Cert Octavian introduces the world’s first secure certification system that provides tangible proof of pristine storage, which will help to place a premium on the value of the wine. The fraud-proof certificate will provide customers with a guarantee of storage provenance, a crucial link in solving the industry-wide issue of provenance, as well as meeting the increasing demands of buyers of fine wine, who insist on knowing how wine has been stored. It is also a clear example of the vital role that wine storage plays within the industry.

Each case of wine will receive a certificate with a unique identification, detailing that it has been stored and cared for in the proper conditions. The certificate is protected against fraud by overt security features similar to those used in currency, including a unique controlled hologram, a patented numismatic UV feature, controlled watermarked paper and thermochromic ink that disappears on contact with heat. In addition there are also a number of covert features to protect the certificate at a forensic level.

Insuring fine wine has become a key issue as the value of fine wines has increased dramatically. Peace of mind for Octavian Vaults customers will come from knowing that even in a catastrophe resulting in total loss, the sum insured covers the declared value of every case, for every customer. In fact, comprehensive data on each customer and their stock is logged against the insurance policy. This feature is in addition to the common ‘all risks’ cover, which provides for losses as a result of incidents that might occur, such as a breakage or a loss in transit.

This unique offering is in addition to a dedicated customer care team, an online stock management facility that includes a cellar book, and perfect natural conditions in which to store wine, provided by the underground location of Corsham Cellars.

Corsham Cellars, Cert Octavian’s fine wine storage facility, is located in Wiltshire, and provides almost one million square feet of naturally stable, environmentally controlled, secure storage space 100 feet underground. A former Ministry of Defence munitions store and Bath stone mine; the cellars are solid stone with concrete floors of up to 20 feet deep, ensuring there is no vibration or UV exposure from natural light. Sophisticated dehumidifiers keep humidity controlled to the ideal level of between 75 and 80%, and temperature is a naturally stable 13 to 14 degrees Celsius. Corsham Cellars’ remarkable ventilation system drives air into every corner of the facility through miles of ducting, to create the optimum conditions for wine to mature.

Commenting on the launch of Octavian Vaults, Nigel Jagger, founder, Cert Octavian said: “From the moment the grapes are picked to when the wine is drunk or sold, it spends the majority of its lifetime in storage; it is therefore surprising that the crucial role of storage in a wine’s journey is often overlooked.

“Octavian Vaults is a service that reflects the critical importance of wine storage, ensuring that the wine matures perfectly due to the optimum natural storage conditions, proving storage provenance through our unique certification system and providing what we regard as the necessary level and structure of insurance cover for our customers’ valuable assets. Octavian Vaults’ customers care passionately about wine, and they show the same meticulous approach in where they store it as they do in the initial purchase.”

The Octavian Vaults service will be made available direct to private clients or through our specialist wine merchant partners.

For more information visit www.octavianvaults.co.uk or call the Octavian Vaults customer line on 01225 818714.