Do you guys remember when you first started your cellar?
i'm thinking of buying a 40 bottle wine cellar, and if i drink a bottle every few weeks or so, and buy a new bottle every week, my cellar should be nice and full in no time
any tips or words of wisdom you have?
cheers
Starting a cellar
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cuttlefish
- Posts: 1014
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:46 pm
- Location: Sunbury
Hi Lordson,
My tip would be to not buy too many of any one wine. Maybe two of each. There's just so much different wine available that with two bottles of each, you can fit quite a few different types into 40. If you read an amazing review of a "long-term" wine, and you simply must have a case, then find more room for your cellar, 'cos you're gonna need it !
As Jules alluded to in an earlier post to you, remember to try new stuff. Try not to be biased against any grape type, or any winemaker. You'll gradually learn where your tastes lie, and then your tastes will develop, and you can end up loving wines you disliked in the past, or vice-versa. (hence my tip to not buy too much of one wine, at least when you're first starting your collection). My own personal experience is that I like just about every wine I drink to some degree. I'm still fairly new to the world of wine myself, so I'm choosing to not reject anything that looks and smells like wine, so that I can learn.
An additional tip would be to insist that you drink the wines you buy, as opposed to staring at them in your cellar waiting for "the right time".
Also, as a loose rule, don't hold Australian Chardonnay for too long, as the vast majority of them appear to me to fall on their ass (with exceptions; some fall on their face) after only 3-4 years. They can become a little lifeless, and lose their "zing !".
Just about any Australian red wine should be drinkable up to 2-3 years of age. The vast majority of Aussie reds should last from 3-8 or even 10 years, and then a smaller (but still substantial) number will last more than 10 years.
Finally, DO NOT DRINK FRENCH WINE. I'VE SEEN WHAT IT DOES TO PEOPLE, AND IT'S NOT PLEASANT.
(just kidding)
ps Or you can just ignore what I preach, and do your own thing because there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.
My tip would be to not buy too many of any one wine. Maybe two of each. There's just so much different wine available that with two bottles of each, you can fit quite a few different types into 40. If you read an amazing review of a "long-term" wine, and you simply must have a case, then find more room for your cellar, 'cos you're gonna need it !
As Jules alluded to in an earlier post to you, remember to try new stuff. Try not to be biased against any grape type, or any winemaker. You'll gradually learn where your tastes lie, and then your tastes will develop, and you can end up loving wines you disliked in the past, or vice-versa. (hence my tip to not buy too much of one wine, at least when you're first starting your collection). My own personal experience is that I like just about every wine I drink to some degree. I'm still fairly new to the world of wine myself, so I'm choosing to not reject anything that looks and smells like wine, so that I can learn.
An additional tip would be to insist that you drink the wines you buy, as opposed to staring at them in your cellar waiting for "the right time".
Also, as a loose rule, don't hold Australian Chardonnay for too long, as the vast majority of them appear to me to fall on their ass (with exceptions; some fall on their face) after only 3-4 years. They can become a little lifeless, and lose their "zing !".
Just about any Australian red wine should be drinkable up to 2-3 years of age. The vast majority of Aussie reds should last from 3-8 or even 10 years, and then a smaller (but still substantial) number will last more than 10 years.
Finally, DO NOT DRINK FRENCH WINE. I'VE SEEN WHAT IT DOES TO PEOPLE, AND IT'S NOT PLEASANT.
(just kidding)
ps Or you can just ignore what I preach, and do your own thing because there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.
Smack my [insert grape type here] up !
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cuttlefish
- Posts: 1014
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:46 pm
- Location: Sunbury
Good on ya lordson, start early.
I remember the early days- too many decent-good wines ruined by bad cellaring in the sweltering sydney summers.
40 bottle wine fridge is a great way to start.
Say, 4-6 good-great bottles a year ($30-50), by the time you start working full time say in 5 years, you would have 20+ bottles, well cellared, to enjoy.
Cheers,
Monghead.
I remember the early days- too many decent-good wines ruined by bad cellaring in the sweltering sydney summers.
40 bottle wine fridge is a great way to start.
Say, 4-6 good-great bottles a year ($30-50), by the time you start working full time say in 5 years, you would have 20+ bottles, well cellared, to enjoy.
Cheers,
Monghead.
Good idea
What I'd do first though is find a good bottle shop that has some back vintage wine (and not just top level stuff), and taste a few wines that have been put down. This may help as a guide as to what you want to cellar.
You don't need to pay big bucks for back vintage wine, and even as little as three to five years can make a fair bit of difference, particularly for some of the "fruitbomb" wines that are very popular here.
You don't need to pay big bucks for back vintage wine, and even as little as three to five years can make a fair bit of difference, particularly for some of the "fruitbomb" wines that are very popular here.
I recall disliking the taste of aged red wine the first few years. I think Jules has a superb suggestion to try aged wine to see if that if what you like before jumping in wallet in hand.
cheers
Carl
cheers
Carl
Bartenders are supposed to have people skills. Or was it people are supposed to have bartending skills?
Just be careful.
Bug bit me 10 years ago. Started collecting and putting into storage at wine storage facility. Got sick of seeing the temp at 17-18.5 so had a cellar built for me.
With wine you get what you pay for, if you want good quality aged reds you need to be prepared to see a few 1000 in your initial outlay and then a few 1000 every year to maintain and grow.
Palate changes too......problematic at best.
I'm at 1400 bottles and growing having started at 4 dozen...I have a number of very happy friends.
graham
Bug bit me 10 years ago. Started collecting and putting into storage at wine storage facility. Got sick of seeing the temp at 17-18.5 so had a cellar built for me.
With wine you get what you pay for, if you want good quality aged reds you need to be prepared to see a few 1000 in your initial outlay and then a few 1000 every year to maintain and grow.
Palate changes too......problematic at best.
I'm at 1400 bottles and growing having started at 4 dozen...I have a number of very happy friends.
graham
Nothing is so effective in keeping one young and full of lust as a discriminating palate thoroughly satisfied at least once a day.
i think i'll start slow haha
for anybody interested, heres a good article on cellaring wine
http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/ ... 08059.html
for anybody interested, heres a good article on cellaring wine
http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/ ... 08059.html