The vaults within the new Gosling's "Wine Cellar" will soon be storing precious bottles of wine in temperature-controlled conditions for private individuals who have previously either tried to keep their wine cool at home or stored in a facility overseas.

Looking after wine is no easy affair, especially in a place like Bermuda with its variations in temperature and humidity and as a further challenge many Island homes have a distinct lack of room for the storage of a wine collection.

Plugging that market is what Gosling's intends to do with its custom-built wine cellar storage rooms, which have been created in its former beer warehouse on Dundonald Street, just up from Beacon Street.

The temperature-controlled cellars are reminiscent of bank vaults. Private individuals can rent out space in the rooms to place their bottles of wine for future use.

The cellars surround a central area that can also be hired for private parties and dinners. Upstairs on a mezzanine floor is a private bar and a kitchen area where caterers can prepare meals for pre-booked functions, be they corporate or private.

At the front of the bright, yellow building is the main shop selling around 3,000 different labels of wine and spirits for every taste including the very expensive such as a $1,420-a-bottle Richard Hennessy congac.

The conversion of the former beer warehouse into a new store, wine storage facility and wine cellar and a place where private parties and dinner events can be staged, as well as wine educating and tasting events, was first planned back in 2002.

Gosling's president and chief executive Nancy Gosling said: "When we started planning we wanted to focus on wine education in the long term. It has taken three years of actual building."

Explaining the idea of the wine cellar storage rooms, she said: "There are lots of people who keep their wines at home or have nowhere to keep them or else they store them in the UK or the US. There has never been a private wine storage facility in Bermuda.

"People do store wine at home but it is difficult to control the temperature and things can get broken."

The former warehouse space has been redesigned to make it a pleasant environment for parties and dinners and for wine tasting and educational courses. Standing-room parties of up to 250 people can be accommodated, or around 100 people for sit-down affairs.

Gosling's will arrange wine parties at the premises, but will also continue to stage wine parties at other venues when requested.

A Gosling's internet store has been launched in the US and there will soon be an equivalent in Bermuda serving restaurant and hotels initially and later for the general public to place their own orders directly.

So, is wine drinking becoming increasingly popular?

Ms Gosling answered: "Yes. Bermuda has been had a more sophisticated wine market than the US and there are definitely more people trying wine now. The quantity and quality of wine has gone up and people are drinking different types.

"For a couple of years we have been running wine education with tastings for exempt companies or at individual homes."

The company, now in its 201st year, will be advertising future wine education and tasting courses.