Cellarettes

A Cellarette or cellaret is a small cabinet made to store alcohol bottles (e.g wine or whisky). They come in various shapes and sizes including freestanding cabinets on legs, built into the end of dining room sideboards or portable with handles. They were often made of fine decorative wood like walnut, rosewood or mahogany. They often had a lock to secure them from light-fingered servants.

Some versions were lined with metal to protect the wood from the ice that was used to keep wine or food chilled. During the 18th century these came to be referred to as a ‘wine cooler’ or ‘butler’. The word ‘boutellier’ anglicized as ‘butler’ came to denote the servant who was responsible for the bottles contained in the cellarette or wine cellar. Cellarettes became status symbols with households having as many as three at a time.