Texas transplants seek to simplify wine collection management

The lack of home basements in Texas left Mark and Lisa Nelson with a problem.

Having moved from Iowa, they had a wine collection, and they wanted a safe and appropriate place to store it. After using a wine storage company in Dallas, the couple decided they wanted to try their hand at starting their own wine storage and services company.

“I stored with one competitor that’s in downtown Dallas for a while and they did a great job, and I just kind of used that as an opportunity to say, ‘You know, they did some things really well, but here are some things I might like to do a little bit different,’” Mark said. “And so that was the start of it then.”

The Nelsons’ business partners, Terry and Susan Perkins, started out as clients. When they opened Classic Wine Storage in 2006, the Nelsons chose to locate their business in Southlake, not only because it is an affluent area, but also because there were not many competitors in the area. In 2011 the second Classic Wine opened in Dallas, and the third and largest location so far opened in Fort Worth in 2013.

The Southlake location features a variety of storage options, ranging from small case storage in lockers to walk-in storage rooms that can hold at least 144 cases of wine. Many of the lockers feature shelving as well. Tube storage is also an available option. The walk-in storage can feature both case and tube storage options.

Customers have access daily from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. to their temperature- and humidity-controlled space. Each unit is kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 65 percent humidity.

As a Texas winery, Classic Wine can procure and sell wine to its clients, Mark said. Classic Wine can also pack, transport, inventory, ship and receive wine for its clients. Mark and the rest of the Classic Wine team have also worked to cultivate a relationship with other wine storage and moving companies nationwide and can help their customers find people they can trust with their collections.

Some of the patrons at Classic Wine trust the staff to not only receive new personal shipments for the clients, but also to load them into their lockers.

For Mark, providing a secure place to store customers’ wine as well as a high level of service is crucial.

“The whole business is based on trust,” he said.

Classic Wine Storage and Services

525 S. Nolen Drive, Ste. 200, Southlake 817-987-9480 www.classicwinestorage.com Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily