My world of wine was very limited until about 15 years ago, my range of knowledge limited to red, white and……well that was about it.  The wine menus at restaurants were daunting and may as well have been scripted in a foreign language.  It became, to say the least, embarrassing, if not darn right intimidating.  If I was going to order wine at restaurant, shouldn’t I have some hint of what I was ordering?  The question was, where should I start……..a great question that a lot of new wine consumers ask and rightfully so.  Today, there are so many new regions producing quality and affordable wines, that the task seems almost overwhelming.  Fortunately, a close friend recognized my enigma and suggested that I visit his local wine retailer and let him work with my taste preferences.  So I made the trip to the store, a very tasteful community based spirits establishment.  Very patiently Randy, the proprietor, worked with me, narrowing down my taste preferences and my budget, even offering samples of several wines.  After nearly an hour of discussion and tastings, we settled on a mixed case of inexpensive, everyday wine.  I also promised him that I would get back to him in couple of weeks afte completing my Wine Tasting 101a.  Two weeks later I was back at the store and ready to replace the depleted inventory.  I told Randy how shocked I was by the discovery that wine seemed to possess an amazing universe of aromas and flavors, brought to live even more so when paired with certain foods.  Over the ensuing years, I developed a close relationship with Randy, sampling one varietal after another from different wine regions but all still at affordable prices and in manageable lots.  Remember, as a novice, my goal here was to sample as many everyday wine styles as possible.

Then one evening, I headed down to the basement to retrieve bottle for dinner when I recognized that I had accumulated a few cases worth of wines.  It was comforting, I thought, to have a variety of standby wines to pair with different foods or just to share with friends at a casual gathering.  Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, to expand my wine inventory to include many of the world’s regions and to consider adding a few special bottles for rare occasions.  It was at that juncture, as I look back, that the concept and intrigue of a wine collection first dawned on me.  However, if I was going to travel that path, it was clear that I required A LOT of additional education.

It wasn’t long before I was avidly reviewing my latest wine publication for new wines to sample, wine regions yet untested by me, studies on wine and health and wine and food pairing suggestions.  As well, I polled Randy for his suggestions and strategies.  It also wasn’t long before I made my first few prized wine purchases for those “rare occasions,”  now with the new found understanding that I was to “lay them down” for some time before consuming.  I sensed a growing inner excitment, now that I actually owned a few “prized” wines.  Like a kid let loose in a candy store, I suddenly had this nearly uncontainable feeling of need and want; as if I simply wanted to pull one bottle after another off the shelf without regard to strategy (or money).  I sensed that if I did ot craft a reasonable approach to collecting, my collection risked spinning out of control and taking my meager budget with it.  Clearly, it was time for me to step back and answer a doozie of a question……why was I building this collection?  As you will see, this is a question that every collector should ask…..and answer……BEFORE you travel too far.

Why Build A Collection?

Let’s supposed that it has dawned upon you that you would like to launch and build what I would coin a “starter” wine collection; perhaps a couple of cases with a variety of everyday wines along with a few special bottles for special occasions.  Remember, a collection has no limits in size and price.  It is simply an assembly of items for study, exhibition or consumption.  It is ashamed that much of the public has been led to believe that a wine collection is worthy only if it is stocked with wines costing hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per bottle) when there is a universe of wonderful wines for under $20 and in rare cases under $10.  Don’t let yourself be intimidated by the thought of starting your collection.  If it helps, think of it as simply having a week or two supply of wine stored away in a cool, dark closet, basement or even the refrigerator.  Meanwhile, let’s examine the key question here…..what are your goals in establishing and growing your wine collection?

Chances are that your wine collection will be for consumption purposes.  On that premise, I would heartily recommend building your collection with everyday, affordable wines, wine that are produced for near term consumption (say, within a couple of years).  This approach offers you the biggest bang for the buck.  After all, the idea is to sample as many wines as possible in your quest to learn what you like.  It will offer to you the opportunity to mix and match different wine varietals from wine regions around the globe.  With patience, you will learn to define what you palate appreciates.  But don’t take the exercise too seriously.  Remember, this exercise is supposed to be fun, imaginative, and revealing.  Imagine the joy of pulling a bottle from your collection that pairs beautifully with dinner, the food and wine enhancing one another’s flavors and aromas.  Speaking of cuisine, think about your general food preferences when making the wine purchases.  If your style leans toward beef, pork and lamb, your collection will probably lean more toward reds.  If, on the other hand your diet is more heavily seafood or vegetables, you will probably lean more toward the whites.  The reality is that most of us enjoy a range of cuisine, arguing for a balanced blend of reds, whites and perhaps a bottle of Champagne or Sparkling Wine.

As you settle on your stylistic preferences, it’s only a matter of time before you start to think about adding more highly rated, collectible wines.  These will be the wines that reveal their best after years of proper storage and maturation; reds such as Bordeaux and Cabernets, Burgundy, Rhone and Barolo and Super Tuscans in addition to some of the Shiraz.  In the white category, think White Burgundy (Chardonnay), late harvest, sweet Alsatian and German wines as well as the fabulous dessert wines from France such the Sauternes and Loires.  If you are patient and resourceful, you may be fortunate enough to locate some of these gems from the more challenging vintages at very reasonable prices.  You may also discover gems from some of the top vintages at reduced prices in light of the international economic environment.  Fortunately for collectors, this is a buyer’s market.  If you strategize properly, you will end up with a wonderful collection of everyday wines mixed with very special lots for the future and all within your budget.

The alternative goal for wine collectors is to accumulate an inventory of highly prized, collectible and often costly wines with a possible eye on the wine auction market.  If this is your goal, make no mistake that it demands deep financial resources, can be a risky investment (as the current equity markets demonstrate) and requires intense education about auction worthy wines.  First and foremost, educate yourself about this very specific corridor within the wine world.  Research out authoritative publications on the subject and track down experts in the field.  It’s not unusual for auction worthy wines to go for many hundreds if not thousands of dollars per bottle so be prepared to spend.  After doing your due diligence, if you come to the conclusion that your funding may be insufficient to launch an auction worthy collection, you may be better off deferring the task rather than splurging on questionable wines.

While it is reasonable to still search out the more coveted wines such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and others, it may also be worthwhile to keep an eye out for the next generation of potentially collectible wines in hopes that you have discovered the next gem.  For example, the Southern Rhone wines have gained international acclaim over the last several years, the Paul Avril Clos des Papes 2005 being awarded the Wine Spectator #1 wine of the year in 2007 and the 2007 wines looking every bit as stellar.  These wines certainly stand a chance to be added to the cream of the collectible crop.  Part II of Wine Collecting in the next segment…..

Tags: auction, collectible, collection, collector