Home Cellar in UK

Angus and his family live 10km from central London. Their Victorian 5-bedroom home has an underground space which is ideal for storing wine. Angus has over 1,000 bottles of different grapes and vintages. Angus aims to double his portfolio with a clear vision of aging his cellar for the decade.

Our consultant conducted an initial appraisal of the cellar, took the opportunity to examine and taste some of the older wines in his collection. Understanding the vision of Angus is important before delving into a strategy to achieve his goal. The cellar in the home temperature was a constant 12-14 degree celsius with humidity of 68%. There is no requirement to purchase any refrigeration storage system. Our recommendation was to improve on shelving for his collection to include provision for full cases of bordeaux and larger format bottles.

The project was completed in 3 months with 60% of the wine that could be cellared for over 15 years and 25% of wine Angus could enjoy immediately over dinner parties. Some of the wines in the cellar were sent to auction, from the sales Angus re-invested in a nice portfolio of new world wines.

“To entertain a guest is to make yourself responsible for his happiness so long as he is beneath your roof “

Jean-Anthelme Brilat-Savarin
The Philosopher in The Kitchen

Wine Enthusiast

Charles is an IT Engineer lives in London and enjoys wines. He owns a 4-bedroom house with a backyard and a garage that he has turned into a recreation room. The garage is not temperature control although it is cool in the winter, it can be warm over the summer months, even for London. He stored his wines in a domestic fridge and in its original wine boxes. He has over 12 dozen of mixed wines and champagnes. His son has just gone to medical school and he aims to cellar a portfolio as his son’s graduation gift in 5 years’ time.

Our consultant conducted an initial appraisal of his wines and concluded that 50% of the stock will age in the next 10 years. We spoke to Charles on the range of investment he has in mind and develop the best solution to store his wine collection. We also took Charles to visit the Champagne Region, tasted and purchased couple of dozen to put away for the graduation party of his son. We also advised Charles to invest in a climate temperature humidity control wine storage cabinet that could hold 130 bottles.