Tell us about your.... WINE COLLECTION.

[ross67]

Thought it a good topic for people to share their healthy [or lack ] of wine collection:
............................................................
Where/ how do you store your wine?
How many bottles do you have/ want to have?
What styles of wine do you collect?
.............................................................

For me i live in hot humid Brisbane. A temp controlled wine fridge is pretty much a necessity if you want to get serious. I was lucky enough to purchase a very well priced 2nd hand Eurocave on Ebay years back and so far has not missed a beat. Holds approx 150 btls.

I currently store around 110 reds/ 20 whites / and around 20 stickies, ports & miscellaneous. [This is optimum for me ]

I approx. consume 80% Shiraz/ 10% blends/ 10% riesling/ semillon etc.

ross

[simon1980]

Morning all, my first post...so please be kind!

My Australian cellar size is very similar to yours ross67...about 150 bottles, in a wine fridge. 50% Shiraz / 15% Pinot Noir / 15% Riesling / 10% other reds / 10% Champagne and Ports.

However, I am from the UK, and could not face selling my wine when moving over here. Well, at least it will mean I give them the age they deserve! I have about 200 over there. 25% Aus (mostly Shiraz) / 20% Bordeaux / 15% Italy (mostly Tuscan) / 10% Rhone / 10% Port / 10% Champagne / 10% others (think Chile; USA; Spain). If only I could move some of it over here...

Simon

[Luke W]

I have about 1500 bottles of wine stored in 3 temp controlled apparati(?). Like you I live in heat and humidity and wine probably would age very quickly without temp controls. One is an old coolroom which I got for $100 about 5 years ago and put in a wine aircon unit that keeps about 1200 bottles cool (they sit in racks mostly and boxes around the racks). Then I have a Kitchener 252 and a small wine fridge that holds about 40 bottles. I have about 50 half size Seppeltsfield fortifieds that don't fit in anywhere.

The Kitchener holds the better wines -generally old Penfolds, Wendourees, Henschke's, Lakes Folly, Vasse Felix, Central Otago pinots and some great rieslings that are aging gracefully and a few classic semillons and chardys. The cold room holds mostly a collection of La Testas (about 700 left after buying several pallets originally when they went bust - most of these are the La Testa blends of 2000/2002 and 2003 and they are all drinking beautifully) and then the others are cartons of later Penfolds/Wynns/Maglieri's/Colonials. I'd say my collection is about 90% red wine and 10% white. I have about 20 bottles of old Yalumba Race Horse vintage ports as well that I enoy occasionally with a cigar (which I keep in the kitchener as the temp and humidity are similar for long term cigar storage).

I tend to buy bargains which for me are expensive wines cheap - I am more likely to pay $30 for a $100 bottle of wine than $10 for a $20 bottle. I love all sorts of red wines - probably shiraz, cabernets, blends and an occasional pinot. I really enjoy being at that point where most of the wines that I drink are mature.

I used to collect Granges when you could afford them but in 1997 I swapped a 12 year vertical for a painting (and of course that's when the price of Grange went up and the price of the painting went down!). I now have 6 Granges but will eventually drink them all. I have a strong belief that my wine should be drunk rather than just looked at. I hate the thought of opening bottles that have gone past their use by date.

Cheers

Luke

[graham]

I have a 15 m3 cold room cooled by a Fondis C18 unit. I built my cellar about 8 years ago went it was more economic than contiune to pay storage rates ( I also visited unnamed site a number of times to find temp about 18.5 degrees which did not instill a sense of trust.
Current wines I buy :

