I found this article on the netand there’s a couple of interesting points relevant to the indstry so I thought I’d share it.
FERNDALE “” Forget those musty, dusty wine cellars of old. There is a new generation of wine storage.
At The Wine Cellar of Michigan, the state’s first licensed self-storage facility for wine enthusiasts in Ferndale, a fine wine can be given room and the atmosphere to meet its potential.
The 1,000-square-foot vault is kept at the ideal climate: a steady 55 degrees with 79 percent humidity. There are no windows, limiting a wine’s exposure to harmful light. Best of all, there is a room for more than 11,448 bottles or 954 cases of wine. Try fitting that in your basement.
“It’s perfect for collectors, connoisseurs or investors,” said David Leonard, whether you drink Two Buck Chuck “” Trader Joe’s $2 wine brand “” or the best chardonnay.
Wine storage, long a priority for serious collectors, has become more sophisticated and manageable than ever with a bevy of options available to today’s oenophiles. Panelled, in-home wine cellars are increasingly common, and no new kitchen would be complete without its own under-counter wine cooler.
Even Wal-Mart sells them on its Web site, carrying units that hold as few as six bottles or as many as 60. Prices range from $125 to $600.
And disappearing are the days of storing a bottle in the freezer for quick serving. Maytag and other appliance manufacturers are developing refrigerators with built-in wine chillers for those unexpected guests.
Some high-end restaurants even offer personal wine storage for select customers. Small lockers at Bacco and Morton’s of Chicago in Southfield, Andiamo in Dearborn, Andiamo Italia West in Bloomfield Hills and Capital Grille in Troy hold a dozen bottles at most, which are purchased at a discount from the restaurant or brought from home. Each restaurant has its rules.
The lockers are prominently displayed with name tags. Catch ex-Ford CEO Jacques Nasser’s collection, for example, right near the front door at Bacco.
“We have a two-year waiting list for lockers,” said Bart Hickey, manager at Capital Grille.
Leonard, owner of Grand Central Self Storage in Ferndale, created the specialty wine cellar after hearing about these sorts of facilities at industry gatherings. After some investigation and a lengthy licensing process “” Michigan had to create a special application just for him “” Leonard opened the Wine Cellar in September.
So far, one client has signed up. But Leonard has high hopes. He anticipates a greater need for wine storage in the United States, especially among baby boomers. The wine industry also anticipates the 2003 wine crop will produce a high number of fine wines, which could generate additional sales among collectors in the years to come.
A small locker, which holds about eight cases, costs about $12 per month to rent with a six-month contract.
Larger lockers can hold up to 54 cases, said Grand Central manager Dennis Johnson, and there is room to build even more,
Self storage is the term applied to facilities offering rental on a month-to-month basis where the tenant applies his own lock.
Personal storage first began in the early 1800s. The first generation was developed in England, where British banking institutions were asked to safeguard valuables for clients embarking on extended voyages, according to the Self Storage Association in Springfield, Va.
Today, the number of self-storage units across the country has increased 31 percent to more than 13 million, or one for every eight households, according to the MiniCo 2004 Self Storage almanac. The Wine Cellar’s high-humidity vaults can store a number of products, including cigars.
“If you wanted to store a truckload of Mad Dog, we wouldn’t mind,” Johnson said.
From Detroit News