UK port storage advice

[Alex M]

The time has come to move out of the family home and therefore I am looking for wine storage centres for approximately 70 bottles of old VP I have collected over the years. The only issue being they are odd bottles or pairs. Does anybody know of any storage facilities that will accept these? Ideally with a collection ability.

[RAYC]

Big Yellow in Fulham could work.

Access 5am to 11pm, and they will accept and sign for deliveries (and keep in their secure storage room within the temp controlled cellar until you are able to collect).

But it is expensive and possibly would not make sense for 70 bottles. And no "pick and send" delivery service available.

On a per-bottle basis, Fine and Rare have a reasonable storage service at London City Bond (and accept individual bottles). I know some have concerns about London City Bond because of the fact that it is not actively temperature controlled, but it is supposedly well insulated and has been used as a wine store for some time without gaining a reputation for being obviously bad (as far as i can tell - and, in terms of personal experience, i had a bottle of claret over Xmas that had been stored there for 5+ years that showed well, so.....). Collection is possible (though not as easy as Big Yellow), but delivery service is also very good (they can pick and send an individual bottle if that's all you want).

If others know other places, i would also be interested in hearing!

[RAYC]

The time has come to move out of the family home and therefore I am looking for wine storage centres for approximately 70 bottles of old VP I have collected over the years. The only issue being they are odd bottles or pairs. Does anybody know of any storage facilities that will accept these? Ideally with a collection ability.

Plus, as jdaw1 will tell you, moving out of the family home is not necessarily fatal for the ongoing residence of your port collection there!

[Alex Bridgeman]

Big Yellow in Fulham is not cheap, but is exceedingly convenient if you are based close to London. If I recall, there is also a similar (but not Big Yellow) facility in Tunbridge Wells and another in Birmingham.

Another option might be to buy a wine storage cabinet. 70 bottle capacity would not be a big cabinet and if you don't have space for this at home you can hire storage space at your nearest Big Yellow / Shurgard / Ready Steady Store with an electricity supply that you can plug the cabinet into.

But if you go the wine cabinet route - beware! Wine cabinets breed bottles when you are not looking and you quickly run out of space...

[Glenn E.]

But if you go the wine cabinet route - beware! Wine cabinets breed bottles when you are not looking and you quickly run out of space...

I can confirm this phenomenon. They also seem to breed with each other. I have two full-size (180-ish bottle) wine cabinets, a small 40-ish bottle cabinet, and now have somehow acquired an even smaller 18-bottle cabinet.

Now if I can just get the two small cabinets to grow up into full-size cabinents, I'll be in good shape for storage. For a couple of months. Maybe.

[g-man]

But if you go the wine cabinet route - beware! Wine cabinets breed bottles when you are not looking and you quickly run out of space...

I can confirm this phenomenon. They also seem to breed with each other. I have two full-size (180-ish bottle) wine cabinets, a small 40-ish bottle cabinet, and now have somehow acquired an even smaller 18-bottle cabinet.

Now if I can just get the two small cabinets to grow up into full-size cabinents, I'll be in good shape for storage. For a couple of months. Maybe.

!!! I thought I was the only one with this problem!!!

[DRT]

I can confirm this phenomenon. They also seem to breed with each other. I have two full-size (180-ish bottle) wine cabinets, a small 40-ish bottle cabinet, and now have somehow acquired an even smaller 18-bottle cabinet.

+1

I bought at 110 bottle cabinet about 10 years ago. It now has an 80 bottle wife, and 80 bottle son and a 50 bottle daughter. I also have a very large annual invoice from a professional wine storage company.

You are standing at the top of a very slippery slope!

[RAYC]

Another option might be to buy a wine storage cabinet. 70 bottle capacity would not be a big cabinet and if you don't have space for this at home you can hire storage space at your nearest Big Yellow / Shurgard / Ready Steady Store with an electricity supply that you can plug the cabinet into.

Do you know of a storage space that has such an electricity supply? I have never seen one and from an insurance point of view i can't imagine there are that many that would be prepared to provide sockets for customers leaving appliances running....

[Alex Bridgeman]

Another option might be to buy a wine storage cabinet. 70 bottle capacity would not be a big cabinet and if you don't have space for this at home you can hire storage space at your nearest Big Yellow / Shurgard / Ready Steady Store with an electricity supply that you can plug the cabinet into.

Do you know of a storage space that has such an electricity supply? I have never seen one and from an insurance point of view i can't imagine there are that many that would be prepared to provide sockets for customers leaving appliances running....

I noticed that our local Ready Steady Store offered this as an extra facility, at extra cost, when we had lots of our household stuff in storage for a while.

[RAYC]

Another option might be to buy a wine storage cabinet. 70 bottle capacity would not be a big cabinet and if you don't have space for this at home you can hire storage space at your nearest Big Yellow / Shurgard / Ready Steady Store with an electricity supply that you can plug the cabinet into.

Do you know of a storage space that has such an electricity supply? I have never seen one and from an insurance point of view i can't imagine there are that many that would be prepared to provide sockets for customers leaving appliances running....

I noticed that our local Ready Steady Store offered this as an extra facility, at extra cost, when we had lots of our household stuff in storage for a while.

You are right - have never seen this before!

Unfortunately the quote was a £400 one-off charge at outset and then £20 per month surcharge for electricity...