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
Rockford Rod & Spur Shiraz/Cab
Rifle Range Cab Sav
Rockford Black Shiraz
Rockford Vine Vale Riesling
PS Marion Port
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz
Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Shiraz
Penfolds 407 Cab Sav
Penfolds 128 Shiraz
Penfolds 138 Old Vine
Lindemans Limestone Ridge
Chateau Tahbilk Shiraz
Chateau Tahbilk Cab/Sav
Petaluma Riesling
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon
Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay
Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz
Tyrrell’s Vat 5 NVC Shiraz
Tyrrell’s Vat 11 Baulkham Shiraz
Tyrrell’s Vat 70 Cab Sav
Tyrrell’s Vat 8 Shiraz Cabernet
Tyrrell's 4 Acres
Double Barrel shiraz
Stevens semillon
Vat 63
Belford semillon
Fordwick semillon
Vat 15 Semillon
Noble One Botrytis Semillon
Mountain Blue Shiraz/Cab
Rosemount Balmoral Syrah
Lake’s Folly Cabernet Blend
Lake’s Folly Chardonay
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
Cabernet Merlot
Hilltops Shiraz
Riesling
Wynns John Riddock Cab Sav
Wynns Michael Shiraz
Kaesler Bogan Shiraz
Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz
Craiglee Shiraz
Cabernet
Mosswood Cab Sav
Mosswood Ribbon Vale Cab Sav Merlot
D'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz
D'Arenberg Custodian Grenache
Cullen Diana Madeline
Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz
Peter Lehmann Shiraz
Cab Sav
Stonewell shiraz
Greenock shiraz
JMK vintage port
Lorraine semillon
Johann Georg shiraz
Eduard Shiraz
Yarra Yering #1 Cabernet
Yarra Yering# 2 Shiraz
Patrica Noble
Patricia shiraz
Block 6 Shiraz
The Cuthbert Cabernet
Hillside Shiraz
Amery Cabernet Sauvgnon
Balnaves The Tully
The Blend
Lloyd Shiraz
Mary Kathleen
Hill of Grace
Cyril Henschke
Tappa Pass Shiraz
42 South Pinot
Wellington Chardonnay
Head The Blonde
Head The Bruntte
Chateau Coutet Barsac
Chateau Rayne Vigneau
Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Jasmin – Cote Rotie
SVS Whispering Hill Mt Barker Riesling
Merum Shiraz
Kelman Shiraz
Angelieus Pinot Noir
Coal Valley Pinot
Delemere Pinot
Sepplet DP 63
HUGH HAMILTON The Scoundrel Tempranillo
Elderton Command
Quinta Do Silval Vintage port
Stanton and Killeen Vintage Port
Pfeiffer Christphers Vintage Port
St Hugo
Witches Falls Chardonnay
Witches Falls Pinot
Bridgewater Mill Chardonnay

Tally: 1500. The problem is the cellar is starting to max out as I tend to buy mor than I drink. The hobby tends to be an obsession now

Graham

[rens]

I live in Qld too and have my collection professionally stored with National storage. I also have a vintec (50 bottle) wine fridge which I use as a storage source for wines that have come from the cellar and are about to be drunk and for wines just purchased and destined for the cellar.
I have 336 bottles of wine (according to cellar tracker). The oldest is a 1987 Penfolds (1). The youngest are some current release 2009's (30). The other years that I have are 1996(3(bin 389's)), 2001(8), 1998(8(all VP's)), 2003 (13), 2005 (18), 2004 (35) 2007 (39), 2008 (62) and 2006 (115).(I'm a fan of the brackets too Michael).
The counties and regions my wines come from are Spain-La Rioja (1), Lebanon-Bekka Valley (1), Italy-Piedmont (1), France Rhone (1), New Zealand-South Island (4), Australia *Tasmania (2) *Victoria (42) *Western Australia (60) *South Australia (224). All told there are 39 producers of which Penfolds (44), Fraser GAllop (35), Wynns (30), Yalumba (29) and Greenock Creek (26) make up the top five. There are 15 varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon (124), Shiraz (91) and a blend of both (56) are the top three. All my wines are red.

I think about 750-1000 will be a nice number.

[Chuck]

I'm guessing around 600-700 stored in a typical Adelaide passive underground cellar with temperature varying from around 20C in summer to 14C in winter with no daily variation. Wines kept there for 15-20 years are drinking well so I'm not hung up on this temperature variation stuff. Daily variation would be a concern as would Brisbane weather

About 75% cabernets and cabernet blends from Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills and my new love, Margaret River. Some Shiraz and blends and chardys and rieslings mostly from SA.

About 15% are cleanskin, 10% failed export orders and defunct or distressed wineries (typical bottom feeder), and probably 70% are <$30 with a few high end stuff - Grange, 707, 90A, 389, Moss Wood etc for special occasions. On the demand side we drink around 4-5 bottles per week, mostly $20 stuff and cleanskins with a good bottle on Saturday night or when entertaining.

There is no order in storage so occasionally there are some forgotten old gems found and consumed immediately.

Chuck

[calm]

Live in Brisbane also. Circa 220 bottles stored in a refrigerated Euroart Wine Cellar and a peltier Cybercool.

Wines typically fall in the $15- $30 Bracket. Shiraz and Shiraz/Cab being the dominant representation with a component of Cabernet (prob 25) then taking up most of the residual. Probably 6-8 Chardonnay, Semillion, & Riesling in there as well. Recent purchases being Colonial Estates, Teusner Dog Strangler, some Seppelts and Yalumba's. Wines with the largest representation would include Wynns Black Label (6), Dutchke GHR Shiraz (4), Forest HIll Cabs (6), Leconfield Cab (3), Colonial Exile (4), Yalumba Cigar (4), Penfolds Koonunga 76 (6), Seppelt Chalambar (4), Mike Press Reds (6), Tahbilk Reds (12), Gemtree Shiraz (8), O'Leary Walkers (6). LIke to try a diverse range in my price bracket.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Gosh, I wouldn't know where to begin. All I know is that I buy more than I drink and it's the bargains that do me in. It is very difficult for me to resist a good wine on sale, be it a reputable producer, a wine I don't have, or better yet a back vintage. The main reason I have a collection is because I enjoy the pleasures of old, mature wine at it's very peak of it's plateau and sometimes beyond for that extra bit of interest. Often it transpires that wines well stored will last much longer than people think, even modest but well made examples.

