Hot property: cellars

When looking to house a fine wine collection, the most important factor is good temperature control. In the fine wine department of Berry Bros & Rudd in London, the warehouse is maintained at exactly 13º Celsius. “Wine likes to be dark, on its side, with a humidity of around 75 per cent,” says Joss Fowler of Berry Bros, “but, above all, it likes the temperature to be consistently cool.”

Modern wine cellars also eschew the dank and dusty cave look and now feature mood lighting, hand-carved wooden racks and backlit glass cabinets. All the better for showing off your collection, something these top five properties with wine cellars from around the world guarantee to do.

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▲ Scarlet Hall, McClain Street, Bedford, New York, $7.5m

Where: Westchester, New York, around an hour by train or car from central Manhattan.

What: Set in two acres, a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom English-style estate built in 1900 and recently refurbished. Modernisation includes Smart Home security, sound and lighting and eco-efficient plumbing. The property comprises 12,000 sq ft of living space, with formal entertainment rooms such as ballroom, great room, dining and living room, and a theatre room with stadium seating on the first floor. Most of the formal rooms have marble fireplaces and the large terrace is south facing. Outbuildings include a three-bedroom guest cottage and a two-bedroom barn, with parking for seven cars.

Why: The owner is a wine enthusiast who has built the temperature-controlled wine cellar to hold more than 1,000 bottles, and situated it between the kitchen and dining room so guests can visit for tastings.

Who: Houlihan Lawrence, houlihanlawrence.com, tel: +44 (0)20 7467 5330

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▲ Chalet Zermatt Peak, Zermatt, Canton Valais, Switzerland, SFr17.9m (£11.8m)

Where: Overlooking the Matterhorn, a few minutes from Zermatt centre by electric car, walking distance to the shops and restaurants.

What: Six storeys of floor-to-ceiling glass windows around a living area of 778 sq m. There is an internal lift, five en-suite double bedrooms, a large open-plan kitchen, dining area, living room, library, study. The Jacuzzi, sauna, gym and steam room all occupy one floor. There are 120 sq m of balconies.

Why: The modern 300-bottle wine cellar, housing vintage Dom Perignon and Châteauneuf du Pape, has backlit glass display cabinets, local sculptures on the wall and rock pillars hewn from the mountain. The owner charges peak rental rates for the property of SFr100,000 (£66,000) per week.

Who: Pure International, www.pureintl.com, tel: +44 (0)20 3031 2860

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Palácio São Paulo, Praia da Poça, Estoril, Portugal, €16m ►

Where: About 10 miles from the capital Lisbon, overlooking Cascais Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with a private staircase to Azarujinha Beach.

What: A 30-room manor house, with living space of around 1,882 sq m, built in 1911 as the summer residence of a Brazilian millionaire. Renovated in 2006, there are 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a dining room, three living rooms, a ballroom, office, spas, gym, indoor and outdoor pools. There is a second kitchen for entertaining, guard’s quarters and a caretaker’s house.

Why: There is a dedicated wine cellar to accompany the entertaining kitchen, which holds around 400 bottles and is both humidity and temperature controlled.

Who: Portugal Sotheby’s International Realty, www.sothebysrealtypt.com, tel: +351 913 824 772

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▲ Laughton Manor, Laughton, East Sussex, UK, £4.25m

Where: Six miles from Lewes, 15 miles from Brighton and 50 miles from London. Cross-Channel ferries to France run from Newhaven, 13 miles away, and trains from Lewes are direct to London.

What: Set in 12 acres, with formal lawns and a knot garden, the 18th-century house was remodelled along the lines of Osbourne House, Queen Victoria’s residence on the Isle of Wight. There are six bedroom suites, three further bedrooms, a one-bedroom housekeeping flat, a helipad and three-car garage. The owners have spent three years modernising, including the Italianate tower. There’s a quadruple-aspect view towards the South Downs – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Why: There are two wine cellars, operational since the house was built in 1760. The owner, a member of the Wine Society, has used his helicopter to do “Beaujolais runs” to buy the best cases.

Who: Winkworths, www.winkworth.co.uk, tel: +44 (0)1273 471471

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▲ Lourmarin, south Luberon, France, €6m

Where: 30 minutes from Aix-en-Provence, a few minutes from one of France’s prettiest listed villages.

What: A four-bedroom house, dating from the 17th century and newly restored. Set in a 5.7 hectare park, with an olive grove, vegetable garden, rose garden, fruit trees and a pond, the house has 600 sq m of living space. There is also an orangery, infinity pool, a dovecote and a personal wine cellar.

Why: The wine cellar, located off the living room, is behind a false library door which opens to reveal a small vaulted room, encased by stone walls, suitable for a personal collection of around 200 bottles.

Who: Emile Garcin, www.emilegarcin.com, tel: +44 (0)7770 431 535