The $2500 Wine Cellar, part 2

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The $2500 Wine Cellar, part 2 And we’re back. Just to refresh your memory, I’m laying out suggestions for building a wine cellar on a budget. That’s how we’ll start and will build from there. First, I need to answer some of the questions my first installment of the $2500 Cellar elicited.

Why three bottles of each wine?

The purpose of a cellar is to catch your wine at its peak while learning how the wine evolves. Many of these $30 wines can live long lives indeed, but most will be delicious on release, peak in three to five years and then fade away from there. Having three bottles of each wine lets you experience the wine throughout its life cycle.

Why $30?

This is a pretty arbitrary figure. Basically, it’s the price point at which you can really begin to find gems for the cellar from around the globe. It’s also the most money many people would think about spending on a bottle of wine. The idea of this series is to show everyone that cellaring wine is not just for the rich and famous, but can instead be within the means of most wine lovers!

Now on to part II of the $2500 Cellar.

Photo courtesy idovermani via Flickr/CC

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Comments

LoriRackel

764822 15

Hi Gregory, I am faithfully following your articles. Is it possible to have a shopping list format attached for us Eager Beavers?
Lori from Alberta, Canada

Jan 20, 2012 at 4:50 PM
CherieJN

932257 17

Loving this series! A shopping list would be fantastic too. Thanks!

Jan 21, 2012 at 11:43 AM
ChefJune

359212 29

<Now on to part II of the $2500 Cellar.> ??? so, where is it?

Jan 22, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Brewtown-
Brian

452279 11

Thanks for the picks, Greg! I can't wait for your nebbiolo selectiions for the cellar.

As someone who is just beginning to build a modest collection, I am interested in your concluding point about lesser vintages. This subject confuses me a bit. Sure, a great vintage could produce a bigger wine. A bigger wine could use more time in bottle to mellow and show its nuances. One the other hand, an off vintage often comes from less ripe grapes. Less ripe grapes produce wines with lower ABV and higher acidity. But isn't that the formula for long term aging?

The 2007 Barolo is a good case study. This is considered a great vintage but it is ady to drink nows, in its youth.

Jan 23, 2012 at 10:05 AM
ChefJune

359212 29

Thanks for pointing me back to the thread. I guess I had a "DOH" moment yesterday! Found an interesting comment you made: "Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch is very likely the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in California." If you're not familiar with Nichelini Wines in the Chiles Valley, they may have the oldest Zinfandel vineyard. They've been making wine since before 1900... http://www.nicheliniwinery.com

Jan 24, 2012 at 1:03 AM