I've been buying wine for over 20 years now and often spend time away from home. In fact in the last 10 years I have spent more than half my time away from Edmonton, mostly in Bangladesh, Sydney, and travelling, once on a year and a half backpacking trip across North Africa and the Middle East. The result is that I don't always get around to drinking the bottles in my collection in a normal fashion. Lots of old bones around, things that my friends may have already consumed.

The very first cellar list I made was written by Bob Parsons who posts here occasionally. That list kept me going for some time untill that note pad got too complicated to read what with lines stroked out, bottles being moved, and cases being consolidated for cellar moves (my wines have always been stored in friends basements). It was onlly a few years ago that I finally got around to making up a proper list of my wines and put on the computer. According to this new fangled device I can get it to sum up the bottles listed. The tally is about 1,500 bottle (since the half-bottles in the list are counted as full bottles the number is a rough count).

I have no idea of the breakdown of my wines, they come from all over the world; in no particular orderAustralia, the many regions of France, every province of Italy except Liguria, Spain, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the US (very few), Hungary, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, and, one bottle each from Romania and Turkey. As you can imagine, the grape varieties are varied. Naturally I have more reds than whites as well as ports and other desert wines both white and red. Not much in the way of Champagnes but a few older ones.

My Australian collection is quite large, perhaps as much as 15-20 cases, many as a result of shipping a bunch back to Canada some years ago. I also have 6-7 cases of wine in Sydney at my partner's parents' house (not temperature controlled unfortunately). My Australian wines are mostly from Victorian and South Australian, followed by the Hunter Valley, and from a large number of producers. The largest single producer in my collection would be the Penfolds line, about 2 cases, ranging from Koonunga Hill and up. I have reds, whites, ports, deserts, sherries and sparkling reds. The grape varieties include, Cabernet (my older bottles), blends, Shiraz, Grenache, Mouvedre, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Durif. White varieties include, Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho, Riesling, and Trebbiano.

Anyway, that's my story.

Cheers................................Mahmoud.

[Craig(NZ)]

I need to update my records!! However I am probably down to around 300 bottles (drinking less but better) with a massive shift in the last 5 years further into bordeaux blends (Kiwi, Aussie and bdx itself). Probably 75% of my cellar is this type of wine with the rest mostly chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah/shiraz and riesling. I used to buy piles of flash Aussie Shiraz (have a good handful left) but have found for me few improve long term in the cellar where bordeaux blends do. All are stored in a nuclear bomb shelter in an undisclosed location in siberia at my uncles house.

[markg]

Why the frown ? Because my wine collection is rather pitiful at the moment .. yeah. yeah.. I know, but the Ex-wife got a big slice (& the beauty was that she then sold them through me )

Slowly building it up again, but its surprising how much I used to drink with my Ex.. now without a regular drinking partner I don't get through nearly as many as I used to and subsequently don't buy nearly as much as I did. However, I am more discerning now about what I do buy (no catering to the Mrs's tastes).

[malliemcg]

Australia (165 bottles) - South Australia (143) New South Wales (11) Victoria (6) Western Australia (5)
Italy (3 bottles) - Veneto (2) Puglia (1)
France (1 bottle) - Loire Valley (1)
Hungary (1 bottle) - Hegyalja (1)

Once apon a time the bulk of this was McLaren Vale (Shiraz w/ some Cab)- now broadening regions and varieties. Just a passive cellar with lots of insulation, no daily swings, winter/summer 12-19.

Goal is to get a big (1500 btl) cellar - in ground w/ a/c) and get it filled before I retire, then get it empty(ish) before I die.

[sjw_11]

Have been collecting since about 2004. Currently the collection is stable at around ~270bottles. Most of my wine is still stored in Adelaide at an off-site storage facility in the hills. I probably have about 40 bottles here in Sydney (moved here in 2007) all for ready consumption. I track my wine in a database, today's topic prompted me to fill in the missing data points and check the stats... Overall and not suprisingly, my collection is ~97% aussie, with 81% being South Australian.

Of this McLaren Vale at 20% of the total, then Coonawarra at 18%, the Barossa at 16% and Clare at 11%. Outside of SA, the largest chunk is Hunter Valley Semillon. Avg cost is apparently $18.20, rising steadily in the past 12-mths. The vintages range from 1955 (Orlando Port) to 2010 (no 2011's yet). I have 11 bottles pre-1990, 31 from the 90's, and 226 from the noughties. The cheapest is a free bottle of BWS Cleanskin GSM left from a BBQ about 5yrs ago and the most expensive a magnum of Bin 707 1993 bought at auction.

