Our cellars

Storage Conditions

Our cellars are at Cert Octavian in Corsham in Southern England in the disused quarries that provided the limestone used in the building of the outlying villages of Bath.  When mining ended in 1920 the site was taken over by the Ministry of Defence who refurbished the underground mines at huge cost for the storage of explosives and ammunition.

In the late 1980s, the quarries were bought by Cert Octavian. Realising their potential they invested a further £1.5 million to create the perfect and unique conditions for the ageing of wines. No other facility in the UK provides a truly constant temperature of 13°. Furthermore humidity, which is very important for the perfect ageing of wine, is maintained at the highest level possible without damaging labels or cases.

The quality of wine storage is extremely important in ensuring that you are not disappointed when you pull the cork. Furthermore provenance is becoming increasingly important when you come to sell any of your wines. Auction Houses and wine merchants will ask where and how the wine has been stored before agreeing to handle the sale. Storing at Octavian ensures that your wines are in perfect condition whether for drinking or for resale.

Security

Private Reserves’ facilities are extremely secure.  There are only two entrances in the storage area and removing more than a single case is only possible via a mechanical train, which makes any major theft very unlikely. In addition the whole storage area is alarmed and there is 24-hour security.

Another aspect of security is that, since 1975, a number of wine companies have gone into liquidation or receivership and customers have had their wines seized by the liquidator .  Our systems ensure that whatever eventuality might befall Private Reserves, Goedhuis & Co or indeed Cert Octavian, our customers’ wines will be safe.

For additional security when asking for delivery we require written, faxed or e-mailed confirmation.