Mini storage and wine? Yup, you read right! With climate-controlled storage units and shelves especially adapted to store wine bottles, collecting and storing wine has never been easier and so affordable.

Because your wine collection is a big investment, you’ll want to make sure that you store it the correct way. Learning how to store wine is not hard, but it’s important to provide consistency so the wine can develop to its fullest potential. Here are some things you should keep in mind:

  • Store in a dark place because UV rays can ruin the wine. Darkness is important since too much ultraviolet light from the sun, or even from fluorescent bulbs, can affect the quality of wine.
  • Temperatures need to remain constant and never go above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, the wine begins to oxidize. Temperatures that are too cold or fluctuate can result in wine seepage, or push the cork out of the bottle – both wasteful and messy so look for climate-controlled units.
  • Do not move the wine too much and keep vibrations to a minimum. Too much shaking about could create a gritty wine due to disturbed sediment.
  • Humidity should be kept around 70% to keep the cork from drying and minimize evaporation. If conditions are damp, wine labels can become damaged, and wine that’s not sealed properly could become moldy. Make sure you inquire about climate controlled storage.
  • Store your wine horizontally to avoid air getting into the wine and so that the cork remains moist and sediment stays away from the neck of the bottle. If stored in a downwardly tilted position, sediment can rest close to the neck of the bottle and when you pour your wine, sediment will be in your glass.

When shopping around for a NYC storage facility to store wine, here are some questions to ask the self-storage facility manager before entrusting them with your valuable wine collection:

  • Does their storage facility provide adequate temperature and humidity control in their wine storage units?
  • What is their security protocol, such as security-controlled gate access, motion-sensitive lighting and 24-hour camera monitoring?
  • Do they offer insurance for the wine you store in their units?
  • Do they specialize in wine storage?
  • Do they offer specialized packages depending on the size of your wine collection and the length of time you will be storing?
  • Ask if they provide a free move-in truck and the use of dollies. Wine bottles, especially if you’re a wine collector, investor, or restaurateur with multiple cases are heavy! You don’t want to be schlepping them around.

Be sure to ask the storage facility manager to answer these questions when choosing a wine storage facility. And best yet, ask for a tour of the facility to check out the conditions of the storage units to make sure that they meet your high standards.

If you’d like to learn more about Gotham Mini Storage (the leader in Manhattan mini storage) wine storage capabilities, please contact one of our storage experts.