For wine lovers in an island climate, finding a place to store a valued collection can prove particularly difficult.

Now one new business is offering a solution. Island Self Storage last week introduced a dedicated wine storage facility that can house hundreds of bottles at a time — all at the optimal temperature and humidity.

The small room at the business's Pembroke location is lined with 'wine lockers' of varying sizes, with the largest capable of holding roughly 130 cases. Conditions inside the facility are closely monitored, with the temperature staying between 55 and 58 degrees and the humidity not exceeding 70 percent. Even if the facility were to lose power supply, the wine would not be effected.

"We have a back-up generator that kicks in within eight seconds that will cover the whole facility," explained Glen Smith, president of Island Self Storage. The building, which opened in May, is dominated by the traditional garage-like storage units. By including a service for wine lovers, the business is picking up on a trend only just emerging in the storage industry.

"We made this one only this size because we didn't know how it was going to go," said Mr. Smith, adding that three units had already been sold within the first week.

Unlike other wine holding facilities on the Island, customers at Island Self Storage can access their supply at any hour — useful, for instance, should a dinner host encounter a sudden shortage.

The service is intended for individual collectors, with some interest shown already from long-term visitors.

"We have people that come down on vacation that are staying either at Tucker's Town or Tucker's Point who might come down for Christmas, or might come down for the summer. We have a client who sent his wine in from the UK and he's here for eight weeks," said Mr. Smith.

The smallest units — which can hold between 15 and 28 cases, depending on size — can be rented for $69 a month.

Wine lovers anxious about storing their collections anywhere but their own basements will be reassured by the exceptionally thorough security at the facility.

Mr. Smith explained: "Clients have their own unique lock, they have their own unique code. So for a client to get in here, he has to press the key pad three times. We know when the person comes and when the person goes. And of course you're on camera the whole time."