100 different producers are represented in my cellar, with Wynns (33btls, or 12%), Hugh Hamilton (25 bttls or 9%) and D'arenberg (19bttls or 7%) the top 3 (with Penfolds & Skillogalee just outside). And I thoroughly recommend the Pivot Table function in excel which allows me to slice and dice these statistics for my own amusement!

Oh and I completely forgot: 60% red, the rest mainly white, some sparkling. Around 40% shiraz or dominant blends, 20% carbernets and blends and the rest a mix (5% semillon, 5% riesling, 5% GSM/grenache). Notable ommissions - only 3 bottles of Pinot, 1 bottle of Chardonnay, and only 4 VP's.

State Total %
France 4 1.4%
Italy 4 1.4%
NSW 19 6.8%
NZ 4 1.4%
Rheingau 1 0.4%
SA 228 81.1%
Victoria 18 6.4%
WA 3 1.1%
Grand Total 281

[xsorxpire]

I have been collecting since about 2004.

I have two 72 bottle thermo electric fridges, A (shit) Kitchener ct 2??, A Vintec 2?? and two small offsite lockers.
All are full.

There is about 420 bottles off site, 500 here and 72 at my mums place.
The old lady's house has a pile of old wines that started as museum releases and is almost now at the stage of being kept from release. They go down a treat with a home cooked meal each Sunday.

The offsite storage is full and doesn't really need to be touched for about three years, so as i drink or try wines that i think are ready i attempt to replace them with something i won't have to look at for a decade. That way in three years when i go over to the storage place to do a swap i can replace it with stuff to not touch for ages.
Hopefully i will have a cellar built by then.

I do research through James Haliday, fine wine managers and asking wine makers.
I can't tell you the exact make up of the cellar, though i do have a spread sheet and a pile of stuff written on scraps of paper.
I have a lot of Barossa and McLaren Vale shiraz, Coonawarra and Margret River Cabernets. Some blends from both. Even some lovely full bodied wines from producers in the Swan Valley. (Had a very tidy Lamonts 2003 Shiraz the other night). There is stuff from vineyards in other places, but it is not regional, just good wine makers.

I think i am full at around 1000 bottles.
The goal is to put down a cellar as storage in wine fridges is expensive, but we are looking to move from this place in seven years so it is not justifiable yet.

The minister of war and finance (my partner) has a half a glass of any bottle i open. Mostly that is it. Unfortunately if i open a cracker she has one or two glasses and i miss out!

I do have some whites. Maybe 100.
Most are short term summer drinking, Though i am developing a palate for Riesling and have started putting some down to rest.

My goal is similar to one mentioned above.
It is to retire with a lovely collection of wine, whiskey and cigars.
Smoke the cigars with a nice single malt for about ten years after retirement and drink great wines until i run out or die. The rest can go on the table at my wake.

[Wayno]

Since having two kids, the wine budget has decreased somewhat, coupled with a rising interest in photography - the veritable double whammy.

The cellar is down to about 400 bottles on best estimate - from a high of about 600 at one point. I don't buy much these days but when I do, it's regulars such as Rockford, the occasional Spinifex, a few odds and ends Australian pinots and a smattering of importeds, mostly Beaujolais and German riesling. It's fair to say that my tastes have fairly markedly dropped away from big Australian reds however there is still a fair collection of them in the cellar - I still drink them happily enough but there needs to be a 'time and a place'.

Drinking the cellar down is also a good opportunity to work through the odds and ends and minimise wine wastage as my cellar management system is ad-hoc to say the least.

I'm with Craig in that I tend to drink better and a bit less these days.

[Hacker]

My collection has evolved and grown over the last 15 years or so, broadly from stronger, sweeter flavoursome 'drink now' styles to more subtle more pinot dominant wines. I remember reading Campbell Mattinson's essay on "How to Buy Wine for a Cellar" suggesting people give strong consideration to pinot noir as a grape variety because it shows more 'finesse' than most other varieties. I took his advice about 5 years ago and have genuinely fallen for the style. Sure, pinot can be a bit more exxe than other styles, but there are some great value drops out there as well, like Hoddles Creek and others. There is a trap to this though, and it is called...Burgundy! I have fallen over the burgundy cliff, and it can be a painful financial exercise, but once homework is done, rewarding as well. Names like Burguet and Fourrier are well worth following, and not too expensive, especially now our AUD buys EUR.74 or so. So whatever you do, try some pinot...

So, with that off my chest, my collection is a mixture of Margaret River and Yarra Valley Cab blends (Woodlands, Voyager, Wantirna, Yarra Yering), some Barossa shirazes, Wendouree shiraz back to 1990, a mix of Yarra, Tassie and Martinborough Pinots, and a fairly strong collection of Burgundys. And a good sprinkling of grower champagnes to keep the better half smiling!

