Facilities

Subterranean Wine (and Beer!) Storage

Seattle Wine Storage is located below street level and is heavily insulated. To further protect your wine investment, we installed state-of-the-art refrigeration equipment to ensure a constant 55º year-round temperature and a relative humidity level of 60%-75%. We currently have 2 separate compressors to keep your wines at a constant 55º.

Temperature

The single most important factor in storing wine properly is temperature. Ideally, wine should be stored at a constant 55º F plus or minus 1-2 degrees. Below 50º, wine matures too slowly, while extended storage above 65-70º can drastically accelerate the aging process, shorten the period of peak drinkability and “cook” your wine. Occasional brief exposure to temperatures above 65-70º is not terribly detrimental, but repeated exposure to these temperatures, particularly when multiplied over a 10 or 20 year aging period, has a cumulative negative effect. This is why Seattle Wine Storage lockers are kept at an ideal 55º all of the time.

Humidity

Most experts recommend maintaining wine between 50% and 75% relative humidity. Low humidity causes corks to become brittle and dry, while humidity levels above 80% can result in mold and mildew, ruining labels and reducing potential resale value. Seattle Wine Storage maintains a natural humidity range of 60-75%.

Light

Exposure to sunlight can adversely affect the contents of the bottle and fade the label. Our locker design blocks light while allowing air to circulate.

Vibration

Constant or excessive vibration, especially for red wines, disturbs the bitter sediment, causing it to remain suspended in contact with the wine. Vibration can also adversely affect the seal on old, fragile corks. Our facility is solid concrete below street level, eliminating vibration from external sources. Your wines will rest in a perfectly still environment at Seattle Wine Storage.

Security

We offer individually locked units – only you have the key. The entire facility is alarmed and monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A sprinkler system covers the entire facility. Access is limited to clients and their authorized agents.

The building is made of solid concrete, and there are no exterior walls, doors or windows that directly access the wine storage areas from the outside, so no ‘smash and grab’ break-in is possible. The entire exterior area is contained within a chain link fence topped with barbed wire.

Amenities

Seattle Wine Storage has an 1,100 sq. ft. lounge area for client use. You can relax with friends over a glass of wine, browse through our library of wine books, access our Wi-Fi, watch a ball game, etc. For parties 5 or more, please email LeeSpires@seattlewinestorage.biz.

Convenience

Seattle Wine Storage is only minutes from downtown Seattle just off I-5. You can see our location on this map. Our loading dock is covered and hand trucks and dollies are provided. Ample parking is available in the loading area.

We are fully equipped to ship or receive palletized wine shipments from moving companies, auction houses, retailers and other volume shippers via refrigerated cross-country semi’s. We can forklift your wine safely off the back of their trucks and place it in our secured pallet storage area for you, no need to be here!

Even our lockers are designed with your convenience in mind. Unlike many wine storage facilities, there are no huge ladders needed to access lockers above your head. Locker doors easily lift off for full-width access to the locker instead of being hinged. Smaller lockers (up to 16 cases) hold all your wine on a single layer – no need to stack boxes on top of other boxes. Larger lockers have multiple shelves so that you don’t have to move all your boxes to get to the bottom layer of wine.