Our new storage facility: Wine without the cheese
Alright, it’s time for a shameless plug.
For those of you who know us, you know my brother and I don’t fool around when it comes to a good bottle of wine, and that includes how we store it. So it seemed a natural move to integrate our passion into our moving and storage business and invest in a state-of-the-art storage facility specifically built for your collection that’s head over heels above keeping it in your pantry or kitchen cabinet or—*gasp*—above your refrigerator.
Sure, if you drink wine for the aesthetic quality and aren’t really concerned with pesky things like quality or taste, you could probably live your whole life storing them in that pantry. But imagine a scenario—and you don’t have to live in Paso or Napa to respect this—when your home is hit with the seasonal 80 degree-plus day. And then BAM! That fancy bottle of vino you’ve been saving? Totally ruined. Caput! Fini, as the French say.
But this tragic scenario can easily be avoided with help from your friends here at Meathead Movers. And we’re happy to tell you how.
You see, there isn’t exactly a consensus among the wine industry on the perfect temperature for storing wine, but it’s generally accepted that it’s safe anywhere from 40 to 65 degrees. The trick is how long you plan to store it. Being that the process of aging is a chemical one, lower temperatures slow that process.
We did plenty of research on the subject, talked to industry folk, and settled on a safe bet—57 degrees Fahrenheit—for our new private facility.
But temperature isn’t the only factor to consider; humidity levels play a key role in wine preservation. If humidity levels remain too low for enough time, your cork can dry out and shrink. When that happens, too much air is let into the bottle than what is ideal. This will oxidize the wine, causing the aging process to speed up, and suddenly you’ve got vinegar.
Of course, if you’re a serious collector, your wine label is important. Too much humidity equals mold and label deterioration over an extended period of time.
We’ve got this covered as well, with our in-facility humidifier that keeps the storage area at the ideally between 50-70% humidity.
And the best part: storing your reds and whites will probably cost you less than the value of your best bottle! With the amount of money people on the Central Coast invest in their wine collections, it simply makes sense to protect that investment. Our lockers start at $49 per month, the price of which of course increases incrementally by size. Our largest can easily accommodate 300 cases. And we go month to month—no long-term contract necessary.
And we’ve invested, too. We probably could have gotten by tens of thousands of dollars ago, but we didn’t cut any corners, believe me. We went top of the line, all the way.
Once you’re at our San Luis Obispo facility, we’ll be happy to help you unload your wine and pack it away. We can also accept your wine club shipments for you, should you wish.
Once it’s locked up, it’s 100 percent safe. We stake our reputation on it. The only way in and out is through the front office, and you’re given your own access code (that’s recorded and time-stamped) to access the locker facility, and a personalized key for your own personal locker. Nobody else—not me, not anyone—has access to your locker but you. Not to mention the small army of surveillance cameras keeping watch over the facility.
Obviously, we take security very seriously, too. That’s our business.
When it comes time pop the cork, you can access your personal locker anytime during normal business hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
For a little more info (and some real flash press, IMHO), check out our buddy Spencer Vaishville’s excellent write-up about our new service in New Times’ Strokes & Plugs: http://www.newtimesslo.com/strokes-and-plugs/9426/reds-and-whites-without-the-blues
And a pretty awesome segment from our friends at KSBY to boot: http://www.ksby.com/news/meathead-movers-goes-into-the-wine-storage-business
We’re really excited to be in the position to offer this unique service to our customers and we hope you’ll take advantage. In the meantime, remember to always keep it cool, connoisseurs!