[TiggerK]

I started around 1999, but foolishly left my collection under my girlfriend's (at the time) house.... subsequent breakup a few years later meant she decided it was hers!! Duh! So many lovely 96 and 98's lost there, hope she enjoyed them . Lesson learnt, keep your collection where you can see it!

Anyway, happily married now, and Mrs TiggerK puts up with my 4 wine fridges dotted around the house, and the nasty power bill! Got a small cellar space under the house for the overflows too. Around 250 bottles on average, keep track of them with a spreadsheet as well as cellartracker (which is great for seeing others recent tasting comments about almost any wine you'd care to name!).

Collection is about 40% Aussie shiraz, 15% Aussie Cab Sav/Grenache etc, 25% NZ Pinot and Syrah with the last 20% being a mixture of stuff from USA, France, Italy and Spain. Only got about 10 whites (NZ Chardonnay, Vat 1 Sem & Grossets). , Price range for most is around $30-60 with a few vintage champagnes and top shelf bottles for special occasions (Grange, 707, Le Sol, Clos Mogador, St Henri etc).

Fridges are all full, so I tend to buy weekly quaffers as we go these days (riesling or sem in summer, various reds in winter), and sometimes drink or buy one premium example depending on the budget! Happy with that number for now, one day will start the expansion again by getting a big fridge.... or even a proper cellar... one day.....

I've certainly noticed my palate evolve away from big fruit bombs into the more balanced wines, but I appreciate a wide range of styles, yet would have to say Pinot Noir would be my go-to wine if I had to choose only one. I dip my toes sometimes into Burgundy, but the water is often too cold or too hot for my liking!! But when it's just right....mmmmmmm dangerous territory.

Cheers
Tim

[fatdoi]

I have around 370 bottles on database (missing a few in storage) for my 10 year collection. Putting good bottles in 2 60bottle fridges.
SA dominates my collection @ 85% with:
Barossa 56%; Hobbs, Torbreck, Two Hands, Greenock Creek the most common
McLaren Vale @10%; Noon
Clare Valley @ 10%; Kilikanoon, Taylors
my early Penfolds @ 4%; 389, St. Henri
WA Margaret River occupies 7%; Moss Wood
and the rest goes to Victoria: Shiraz, Cab blends; France & Germany Rieslings

Shiraz is my fav wine type with 60%, Cab + blends 20%, Rielings 5%, Viognier 4%
Vintage breakdown 1996 (1); 1998 (18); 1999 (4); 2000 (11); 2001 (31); 2002 (31); 2003 (20); 2004 (60); 2005 (65); 2006 (83); 2007 (20); 2008 (21); 2009 (8)

cheers
william

[ticklenow1]

I have been "collecting" wine since about 2003. We then went on our honeymoon to the Barossa, McClaren Vale and the Mornington Peninsula in 2004 and I was then totally hooked. I now have just under 900 bottles (it's taking me forever to put them in cellar tracker, and I'm only half way).

I bit the bullet and built a small insulated and refridgerated cellar under my stairs late last year. This has about 660 bottles, with room for a few more dozen max. I also have a big 250 bottle Carrier wine fridge that I can only squeeze 230 bottles into.

As for what is in them; it is mostly South Australian (71%), some West Australian (11%), NSW/ACT (6%), Victorian (7%) and a bit of a mixture for the rest. 93% Reds and 7% Whites, Bubbles and others. I have 57% Shiraz and Shiraz blends, 21% Grenache and blends, 10%% Cabernet and Cab Blends, and the rest whites, a few pinots, bubbles and a few other off beat wines I have collected over the years. I do have several straight Mataro's which I find different but nice with some age.

Greenock Creek, Noon, Rockford, Head, Charles Melton, Kalleske, Cape Mentelle, The Colonial Estate, Clonakilla, Cirillo, Gomersal, Viking, Seppelt and Spinifex are some of the wines I have plenty of. What I do have is 2 or 3 bottles of lots of wine from the smaller Boutique wineries from all over the place, but particularly SA. I like to buy wines that I have actually tasted and I take pride in the fact that nearly 60% of my wines have been bought from the cellar door or straight from the producer. Obviously all the big brand wines are purchased at the chain stores.

Nearly all of my wine is now in the $25 - $50 dollar bracket. I am starting to get a lot smarter in what I buy. I now only buy wines that have the capability to age, and age well. Even when I buy whites, I buy ones that will improve with a few years in the cellar.

I, like a few others, have slowed down a bit with my intake. Since the birth of the wee fella at the start of 09, the amount we drink has dropped by probably 40 to 50%. The wife did not drink during her pregnancy at all and now only has a glass every now and then, since the wee fella was born.

The biggest problem with wine is that there is so much beautiful wine around, and only so much money to buy it and space to store it. I'll have to start drinking more!

Ian

[burgster]

Gee, it does make me feel like the odd one out. At least 25% of my collection is riesling, and I even have quite a few chards.

Makes me feel quite inadequate with only about 3 doz Aussie reds.

