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February 2002 - Stafford, CT
Our New England Wine Adventure brings us to a story of the
evolution of a New England Bomb Shelter into one of the
finest and most unique Wine Storage Facilities in the
world.
Horse Ridge Cellars is a dream come true for Jed and
Amie Benedict of Somers, CT. Before the creation of Horse Ridge
Cellars, Jed and Amie worked on Wall Street in the
financial services industry where they began a love
affair with wine, and, with each other. They received their undergraduate degrees from
Babson College and MBAs from the University of
Connecticut. They
were offered this extraordinary property to manage in
1993, and in turn, they used its possibilities as their
college MBA theses.
The structure itself is a fascinating piece of engineering.
Built in 1962 the 10,000 square foot structure is 10 to 15 feet below ground level, it is enclosed by 15'' thick
walls, and it’s floor and ceiling are comprised of
18,000 cubic yards of concrete and 126 tons of
reinforcing steel. Its secure door is a Mosler Safe Company 12 ton,
19 inch thick steel vault door, which can only be opened
from the outside.
These features make it so secure it is the only
wine storage facility in the United States that
completely insures your investment against theft and
breakage.
Additionally, the cellar is completely climate controlled at 55
degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent relative humidity. This is widely regarded as the ideal temperature
to insure that wine ages at the correct rate. The cellar has an air filtration system that
virtually eliminates any mold spores in the air which
might cause damage to wine labels and cork, and, all
equipment is electrically powered and has a back up 100
KVA Cummins diesel generator custom designed for this
vault and is capable of operating all systems, including
electric furnace, at peak efficiency indefinitely. Built
at a cost of $325,000, today it would cost approximately
$5 million dollars to recreate.
Several possibilities for its use were researched before the
Wine Cellar was created.
The shelter was originally built by a consortium of Insurance
Companies to house paper documentation in case of a
nuclear attack, so could that be a continued use? Well, since the advent of digital storage, paper
documentation has gone the way of the dinosaur, and
running dedicated communication lines out to rural
Somers, CT. for digital storage proved to be an
insurmountable obstacle.
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts was interested in using the shelter
for storage of priceless works of art, but the entrance
door specifications (only 36” wide) made it impossible
to move large pieces of art either in or out.
Use as an exotic mushroom farm was seriously deliberated. The
facility provided perfect growing conditions, dark when
the lights are out, temperature and humidity controlled,
but alas, it was far too labor intensive to haul organic
growing material into this concrete structure.
Ideas seemed exhausted until one day, as Jed and a colleague
enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner; the comment came
“Say, Jed, why not make it your own personal wine
cellar.” Light bulbs flashed, bells rang, and the concept for Horse
Ridge Cellars was born. By the spring of 2000, Horse Ridge Cellars was
open for business and it has been exceeding operating
projections ever since.
Having heard all this about Horse Ridge Cellars, and fortunate to have
such an outstanding facility located in New England, we
decided to find out more about it. So we took the short
drive to visit Horse Ridge Cellars in Stafford, Ct.
This February day was perfect for an adventure, bleak
and dreary it was not, in fact, the sun was shining, a
light layer of snow blew across the terrain, and we
enjoyed the picturesque drive through north-central New
England.
Once in Stafford, Ct. following the directions to Horse Ridge,
we drove into a field and up a hillside gravel road that
leads to the entrance of Horse Ridge Cellars. 
We sat overlooking a white farmhouse, red barns, and
frozen-over pond below and commented on how the Belgian
Draft Horses grazing below did not seem affected by the
wind that blew mightily over our higher location. Glancing the other way,
we stared at the unassuming whitewashed shed doors built into the
hillside. This is not an unusual sight in New England as it might have
been the entrance to a root cellar built to store summer
crops. As we took all this in we awaited the arrival of our host,
Jed Benedict to escort us into this “hole in a
hill”. Shortly Jed arrived and after a just a few minutes we felt an
immediate connection with him. Wine enthusiasts seem to create a easy bond of friendship.
We began our discusion with the nature of the shelter itself.
Having been born a year after the construction of this bomb shelter, I
missed any true understanding of the Cold War hysteria.
Taking the first winding steps into the shelter and
being faced with the massive safe door I had my first
glimpse of what the world was preparing for in case of a
nuclear crisis and I was in awe. Jed entered the double combination, forcibly swung open
the 12 ton safe door, and like Alice-In-Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole,
an amazing adventure began!
