I live in the heart of the wine country and sell vineyards and wineries when i'm not wearing my self storage hat. The thought of opening a wine storage facility has intriqued me for at least a couple years. The only thing holding me back is lack on knowledge. It seems to be a realtive new concept and data seems limited. Does anyone know a consultant that determines feasibility for wine storage? I'm also under the impression that you need some sort of license/bond from the State of California. How long does it take and what is required to get this permit? I'm assuming climate controlled is a must, proximity to main freeway is ideal, and good access for semi trucks to get in and out of your facility is key. The wine industry is coming off of three large crop years in a row, and with the market starting to turn north it seems like an ideal time to help some farmers and build some wine storage.

Welcome to the SST forums, and I hope you can gather the information you need here! We've published several feature stories on wine storage in past issues of Inside Self-Storage magazine. Some of them may be outdated, but most still have really great information. Just visit www.insideselfstorage.com and type "wine storage" into the keyword search box in the top right of the page. You should find a few good reads.

Thanks for the direction Teri! The articles on wine storage were beneficial and fun reads. It seems most of the wine storage mentioned was regarding finished case goods. Is there any data on bulk wine storage (non bottled)? Wine has to ferment in barrels and tanks for 6 - 24+ months and to capture rental income during this fermenting process may provide agressive returns. As more and more small boutique wine makers get into the game, demand for bulk wine stoage gets a lift.