From coal to cabernet: the wine seller using a flooded mine to cut heating bills

‘If you have warehouses full of wine, you have to think differently about storage and heating.’ Photograph: Posed by models; The Good Brigade/Getty

Shove them in a fridge, stash them in a cellar – this is how most people store their favourite bottles of wine. But if you have warehouses full of thousands of vintages, you have to think a little differently.

For the last eight winters, Lanchester Wines has used heat from a disused coalmine to maintain ideal storage temperatures at its facilities in the north-east of England, helping to prevent freezing or spoilage.