Walking through the anterior rooms, you feel parts of this place have
been untouched by time. Jed Benedict, the primary owner-operator of this
cellar has kept many of the original artifacts of the
period. From the 1960’s era typewriter with original logbook of
entry and exit from the facility, to the army style food
rations stored here in case of nuclear attack, you can
almost feel the presence of those who were there before
you.
We passed through these rooms and entered into the wine storage
area of the facility. It is a vast, quiet, well lit and
well ventilated room, and for us, this is where the
excitement really began. Five thousand cases of rare and priceless
wines are currently stored here, with room to expand
to upward of 25,000 cases! Standing in the expanse you can understand why
this unprecedented wine cellar was created. Its mission is complete: To promote the long
tradition of storing and aging fine wine in perfect
conditions.
And priceless wines they are - first growth Bordeaux, such as Chateau Margeaux, Petrus,
Cheval Blanc, Lafite Rothchild and others. Dominus, Opus One, Harlan Estates, Joseph Phelps,
and the rest of the best of the best of California. Australia’s Grange, Borolo from Italy, and
other international selections, they are all stored
here.
Of course, we asked who stored such wines here and why. Jed told us that the wines come primarily from
private collections. Of that, one-third of their customers have their
own cellars, but have run out of space. One-third are
downsizing from larger homes or to multiple residences
and it is a convenience to utilize a facility such as
Horse Ridge, which has the ability to transfer wines to
multiple locations. The last 1/3 are temporarily
relocating to new residences for extended periods and
need a long-term storage solution for their wine
collection.
Horse Ridge prides itself on the exceptional services it offers to
customers. Foremost in its business plan was the creation of a secure, quiet
environment for wine storage, away from the hustle and
bustle of the average storage facility. Once placed here, the wine is rarely disturbed
from its berth until it is recalled by its owner. Other
amenities offered by Horse Ridge Cellars are:
Insurance
Horse Ridge Cellars is the only wine storage
facility in the country that fully insures wine in its
facility against theft and breakage.
Inventory Management
Horse Ridge Cellars utilizes an inventory
tracking system, which provides up to the minute status
reports on your portfolio of wine.
Buying/Selling Your Wine
Customers of Horse Ridge Cellars will have access
to both buying and selling opportunities. When it comes
time to "liquidate" your investment, Horse
Ridge Cellars can provide introductions to auction
houses and other potential buyers.
Transportation
As part of their commitment to their customers, Horse
Ridge Cellars offers pickup and delivery services for
your wine.
Security
Security at Horse Ridge Cellars is one of their top
priorities. They are equipped with central station fire
and police alarms complimented by Halon fire suppression
equipment. In addition there are motion sensors and
other alarm features which, for security reasons, can
not be described. Rest assured, while your wine is
appreciating in value, it will be kept completely safe.
Light
Ultraviolet light as well as some forms of fluorescent
light can be harmful to wine. Horse Ridge Cellars is
completely underground thus eliminating all natural
light. The facility is designed with numerous
independent electrical outlets, allowing visitors to
illuminate only small portions of the storage area at
any given time. When not occupied, the facility is kept
in total darkness.
Fees
For less than a penny a day per bottle customers of
Horse Ridge Cellars have security and peace of mind that
far exceeds this nominal cost of storage for their
investment.
After speaking with Jed and touring the cellar, it is easy to see why
the venture is a success. Its not just about filling a need in the wine
industry, it’s about the quality people who fill that
need. During our visit, Jed mentioned that when he picks up a
collection of wine from the owners home, the
collectors’ reactions are much like that of parents
watching their children go off to college. This is what it means to care for your investment.
Jed understands the irreplaceable value of fine
wine and dedicates himself and his facility to
preserving a pastime rich in culture, history, and
pleasure. If you are anticipating a need for wine storage, we suggest
you contact Horse Ridge Cellars. There are no minimum storage requirements.
You can begin by simply storing one case with
them and increase it as your collection grows.
As we were driving off, the thought came to mind that this facility
has turned juxtaposition. Once it was meant to guard man against himself
and now it has been transformed into a facility to
preserve that which is among one of mankind’s finest
creations.
- Lynn Pedersen
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