[sparky]

Being fortunate enough to live in Melbourne, not only do I have access to some of the best coffee in the world, but I also have great ambient storage under my double brick semi. Luckily spiders and cat's bums don't scare me (put the head torch on to go for a crawl under the house in search of a bottle and the cat inevitably follows me in - "Here - look at this! Far more interesting than an old dusty bottle! ) I digress.

Sitting at around 200 bottles, trying desperately to keep the lid on that and failing badly - there's only so much wine me and the little tacker can drink. My collection not surprisingly charts my working life and the brands that have come and gome from the portfolios over the years. Earlier vintages from the 90's are mostly St Huberts, Balgownie, Saltram, Metala and Baileys, predominantly Cabernet(s) and Shiraz. Later years see Coldstream Hills, Devil's Lair, Heemskerk and Penfolds starting to creep in, along with more Pinot and Chardonnay.

My other goal is to buy outside my own portfolio a lot more, so there's a smattering of French, NZ (pinot) and like Chuck, I've been seduced by Margaret River so a bit of Woodlands & other stuff, mostly Cabernet blends is starting to creep in.

Got a bit of a hole in the early 00's, so backfilling that and restocking some rizza is also on the agenda, if we can get through the reds fast enough to make some space...

[Teisto]

I have been collecting since around 1996 with a couple of breaks in between so late 90's early 2000's are a bit bare but there is some stuff in there. I have around 600 bottles of which around 300 are kept in 2 temp / humidity fridges in the garage.

I live in Sydney and fortunately the garage I have is solid concrete, underground and well ventilated so the other 300 bottles are kept there as well and I try and insulate them in newspaper and the cardboard box. There is some variation annually of about 6-8 degrees but no wild swings on a daily basis.

I have a massive predominance of Barossa reds (30%) which are nearly mostly Shiraz however there is a fair bit of GSM in there as well. Everything else is pretty well split in the 5-10% range but the overwhelming bias is red over white
Canberra shiraz / shiraz viognier, Clare valley riesling, Coonawarra - Cab sauv, Hunter - Shiraz and some semillon, Mornington and Tasmania Pinot, WA Cab Sauv & Shiraz.

I have a splattering of Burgundy, Some Oregon Pinot, Central Otago Pinot. And a good mix of port, muscat and tokay going back to about 1980.

I am always on the lookout for someone who is coming up in the ranks before it rises ridiculously in value and their wines cellar well and are good value. I too have had a child recently so the spending has dropped so looking for value in the up to $60 range. I hope to buy around 5 dozen keepers per year and will supplement on quaffers when there are things heavily discounted.

[reschsmooth]

To claim most pitiful collection award:

I have been 'into' wine since early 20s (almost 20 years ago), but for many years, did not have the financial resources to sate that thirst. Acquisition was on a single-bottle basis for many of the early years. I had built this up to about 100 bottles about 10 years ago including some Magill Estate, St Henri, 389s and others. However, following a relationship breakdown, I made the retrospective error of flatting with a mate for 12 months before meeting my current good half. Throughout that year, the collection was largely liquidated. (yes, pun intended).

Some financial woes followed which put any serious attempts at recommencing the collection on the back burner. Following this was the glorious birth of two future school fees

So, here we are with about 130 bottles, about 70% shiraz, 20% cabernet and 10% riesling/sparkling/chardonnay/Hunter semillon and an eisewein. There is a predominance of Australian stock with less than about 10% French, split between Crozes-Hermitage & Bordeaux.

There is a significant overweight to the red capsules, largely due to a drive to acquire a collection of 2006s (wedding year) of Bin 407 upwards culminating in Grange (sadly, no Yattarna).

There is also a weighting to 2006, 2007 (birthyear 1) and 2009 (birthyear 2).

I am still trialling cellar tracking systems that are easy to use.

Currently, storage is split between a wine fridge and a deep, dark corner of the granny flat downstairs.

[via collins]

Congrats on a ripper topic Ross.

I was actually having a fiddle with my cellar data on Saturday night, and it revealed that my tastes have changed significantly over my 5 year journey.

I've just on 300 bottles now, all professionally stored. I could say I'd be happy with that number, but it'd be a pale-faced lie. Barely a week goes by when I'm not completely enchanted with a new wine-maker, style, region etc.

When I started, it was cab sauv and shiraz and not much else. When looking at numbers on the w/e, I was amazed to see that Bordeaux blends have snuck up to match cab sauv evenly. Like Craig, I'm a sucker for the combo. It was the Blue Poles Allouran that did it, and now I almost need a sub-section for the volume of Hawkes Bay wines that are piling up. And I just made a Kidnapper Cliffs raid. Hoping they will match it with Te Mata.

I love Bandol a lot, and so Roger Pike now figures prominently and never ever lets me down. And Teusner are another very reliable label. I'd be deep into a second dozen of the 06 Avatar. The Grenache journey is incredible. The Cirillo, the Rusden, and now the mind-blowing Head wines too.

