DOVER — For Vigilant, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of wine storage products in Dover, 99 bottles of wine on the wall would be an easy feat. They could even build you a unit for 500 bottles, or more.

The company, with its office and workshop located at 85 Industrial Park Drive, is well established for their handcrafted fine wood products, such as wine cellars and spaces, cellar doors, wine racks, and wine and cigar cabinets that can include climate control and LED lighting.

Vigilant has created wine cellars and cabinets for business internationally and across the nation, as well as many local businesses such as the SALT Kitchen and Bar at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, The Rosa, The Martingale Wharf Club, and The Library Restaurant. They’re seeing more and more hospitality businesses investing in wine storage displays, not only for esthetics, but for their contribution to increased wine and dining sales.

“Wine has become a huge piece of the dining experience,” said Vigilant’s owner and president, Charles Griffiths. He adds that, even if you’re not a big wine drinker, being able to see wine displayed completes the whole experience of dining out.

But for most people, he says, when ”[they] see wine, they want to drink wine.”

Griffiths started Vigilant in 1995 in his garage in Portsmouth, beginning with cigar cabinets. He then moved it to a shop in York, Maine, and in 1999 began branching the business into building and designing wine cellars. Then, in 2006 they landed in Dover for a combination of reasons. Griffiths said Dover had great, affordable buildings, the city was “great to deal with,” and it was the best solution considering his staff, at 43 members now, as their office is close to the highway, that’s also important as they use ground transportation for all their products. Griffiths said it’s only been in the last five years that the company has become serious about their wine products with their higher end designs and construction.

Twenty-two years after Vigilant’s beginning, they announced their recent installation of wine cabinets at the Ritz Carlton, Chicago, for the Torali Italian + Steak restaurant there. The custom cabinets, a focal point of the room, include dual-sided mahogany-framed glass doors, pairs of triple-deep metal wine racking to expose wine labels that easily showcase options to hotel guests, and a custom trim they say makes it a one-of-a-kind piece. The cabinets are fully insulated and include a top-of-the-line cooling system set from 55°-65°F, for optimal storage of up to 960 bottles.

Griffiths said building their wine products came with a big learning curve, as they had to “intimately know how big all wine bottles are.” He said it’s especially difficult because wineries are making bottles specifically designed to distinguish themselves on shelves and can deviate from standard measurements, standing taller or wider, from the typical size of wine bottles. Vigilant has to be able to accommodate all types of bottles without sacrificing quantity of wine storage, which Griffiths says becomes a puzzle they work to piece together. That is what Griffiths said makes Vigilant different — their combined efforts of design and functionality. While Griffiths said their competitors don’t have the time for such attention to details, for Vigilant it’s part of the fun.

While the majority of their business serves commercial customers, Griffiths says about 30-35 percent of their orders come from residential customers across all their products. He said they have two to three robust competitors in the country for wine racks, doors, and cellars, but as for their cabinet business, there isn’t a direct competitor. An average cabinet can cost around $25,000, and a cellar between $6,000 and $7,000. Griffiths said his commercial customers see a great return on investment and, for many, the project is paid for in 12 to 14 months of operation.

It takes a high skill level to meet the high expectations of their customers, Griffiths said. At Vigilant you “feel glad that you’re a part of that.”

For more information about Vigilant, Inc. visit https://vigilantinc.com, call 603-285-0400, or email them at info@vigilantinc.com.