Bottle-count sizing · 2,000 bottles
Wine cellar cooling
for 2,000 bottles
Bottle count is how people search. Cubic feet, glass, and insulation are how a cabinet is sold. Typical room: A 12 ft by 12 ft by 10 ft or 14 ft by 12 ft by 10 ft cellar. About 1,200 to 1,800 ft3.
Starting point
6,346 BTU/h. Up to about 2,000 ft3. Use 5000 (about 1,200 ft3) only if the room is truly at the low end and glass is a door. Most 2,000-bottle tasting rooms land on 7000.
Written and reviewed by
Panthaire HVAC Engineering Team · Licensed HVAC · Wine Cellar Cooling Specialists
The team that engineers APEX is the same team that ships it and answers the phone when installers call.
Last reviewed · August 27, 2026
What has to be true
- 01Two thousand bottles is usually APEX 7000.
- 0212x12x10 is 1,440 ft3. 14x12x10 is 1,680 ft3. Both sit under 2,000 ft3.
- 037000 needs a 20A dedicated circuit. 5000 stays on 15A.
- 04Grille layout matters more at this footprint. Supply high, return low, opposite sides.
Two thousand bottles is a tasting room, not a closet. Plan aisle, lighting, and a door that people will stand in. A 12 ft by 12 ft by 10 ft room is 1,440 ft3. A 14 ft by 12 ft by 10 ft room is 1,680 ft3. APEX 7000 is rated to about 2,000 ft3. APEX 5000 stops around 1,200 ft3. Most rooms at this bottle count belong on 7000. The exception is a dense, low-ceiling storage room with almost no glass. That room is rare in the searches that land here.
Glass is the usual reason a 1,400 ft3 room still fails on 5000. A glass wall on a tasting room is a load, a humidity problem if the envelope is weak, and a noise problem if someone tries to hide a wall unit in it. Keep the cabinet in a conditioned mechanical space. Grilles only in the room. Do not put the compressor in the glass. That is the same concealment rule as a 100-bottle closet, with more people watching.
At this footprint, one supply and one return still work if they are opposite and the ducts are short. Long L-shaped rooms may need a second supply run. That is still one cabinet. Do not invent a second compressor because the aisle is long. Read the ductwork guide and the 7000 cut sheet. Two grilles are a layout choice. Two cabinets are a volume or glass choice.
Electrical steps up. APEX 7000 is a dedicated 20A 115V circuit. Drain and ambient rules do not change: slope the condensate, keep 50-77F at the cabinet, licensed HVAC, commission to 55F with the glass door closed. DIY still voids the warranty. If the tasting room will host events, commission with the lighting and the door traffic you actually expect, not an empty dark box.
Hospitality at 2,000 bottles is a club or a serious restaurant cellar. Kitchen adjacency, local R-290 rules, and noise all show up. A house BTU number is the wrong start. Measure the room, the mechanical space, and the glass as a commercial job even if the bottle count looks residential.
If the room is heading past 2,000 ft3 or the envelope is a glass box, stop guessing. Run the calculator and send a Pro job with the closing date. Two thousand bottles is a search. The model is a measured room. US fulfillment is DTC. No public installer map.
Recommended starting cabinet
APEX 7000
6,346 BTU/h · about 2,000 ft3 · 115V / 60Hz dedicated 20A
6,346 BTU/h. Up to about 2,000 ft3. Use 5000 (about 1,200 ft3) only if the room is truly at the low end and glass is a door. Most 2,000-bottle tasting rooms land on 7000.
Install notes at this scale
Licensed HVAC installs. DIY voids the warranty. The wine cellar cooling installation guide is the sequence. The ducted wine cellar cooling pillar explains the architecture.
- 01Default to 7000 unless the calculator says the room is truly 5000-sized.
- 0220A dedicated on 7000.
- 03Opposite high supply and low return. Watch long rooms.
- 04Licensed HVAC. Commission to 55F.
Other bottle counts
Each page is a different room, not a cloned paragraph. If your count sits between two numbers, open both, then confirm with L, W, H, and glass.
Questions at 2,000 bottles
Can one APEX 7000 cool 2,000 bottles?
Yes if the room is at or under about 2,000 ft3 and the envelope is honest. Bottle count is not the rating. Cubic feet, glass, and insulation are.
When do I need two cabinets?
When volume, glass, or layout is beyond one 7000 after an honest calculator run. Do not pair two units to paper over a leaky box.
Why is the circuit 20A here and 15A on smaller pages?
APEX 7000 is the 20A model. 3500 and 5000 stay on 15A. The bottle count did not change the breaker. The cabinet did.
Confirm the room
Measure L, W, H, and glass next.
The BTU calculator returns the APEX model that fits. Before You Build locks the envelope. Pro is for a specified job.