One afternoon in 1985, at a chaotic bonded cellar in London, where Sebastian Riley-Smith was attempting to collect some Champagne and claret on behalf of his employer, Lanson Pere et Fils, he realised just how inefficient and uncaring wine storage had become.

Recognising that there was a need for secure and reliable private cellarage, based on stay-put rather than throughput, Sebastian explored the possibility of opening the first private wine cellars in the UK. An old friend, Rohan Masson-Taylor of Cadogan Tate residential removals and storage, was about to open a warehouse at Chelsea Bridge so, after careful consideration, Smith & Taylor was formed in 1986 as a joint venture specialising in the storage and cellarage of wine.

Two years later, Sebastian bought out Cadogan Tate's interest and developed Smith & Taylor with the help of expert assistants, the latest of whom, Laurent Cattaneo, has been with the company since 1998 and is now Cellar Director.

Two decades on from its inception a new era has begun for Smith & Taylor with cellars in Manchester, bringing an added dimension to the long established cellars at Chelsea Bridge.