Row upon row, layer upon layer of wooden wine cases stacked from floor to lofty ceiling. 1959 Ch. Margaux, 2000 Ch. Lafite, 1934 Ch. d’Yquem… Our state-of-the-art bonded wine warehouses are some of the most hi-tech in the world, all maintained at optimum temperature and humidity, and are a world away from our historic, museum-like St James’s Street shop.

On the outside they look like any other warehouses; to the passer-by there is nothing to suggest the fabulous riches that lie within. But inside it’s a world apart. The first thing you notice, especially if you visit on a hot day, is the chill.

The buildings are lined with an insulated inner wall like the lining of a fridge, and fourteen giant fans keep the air carefully regulated within half a degree of 12˚C. As you walk from one aisle to the next, the lights come on automatically, and go off again minutes after you leave, keeping the heat output from the bulbs to a minimum. For our customers who store their wine with us, it is reassuring to know that it is being so carefully looked after.

We are currently holding just under 400,000 cases (4 million bottles) for our customers, which equates to roughly 64% of everything we store – and these numbers are always increasing. So to keep up with demand we’ve recently bought our third warehouse, Gemini, which conveniently is next door to our Hampshire offices, Bin End Shop and Basingstoke warehouse. This addition brings our total storage capacity up to a massive 8,300,000 bottles.

Gemini stands empty as the finishing touches are made to this new hi-tech storage space. But it won’t be empty for long; we estimate that it will be completely full as soon as summer of 2015! And then who knows? We might end up buying every warehouse on the road!