A Guide to Wine Storage Rules and Regulations

If you are new to the fine wine industry, or perhaps you are investing in wine for the first time, you may not be aware of the fairly stringent rules that surround it. These are important to check as wine storage has many regulations surrounding it.

However, the team of seasoned fine wine specialists here at Octavian have seen fit to create this full guide to wine storage rules and regulations, so that you don’t have to search for the information.

In this latest addition to our bank of great features of articles, we tell you all the rules you need to know about fine wine such as wine storage law and regulations and why these exist.

As experts in fine wine storage and cellarage, the wine rules we are referring to obviously apply to wine warehouse document checks.

The FSA Wine Standards Branch carries out these warehouse document checks on wine imported from the EU and beyond in order to ensure quality in maintained, and that no produce is contaminated or dangerous to the public.

As a premier bonded warehouse, we always have our valid VI 1 and VI 2 documents ready for inspection as these are what we may be asked to produce by the FSA.

They will also ask to see an Administrative Accompanying Document (AAD) if they deem it necessary. This separates lower quality facilities from those such as ours and means that you don’t get any cowboy operations that could adversely impact the quality of your fine wines.

An AAD can include wine originally from outside the EU, but can include any product that has been to another country on its journey or stored elsewhere in order to avoid inspection.

As this wine is likely to have been transported under bond in order to suspend any duty that is due from you, the seller, this approval is needed from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Due to this and as you are likely to know all too well already, wines ‘in bond’ have not yet had duty and VAT paid on them and so you are required to find a facility such as our Octavian in Wiltshire to keep your fine wines in mint condition until such a time that you need them.

It is also worth bearing in mind that your fine wines must be stored in unmixed cases and must not be consumed in the EU until they are brought out of “bond”.

Aside from legality, maintaining high standards of wine storage and abiding by the rules, if you have invested vast amounts of money into your product it is prudent to make sure that you keep it in mint condition until such a time arrives that you want to sell it or even consume it.

Playing by the wine storage rules often means that your wines can be in better condition than when you bought them and the prices you can therefore command increase accordingly.

We suggest that you use high calibre facilities such as those available here at Octavian, there are some key factors which could give you an idea of why premium wine storage is best for your wines.

• Cool Temperatures
• Lack of Direct Lights
• No Movement
• Lack of Humidity
• Lack of Smell

All of these things are guaranteed at wine storage facilities such as ours, not to mention that our vaults are nestled beautifully in layers of west country stone. Fine Bordeaux wines and other, similar wines need to be left to rest without being disturbed in any way. The above storage criteria have been developed across the world over centuries; resulting in the spectacular wines you enjoy today.

As will see, there are many reasons for you to take wine storage rules and regulations seriously, from ensuring you are abiding by the law to making sure you allow your fine wines fulfil their potential.

If this article has aroused your curiosity and you would like to learn more about this fascinating area of the fine wine sector, or you would like to see our facilities then just enquire through the Octavian website or give us a call on 01225 818 714.