comparison Between Underground Wine Cellars and Aboveground Storage for the Aging of Spanish Wines

This article examines the advantages of cellars compared with aboveground storage for aging of wine. The literature on winemaking points out the importance of a constant low temperature and high relative humidity inside buildings where wine is stored, in order to produce a high-quality end product as well as to reduce wine losses. An analytical model for calculation of the soil temperature was used as an approach for the assessment of the possible energy savings in underground cellars. In addition, various traditional underground wine cellars were monitored in comparison with commercial wineries in the Ribera del Duero appellation of origin (Spain), and the results showed the advantages of underground cellars.

Comparison of analytical and on site temperature results on Spanish traditional wine cellars

In Spain there is a great heritage of traditional underground wine cellars. Since the depth of these cellars in the studied area is from 1 to 6 m, the thermal inertia is very high which causes the indoor air temperature to follow the outdoor temperature with a great attenuation and time lag. There is a simply and well-known analytical model to predict soil temperatures. In this article the potential of this analytical model to predict the temperature inside the wine cellars is analyzed. The result shows that by changing the average annual ground temperature, the model and the experimental are in good agreement. The model is worth to predict the indoor temperature range but it is not good to predict the indoor temperature course.

Comparison of hygro-thermal conditions in underground wine cellars from a Spanish area

This paper discusses the results from the monitoring of various traditional underground wine cellars in the area of “Tierras sorianas del Cid”. The studied area belongs to the “Denominación de Origen of Ribera del Duero”, which is known all around the world because of the high quality of its wines. Four wine cellars from two villages were monitored at two times: summer and winter time. Underground wine cellars can contribute to energy savings due to the stability of temperatures occurring inside them. The aim of this study was to analyze the existence of differences in temperature and relative humidity inside wine cellars which influence the quality of wines. The results showed that the temperature registered inside the wine cellars was much more constant than outdoor temperature, but there were some differences in the temperature level and annual variation of temperature from one cellar to another, which we try to examine.

Study of the thermal behaviour of traditional wine cellars: the case of the area of “Tierras Sorianas del Cid” (Spain)

This article studies the hygro-thermal behaviour of two traditional underground wine cellars from Morcuera (Soria, Spain). The differences between them are analyzed and our hypothesis is that one of these constructions is better than the other for the ageing of wines. The hypothesis takes into consideration the existence of a temperature difference of over 2 °C between them as a basis for reaching the aforementioned conclusion. However, the relative humidity inside both of them is 100%, which could pose problems if the presence of mould is not controlled. This study is based on fieldwork for the inventory and cataloguing of traditional agrarian constructions in the “Tierras Sorianas” area. The objective of this investigation is to highlight some advantages of traditional building techniques over modern construction practices from the energy-saving viewpoint.