I posted this in the Wine101 but I feel like there’s more traffic in WineTalk.
Basically in LA there are wine specific Off-Site Wine Storage places (Wine Cellar, Wine Hotel, Wine Storage, etc.) but in addition I found a self storage location that says they have specially designed subunits for wine storage.
Has anyone had experience with these? Would they be the same as the Wine Specific Storage places? The Website states they keep the wine section at 55 - 58 F & 65% - 70% Humidity, which from my research is ideal.
For Smaller sized collections the LifeStorage seems to be a good deal. ~9 Cases for $16/Month [3’ x 3’ x 2’]
The 15 case size is the best deal but the pricing is a little odd. For example, better to take two 15 case lockers for $40/mo than one 30 case locker for $74/mo.
Also to consider is what services are offered. Many wine storage places will accept shipments for you and even unpack boxes and put your wine away. Some have game rooms and some have parties. Some will deliver your wine to you. Consider what services are included in the cost and what you might actually use.
As for pricing, we typically charge about $2-3 per year per bottle, for comparison above, so Lifestorage’s rates are decent.
@M@tt G. is right, though, check out the services they offer. Do they accept your wine deliveries on your behalf? How long will they hold them? Will they deliver? All good questions.
In pasadena I store at Wine Grotto/Storbox. It’s a self storage space with a space with separate access dedicated to wine storage. I used to also do the same at the now defunct Storquest down in orange county.
I wouldn’t worry, if they say they are spaces specifically for wine, then it’s maintained for wine. Based on the website it seems so.
I pay 1.73/bottle/year in the West Valley… well, it supposedly fits 12 cases, but I’ve only been able to fit about 125 bottles so far (which puts my cost at $2/bottle/year), but I could probably improve my organization. However, the relationships I’ve made, the knowledge I’ve gained, and wines I’ve shared with the people I’ve met at the offsite far exceed the cost of admission, so I think a good tasting room / community at the offsite is another thing to consider.
Edit to add: once I get more than 24 cases worth of storage, I believe the prices go down per bottle; however, I won’t have that many bottles until the end of this year or so.
Thanks guys for the information and input. I might just use when I move until a better solution can be found.
When everyone talks about organization of them in the lockers I’m assuming people just put the bottles in retail cases (12 per) and not shipping boxes with pulp since those take up more space right.
I’ve been using cardboard cases that I get for free from retailers when I buy my wine (or I’ll ask for some that they were going to throw out), but I’ve found that it could be a bit of a pain to move a bunch of boxes to get a bottle in the back. I also didn’t really organize my bottles well, so finding them can be a little inconvenient at times. Because of this, I’m planning on trying to switch over to using cardboard/PVC tubes that I can make a grid out of. I can note where in the grid the bottle is located and I’ll never need to remove more than 2 bottles (if my tubes are 3 bottles deep) to get to a bottle. That’s how is see it playing out in my head anyway. I’m just trying to figure out where to get these tubes and what dimensions I want.
Each box is numbered and contents are logged into CT so finding them isn’t an issue. However, retrieving them among the 96 boxes does take some work. I make an appointment and the boxes in my locker are unloaded by the storage facility onto carts, I make my exchanges and they reload the locker. Because of the effort they will do this up to 4 times per year included in the price. This approach may not work for everyone but with enough storage at home that I only need to go there 1-2 times per year (after shipping season), and it keeps offsite storage costs down. My locker is 30 minutes away so it would be a minimum of an hour round-trip to access a bottle even if there was little retrieval time.
I store at The Wine Locker in Van Nuys. 24 case locker for $300 a year. Temperature and humidity controlled. Wine shipments are accepted for you. Many wine tasting and sharing events. Great fellowship