10 Best Markets for Wine Storage

As industry insiders know, self storage in the U.S. has been expanding for decades. Many facilities even offer more specific types of storage such as RV storage, commercial storage or wine storage.

If you operate in one of the many areas in the U.S. dubbed “wine country,” you may want to consider adding wine storage to your facility. People in those areas often collect wine and need a place to store it. Add some wine storage units and you might just fill them quickly.

These units will need to have climate control set at a specific range. The temperature needs to be between 45 and 65 degrees fahrenheit. Anything colder can dry out and crack the corks, and anything higher can slowly cook the wine into vinegar. Humidity should be at 60% to 80% to keep the corks well-sealed.

Now that you know the basics, here are some of the major wine areas in the U.S. If you operate in one of these, you should seriously consider adding wine storage to your facility’s offerings. We have listed these alphabetically by area:

Augusta, MO

In the late 18th and 19th century, while the phylloxera louse was destroying wine vineyards around the world, those in Augusta, Missouri, had wine grapes that were immune. This saved the world from a major wine shortage and essentially saved the wine industry. While Missouri may not be the first place you think of for wine, Augusta has a proud wine culture, making this a good place for wine storage.

Charlottesville/Central Virginia, VA

This area has more than 300 wineries of various sizes. It’s a great place for people looking to go wine tasting, and for wine collectors.

Napa Valley, CA

Anyone even slightly interested in wine in the U.S. has heard of Napa Valley. Napa is warm and green. If you do a wine tour, you may enjoy sitting out on the grass at one of its many wineries sipping your latest bottle and eating cheese. Napa residents are proud of the wine culture here, and Napa County is a great place for wine storage facilities.

Paso Robles, CA

Near the mission at San Luis Obispo is the small city of Paso Robles, a beautiful area with vineyards making delicious, affordable wines. This is a newer wine market, so you have a chance of standing out if you offer wine storage at a facility here.

Santa Barbara, CA

Here’s another sunny California city with plenty of vineyards and excellent weather for growing grapes and making wine. Santa Barbara is a great tourist spot as well as a lovely place to live. Chardonnay and pinot noir are specialties of the more than 200 wineries in the county.

Snake River Valley, ID

Hot days and cool nights create excellent growing conditions for grapes in Snake River Valley. Currently, Idaho’s wine country has far fewer wineries than other regions—only eight or so—but they make for a fun tour and have encouraged a growing wine culture.

Sonoma County, CA

With about 425 wineries, Sonoma County can be considered a sort of twin wine country to Napa County. This is another well-established wine area, so do some research to learn more about what existing wine storage facilities offer before adding your own. You can expect some competition when it comes to wine storage in Sonoma County, so look for ways to set your storage facility apart.

Texas Hill Country

From Austin to New Braunfels you’ll find more than 50 wineries in Texas Hill Country. This is an area where the wine industry is growing and people are starting their own wine cellars. Many will be looking to rent storage space for personal and commercial collections.

Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla currently has more than 140 wineries. The area features a great variety of Bordeaux. About 280 miles east of Seattle, Walla Walla doesn’t get rain like its neighbor to the west, but instead stays mostly sunny and dry. This is excellent for growing wine grapes.

Willamette Valley, OR

Willamette Valley in Oregon supports more than 500 wineries, many specializing in varieties of pinot noir. This area is close to Portland, so if you run facilities in this popular city or in the general area, you should seriously consider adding wine storage units.