Victoria is very well represented. Hoddles Creek, Craiglee and Tahbilk are there in good numbers. Voyager Estate is a go to wine across the label, but I'd like to explore the Margaret River region much more.

Biggest import by far is Italian. I travel there a bit, and have a fair whack of small grower's gear from various regions put away.

So, thanks again for the chance to reflect in the company of fellow obsessives!

cheers,

[Sean]

deleted

[ross67]

Great and interesting coverage Sean Thanks

ross

[Craig(NZ)]

Ok Some Cellar Trivia now I have updated the database...thx for the prompting. My cellar is on the wane a bit as a) I purposely shrink it because of storage issues. I am storing 99% of my wine at my uncles remember. b) as I spend more time/ money on other interests/ hobbies and kids c) As I don't drink as much anymore.

Since I am an analyst I won't write a blurb..its all numbers.

Maximum Size 415 bottles (2008)
Current Size 293 Bottles

RED WHITE SPLIT
83% Red
17% White

VARIETAL SPLIT
51% Bordeaux Blends - Average time in cellar 5.5 years
28% Shiraz/Syrah - Average time in cellar 6 years
4% Pinot Noir -Average time in cellar 2.5 years
7% Riesling - Average time in cellar 4 years
6% Chardonnay - Average time in cellar 3.5 years
4% Other

COUNTRY SPLIT
66% Kiwi
26% Aussie
7% French
1% Other

TOP FEATURED REGIONS
Hawkes Bay 125
Barossa Valley 28
Clevedon 23
Bordeaux 20
Coonawarra 16

TOP FEATURED WINERIES
Te Mata Estate 58
Penfolds 27
Puriri Hills 23
Unison Vineyards 21
Church Road 21

TOP FEATURED VINTAGES
2007 52
2005 47
2004 31
2006 23
1994 21

Oldest Wine - 1993 Yalumba Octavius and 1993 Penfolds Grange
Wine that has been in my cellar for the longest - 1994 Penfolds Bin 389 - 168 months
Wine I bought most bottles of - 1995 Hardy's Eileen Hardy Shiraz and 1995 Te Mata Coleraine - 15 bottles each
Wine I have the most of currently - 2007 Church Rd Reserve Cabernet Merlot - 14 bottles
Most valuable wine - 1996 Ch Latour
Number of Magnums - 8
Rarest/ most prized wine - Magnum of 2005 Puriri Hills Pope
Most bottles downed in a day - 17 (at my 40th)
Number of wines sitting in cellar for over 10 years = 41

[Waiters Friend]

Ironic that this subject should reappear now. It's been around previously and I remember last time saying that I would stop buying wine, as my cellar ( garden shed with polyurethane spray-on insulation and airconditioning) has a capacity of around 1000 bottles, and I was reaching practical capacity of 800 (you have to have SOME spaces on racks). I fully expected that I would shrink the collection somewhat, by drinking, and sharing with friends.

I've had a few events over the last 6 months, where I tell people 'don't bring wine', and they gleefully hoe into what I offer them. And the delightful Sue is responsible for helping with the surplus, too.

Prior to logging on tonight, I wandered into the cellar, to see what whites I could top up the drinks fridge with (there's about 20 bottles at any one time in there), and decided to see how the cellar had shrunk, given my 'buy less' policy. I pulled out about 15 wines (the linen cupboard is a 'drink now' transition cupboard between the cellar and the wine fridge), then did the count.

What an amazing success my 'buy less' policy has been! My cellar of 800 has shrunk to 950

Roughly 170 shiraz, 150 riesling, 90 chardonnay, 90 cabernet, 50 semillon, 30 bubbles, 60 cabernet blends, 50 pinots, the remainder miscellaneous reds whites, VPs, other fortifieds, stickies, etc. 98% Australian, but a few French and Austrian wines as well.

I'm looking forward to it shrinking further

Cheers

Allan

[daz]

Great and interesting coverage Sean Thanks

ross

I too really enjoyed the journey, thanks Sean.

Never had more than about 130 bottles stored but with medical expenses, a couple of expired coolers, no electricity supply for five days after cyclone Yasi and replacing the written-off motorcycle at double the insurance payout, the collection has been drunk down to total a dozen or so premium reds from Tahbilk, Cullen, Wynns and Penfolds (my single bottle of Grange, 1996, kept until diagnosis of terminal illness). Oh yeah, and a bottle of Teusner Astral Series Mataro plus some recently purchased sub$20 but very good wines including a few shiraz/cab, chardonnay and riesling.

