By James Atkinson
A $2 million state-of-the-art wine storage facility has launched in Sydney and is now offering a third party logistics service to wineries, retailers and other trade clients.
The Artisan Wine Storage facility in Lane Cove comprises a climate-controlled warehouse employing cloud-based wine management technology that enables virtual management of all inventory online, along with a wine tasting lounge for trade customers to showcase wines to their clients.
Artisan Wine Storage has also established a network of vertical sales channel partners that provides trade clients the ability to sell wine online.
The company said this point of difference to other wine storage companies comes at a time when the Winemakers Federation of Australia estimates 77 per cent of domestic wine sales are now through outlets owned by Woolworths and Coles, and the direct to consumer market is the biggest growth segment.
“This is reflected in the US where a recent report states 62 per cent of US wineries have indicated that direct to consumer is the fastest growing sales channel, with margins materially higher,” it said.
Artisan Wine Storage CEO Eamonn Egan said: “No trade client wants stock sitting in a warehouse without the ability for it to be simultaneously listed for sale, so we are providing the capacity for our business clients to sell their product through our vertical sales channel partners facilitating a direct to consumer marketplace.”
Artisan claims to be the first storage facility in Australia designed to exceed the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA) standards, which certify good wine storage management in the key areas of temperature, humidity, lights, vibrations, insurance, hygiene, inventory management, security and maintenance.
“Proper wine storage is imperative to maintaining the integrity of the product and can even increase the clients’ return,” Egan said.
“We have $22 bottles of 2002 wines currently in storage that the winery expected to last only five to eight years, but after ten to 12 years they’re still drinking beautifully. If that happened to be Penfolds Grange, we can effectively add 15 years of life to the bottle; it’s a fantastic result for the owner of those products. Essentially, we can elongate the lifecycle curve by slowing down the maturation process.”
The on-site wine tasting lounge and cellar has been specially designed to provide the ideal wine-centric venue. Artisan Wine Storage corporate members are also able to enjoy ‘Methuselah’s Cellar’, which displays museum wines from many renowned wineries including the only public, dual vertical display of Penfolds Grange bottles (1951-2008) and magnums (1979-2008).
Artisan Wine Storage is located at Unit 2, 7-9 Orion Road, Lane Cove West, NSW 2066.