Renovating
A Celebrated Collection
Evoking the feel of a French chateau, a custom-designed wine cellar stores a lifetime of merriment.
BY
Emily Schnitzler
PHOTOGRAPHY
Colin Miller/Strauss Peyton

“It was essential that we have a room to store our wine collection.”
                                  – Terri Barrack

Having built their first wine cellar in New Orleans, the Barracks’ space in their Clayton home displays their passion for wine collecting.

When Terri and Robert Barrack began frequenting Napa Valley wineries 20 years ago -– when the Silverado Trail was sparse and tastings were held in private homes – they had no idea that the art of wine collecting would become a root of their lifestyle.

After years of cultivating their palates, the couple moved to St. Louis in 2005 and began renovating a 50-year-old home in Clayton. They knew the first item on the agenda was the addition of a wine cellar. “We were fortunate to have a great team of people to help us create it,” says Terri.

Following the construction of the lower level room, Terri and Robert assessed the proposed design and tweaked select features, by including the addition of a waterfall, more magnum racks and a piece of artwork to personalize the space.

“I tore out magazine photos of other cellars and gathered ideas, just as I would if I were building a home,” says Terri.

To give the cellar the feel of a French château, the Barracks hired Finalé Finishes’ Dave Heagle, who discovered his talent for faux finishing when they asked him to paint a clouded ceiling in the master bath. “His work amazed us; while he had painted our entire home, he’d never done anything like this before,” says Terri.

Not surprisingly, when Dave presented the Barracks with an idea for a finish that blended brick with a European-style chipped-away plaster, they jumped at decorator Joe Morrow’s suggestion to use the finish in the wine cellar. Joe also created a sketch for a window case frame mural that would be interpreted on canvas by Pilar Speltz and then plastered onto the ceiling, giving the room added depth.

Hours of research went into the project that would soon resemble a wine caché in the South of France. Dave was meticulous about the scale of his designs. Verifying the size and placement of the bricks, he learned that in order to enforce a tangible structure, the ceiling bricks would need to be positioned in alternating horizontal and vertical pairs.

The process was unexpectedly challenging. Because constant air-conditioning was necessary in the space to preserve the wine, each coat of sealer took days to dry. While Dave estimated the process to be completed in just over a week, a month passed before the room’s completion. “I would be down there working for hours in a winter coat!” says Dave.

Organized immaculately by type and region, the cellar stores approximately 2,500 bottles. “Walking into the cellar with the inability to decide is actually a fun problem to have: There are too many fantastic choices!” says Terri.

Recommendations from the Barracks’ sommelier Ian McCaffery characterize the cellar. When the couple moved to New Orleans from California, they met Ian at his 60-year-old wine shop. “People who have a passion for wine have an immediate connection,” says Ian. “Terri and I discovered this right away, and our friendship has thrived as a result.”

Knowing that the Barracks love wines with the ability to age, he tries to bring new and interesting wines in front of them as much as possible. On his yearly travels to France and to the Napa Valley, Ian phones them immediately when he learns of a wine that will delight their palates.

“One of the most wonderful things about the wine industry is that it is a very personal business,” Ian says. For the Barracks, collecting wine is not only a great investment but also the source of one of their greatest pleasures: sharing wine with friends.

“The best thing about collecting wine is that you don’t have to go to a restaurant and spend lavishly on a well-aged bottle because you bought the same wine the year it came out,” says Terri. “Purchasing wonderful wines that you know will age well is all the more wonderful knowing the delight you’ll bring to your friends and family down the road.”