Storing your wine
The ideal storage conditions for fine wine are stable, low temperatures, relatively high humidity, and as little light as possible. We recommend cellaring in a specialised storage facility to ensure wines are stored safely, cost effectively, and in the correct conditions. At LCB Drakelow Tunnels, an ex-military underground facility, wines  are protected by military-grade blast doors, with dehumidifying systems, temperature control and full CCTV.

With a photography facility set up inside the warehouse, we can provide condition reports on request, including of photographs of the numbered bottles within a case. Please see our Services Price List for details.

As part of our service, we will provide you with the details you need to best manage your cellar, from recommended windows for drinking to market valuations. We are also provide insurance at full replacement cost.

You will be able to

  • Comfortably store your wines in optimal conditions
  • Easily transfer and store wines you have purchased from other merchants
  • Safely access your wines

Transferring wines to our Bonded Warehouse
Many customers choose to consolidate their wines at our bonded cellar to manage everything in one place and to save on storage costs.

Let us know your wine is coming
Please notify customerservices@stannarywine.com and include the completed transfer excel spreadsheet. We will also communicate directly with other merchants to make the process as easy as possible for you.

The sender may require the following details of our bonded warehouse:
Warehouse Keeper no.: GBWK506829337
Excise no.: GB00004330305
Please ensure your wines are carefully packaged so that they can be stored in the conditions in which they are received.

We will add it to your reserves and let you know
Once LCB Drakelow receives the wine, it will be checked, verified versus the original instruction and then added to your reserves.
It typically takes 1 – 2 months, from arrival at the warehouse for it to show on your online account. If you require a faster transfer, please notify our team so we can do our best to meet your needs.

The charges will be applied to your account as follows:
Sealed original cases: no charge.
Mixed cases: £10 per case (up to 9 litres, or 12 x 75cl bottles); if the wines must be itemized and listed individually on your account, the charge is £20 per case and this includes a condition report.

If you are transferring wines duty paid from within the UK
We require proof of its previous location, whether it is coming from your home cellar or a duty paid warehouse.
We may also require a condition report depending on the wine, its value and its age.

Transferring your wines to another warehouse
If you wish to transfer your wines (either in bond or duty paid) to an account elsewhere, please follow these steps.

Tell us what you want to send
Please notify customerservices@stannarywine.com and include the following information:
Your account number with us
The list of wines from your reserves
Where the wine is going:
Another LCB warehouse (e.g. LCB Tilbury): £15, up to 35 cases
An LCB warehouse in Scotland: £22, up to 35 cases
Another UK-based bonded warehouse, outside the LCB network: quoted based on volume and destination
Any LCB transfers over 35 cases are quoted separately
Any corresponding account details with the receiving warehouse

We will arrange the transfer
We will let you know when we’ve released the wines from your reserves to begin the transfer process.

Your wines will be shipped
(And the receiving warehouse should get in touch when the transfer is complete)

Arranging wines to be collected
If you have duty paid wines which need to be collected and transferred into your cellar with us, we would be delighted to help.

Let us know what to collect, and where it is
Please notify privatereserves@stannarywine.com and include the following information:
Your account number
List of incoming wines including:
Number of units (e.g. 1 case of 6 bottles)
Value of the wine (if the total value is over £5,000, extra insurance will need to be arranged which we can provide through our transport partner)
Whether the wine is stored in secure and sturdy packaging, or whether additional packaging is required
Where the wine is to be collected from:
All collections will be quoted separately.

We will arrange the collection
We will let you know when the wines will be picked up.

We will add it to your reserves and let you know
Once our Bond receives the wine, it will be checked and verified against the original instruction, and then added to your reserves.
It typically takes up to 15 working days from arrival at the warehouse for it to show on your online account.
You will receive an email notification when the process is complete.

Condition of the wines
When the wines are received at our Bond, their condition will be checked. On rare occasions, we will be in touch if there is a query (e.g. a damaged package, stained label) or an issue (e.g. case requires woodworm treatment).

Can I visit my wine?
We can arrange appointments on request.

What is a bonded warehouse?
A bonded warehouse is one where goods can be stored without having paid UK duty and VAT. Those taxes need to be paid, and recorded as such with the HMRC, before the wines can move from “in bond” status to “duty paid” status, which is required prior to delivery. Wines can also be stored “duty paid” within a bonded warehouse.

What are the benefits of storing in bond?
Customers who plan to sell their wines are advised to buy in bond wherever possible. Foreign wine markets are not liable to pay UK duty and VAT, making wines sold from the UK desirable. It’s also a way to help assure a wine’s provenance. And, for customers who plan to drink their wines, storing in bond is a method of deferring some of the costs.

What does insurance cover?
All wines stored with our Bond are fully insured. This policy includes coverage against fire, theft, flood and accidental damage, and values are based on a replacement cost at today’s market prices.

Maturity advice
Different wines mature in different ways, so we provided recommended drinking windows based on when, and for how long, a wine might be ready to drink. The best time to drink a wine often depends on personal tastes: do you like the fresh, youthful aromas or more development? We are always on hand to discuss how wines might evolve in the cellar.

So, the dates we provide are subjective. They are very much a matter of opinion, designed as a guideline rather that a rule. We also provide a description with our drink dates:

Leave: should be left to mature
Improving: A wine which has matured sufficiently to be drinkable, but where further development is anticipated
Ready: a mature wine, expected to provide enjoyable drinking up to the ‘to’ date

Changes to dates
We review our drink dates on an annual basis. This means that drink dates may be adjusted for wines in our customers’ own reserves.

Delivery
Wines are delivered directly from our Bond using their own fleet of drivers and vans, though in some instances they may work with sub-contractors, especially in hard to reach places. We aim to deliver wines within seven working days within the mainland UK. Wines are fully insured while in transit.

For rates and other details, please see our full terms and conditions as well as our services price list.