wine-cellar

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wine-cellar. Large wine-cellars were usually constructed underground, preferably approached through another cellar into which goods could be passed down through trapdoors. They are paved, with vaulted ceilings, to ensure equable temperatures, and have racks for the bottles. Wine-cellars were once features of most well-appointed houses, and early fine examples survive (e.g. in Winchelsea and Antwerp).

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