[bacchaebabe]

So, I've been collecting seriously (and posting here) since 1995 and have about 1500 bottles give or take a few 100. I don't have a list of all my wine but can tell if I do or don't have something and possibly even where it is. I have a passive cellar in my house and it was the key selling point of the house when we bought it. Well that and the double garage. Some variation between seasons but virtually nothing daily and it seems to work OK. I really like having my wine where I can see it and play with it. Well, mostly just see it but sometimes I move it around the racks when I need to fit more in. However there's not much more room to fit more in and there's already many cases on the floor waiting for a spot to live out their lives.

In terms of contents, it's mostly red, mostly shiraz, mostly south australian and mostly from the 98 vintage but I have wine from cleanskins to Grange to bordeaux to vintage champers. There's plenty of riesling and semillon and stickies but not as much chardy and what is there is quite premium. Until recently I had very little wine from WA with the exception of said premium chardy. I've bought quite a bit recently due to the good vintages there of late. I used to buy a lot of premium and cult wine but have slowed that right down, not because I can't afford it but because I'm seeing a lot better value in wines around the $20-$50 range and am finding few occasions to justify opening $100+ bottles of wine. Like I said it's mostly SA shiraz but there's a lot of cab and cab shiraz and other blends in there. Some straight Grenache and some more blends. Plenty of port, muscat (including a barrel) and tokay (or whatever it's called now). About 2 cases of bordeaux, 1 of burgundy, 1 of sauternes (maybe 2), 3 of champagne and maybe 1 of mixed other countries like spain, italy, germany and even lebanon and Israel. I'd like to add more italian and spanish wines as I quite enjoy these styles but need to learn more about these regions. There's also a bit of NZ wine and I really do quite fancy a NZ pinot and their aromatics and rieslings.

In terms of producers, Rockford, Penfolds, Seppelt, Wynns, Noons, Mount Mary, Voyager Estate, Woodlands, Greenock Creek, Torbreck, Tyrrells, Mount Pleasant, Grosset, Wild Duck Creek, Hoddles Creek all feature very heavily with muliple cases of all and in some cases multiple cases of specific wines and vintages such as 96 bin 386 and 98 Wynns black label cab sav. Saying that, these days I mostly buy in sixes or threes rather than dozens unless it's cleanskins or some other cheapie on sale by the case.

I mostly buy direct from winery's mailing lists and online wine shops. If I walk into a dan murphy's it's rare that I can walk out without spending $600+ but that will often include beer and spirits and mostly cheap quaffers for summer drinking unless I go there specifically for something they have on sale. I do buy very much on price and will shop around to save a $1 a bottle.

We drink about 4-5 bottles a week but I stil walk into the cellar and think I have nothing to drink. This is why I buy cheapies, so I don't feel guilty about drinking them too young but given the amount of wine I have, even the cheapies end up getting a few years in the cellar usually - and benefit from it too. I need to both drink less and drink more. Less from the health / weight issue and more from the size of the cellar and the need to make more room point of view. I can't win really so it's not worth thinking about.

[milky]

What a wonderful, glorious discussion thread!
Totally love reading through what you all have tucked away...

The wine bug got me in 2004/5, but due to financial restrictions, I have only been buying 1-2 bottles for drinking.

In 2007, my (then) boss gave me a bottle of 2004 Bin 389 and another person (can't remember who) gave me a bottle of 2005 Rockford Basket Press, both of which prompted me to start my modest "cellar". 1 year later, a project consultant gave me a bottle of 2002 Jacobs Creek 'Johann', and that boosted my collection by 50%! Since, then, I have been carefully adding to the cellar, carefully meaning only when I have spare from paying for mortgage & supporting 2 kids.

At it's peak, I had 40 bottles (1/2 being drink now prepositions). Most of them that I bought cost $20-$50, anything more expensive are gifts. That number got whittled down to 16 mid-late last year when we decided to move from Adelaide to Singapore. Now, all my wines are stored in a wine fridge (can hold 48, I think), as they will all surely die from exposure to the hot, humid Singapore climate!

Don't have a record/spreadsheet of what I have, but I can recall from memory most/all of them:
longer term: 1 x 02 JC 'Johann', 1 x 02 WDC Springflat, 1 x 03 WDC Springflat, 1 x 04 Bin 389, 1 x 05 Rockford BP, 2 x 07 JDW Plexus
mid term: 1 x 09 Rockford Black Shiraz, 1 x 05 Seppelt Silverband, 2 x 06 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Shiraz, 1 x 08 Grant Burge Filsel
drink now: 1 x 09 Rockburn Pinot, 2 x 09 Wild Earth Pinot, 2 x 09 Majella Musician, 1 x 09 Cape Mentelle Cab Merlot
rieslings: 2 x 09 Grosset Springvale, 2 x 10 Grosset Springvale, 2 x 10 Grosset Polish

Buying wine in Singapore is so @$&*#! expensive, but I have signed up to the mailing list of an Aussie/NZ wine loving Sth African wine merchant here. Some good deals occasionally, and from a wider range of choices, including Sth African, USA & French offerings - good stuff!