Before you start collecting
wine you need to ask yourself the following questions:
How much wine do I drink?
If you are not an avid drinker you should begin by allotting extra
space for age-worthy wines.
How much space do I have to store bottles?
Find out what additional finances you have to spend to creating optimum
storage space.
How much money can I afford to spend?
Consider the whole package of buying, storing, processing, making
or maturing the wine. Make a plan for which types of wine need to
be bought first and how much you can afford to spend on each type.
What types of wine am I interested in buying?
Do you prefer white to red? Are you patient enough to allow the wine
to properly age? Do you entertain on a regular basis? Decide what
kinds of wines are worth your while to invest in.
In order to accumulate a wine collection to satisfy your personal
needs, you must have a balance in the above questions.
Collection Types
Basic Collector
Usually 75 bottles of wine or less will make you a basic collector.
Fifteen percent of your collection should consist of maturing wines;
the remaining bottles should be drinkable wines. Don't spend a fortune
on age-worthy wines -- a few special celebration bottles should satisfy
the need. You will need a large variety of drinkable wines so you
don't get bored of a particular taste. A small basic storing room
will be sufficient to store your mini-collection.
Avid Collector
Most avid collectors have between 300 and 10,000 bottles. If you wish
to become an avid collector, define your objectives. Ask yourself
the following questions: Do I want to make money? Will I sell these wines? Can they be passed down through generations?
Diversity in your collection will allow you to accumulate wines that
are higher in quality and price but still leave you with enough variety
in drinkable wines to keep you interested. Some wines may need to
age 10 years to be mature. It will take considerable cost to store
large quantities of wine if you will need to build or cool a storage
room. Always leave enough room to continue building your collection.
Collection Staples
A sample collection may look like this:
Table wines (majority)
Apéritif wines
Dessert wines
Champagne
Decide what staples are important to you but always remember to include
a large variety of drinkable wines. Buy age-worthy wines when they
are first produced. That way you can purchase them in a larger quantity
for a cheap price.
Recommended red and white
Drinkable wines:
Simple Chianti wines - Italy
Red Zinfandel - California
Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blancs - California
Pinot Grigio - Italy
Alsace Pinot Blancs
Recommended red and wine age-worthy wines:
White Bordeaux
Great German Rieslings
Gewurztraminers
Rioja Wine - Spain
Barca Velha - Portugal
Henschke Shiraz Wine - Australia
Collection Records
Always label your wine bottles. You'll need to know exactly where
your prized bottle is located when wine-savvy friends visit. Here
a few common ways you can organize and sort your collection:
Wine Name
Price
Where you purchased the bottle
Region
Country
Type of Wine
Storing Collections
Bottles can be placed in any room or on a shelf lying down. Be sure
to keep the bottles out away from both radiators and direct sunlight.
Both will interfere with the quality of the wine.
Passive Wine Cellars
This cellar must completely be underground in order to have good insulation.
The temperature of the room should be around 12-16 º C. It should
be very dark and damp with over 75% humidity.
Artificially Cooled or Humidified Room
The temperature of this room needs to be set at a constant 12-16ºC.
Humidity should rest at approximately 70-95%. The room itself should
be damp and be free of vibrations, light and chemical odors. You can
purchase a professional cooling unit for around $1000-$3800, not including
professional installation.
Wine Cave
These are professional fridges built to house 24-2800 bottles. Prices
range from $650-$8000 depending on space needed. These can be purchased
in all wine accessory catalogs or contact a wine dealership.
Storing Tips
Avoid refrigerating wine - The fridge's motor is harmful and the intense
cold flattens flavours.
Buy a hygrometer - This measures the atmospheric
humidity and will keep your wine at the optimum temperature.
Insurance
If you want to become an avid collector, investigate insurance policies
before you begin. You can personally appraise your collection by finding
related bottles being sold at auctions or request that an expert oversee
your collection. Most homeownership insurance will not cover an extensive
collection. Update your records frequently.
