Start a Wine Collection In Your Spare Time
I follow a ton of wine people on Instagram. I am enthralled by pictures of wine cellars. All those bottles lined up in different fashions, foil caps stacked or lengthwise bottles over lengthwise bottles. It’s like art. But it got me thinking. How could you even get a wine collection started if you were just a casual drinker? And why should you?
The best way to start a wine collection from scratch, without spending a ton of money up front, is to have a plan and to double up. Having a plan is simple and will take some simple work. Then you just check the boxes. We will use the wine world to construct our plan, by grape and by region. Double up? Yeah, just buy 2 bottles instead of 1. Then you sit on the second while you grow your collection. Simple.
Why build a collection? That’s an easy answer for anyone interested in wine. There are so many wines out there in the world. There is absolutely no reason to limit yourself to drinking only certain grapes or regions. It’s human nature to keep going back to what you know. Expanding your wine tastes through a collection will allow you to learn about wine. It will expose yourself to different tastes. Figure out what you like and what you don’t like and how regions affect taste. Get ready for a fun ride. The wine world is too big to stay confined.
You will also be a huge party hit. Imagine being able to decide pairings on the fly. Or being able to bring bottles to parties without having to visit the store. There are endless reasons to have a collection.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE WINE STORE
Think about what we do when we are faced with a ton of selections. We ask questions from the people at the store. They will often push us in certain directions. We shop by price. Then we go to things we have either heard good things about or have had already. This is why we rewatch movies and listen to the same album over and over. It’s a known quality. Why waste time or money on something we don’t know about? But this keeps us confined. And unless we are actively looking to expand, we stay stuck.
IS THIS EXPENSIVE?
The simple answer is “no.” The more complicated answer is that it depends. When I am talking about a wine collection, I am not talking about having a cellar with 300 plus bottles. I am talking about a small collection that covers the wine world. Of course, if you have the resources, go hog wild. I will never dissuade people from buying all the wine they can. This is a collection that you can build slow and not spend a ton of money on.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
It can be a slow build or it can be done in a day. Just depends on your resources. With my “Double It” method, you can have this collection down in 7 months on a weekly purchase of wine. And this is pretty expansive. If you want to simplify it, you can. Easy, right? No excuse, right?
HOW MUCH SPACE DO I NEED FOR A WINE COLLECTION?
Not much. We are talking about a 30 to 40 bottle collection. It’s not insane. Most people who collect anything have more lying around. Records? Books? Comics? Shoes? If you have an interest in wine, you have room in your life for this. It will make you a much better wine drinker and bring you a ton of enjoyment.
The Internet is full of wine racks for sale that will hold over 30 bottles for under $100. Just find a nice cool closet in your home and put the rack in there. Add your bottles and walk out. After a little bit you will see your collection growing.
THE PLAN TO GROW A WINE COLLECTION
In order to keep this simple and grow your collection we will go with a major wine region / varietal plan. This keeps it inside the box and all you have to do is just go down the list every single time you go buy wine at the store. You don’t even have to double up, just buy one of these bottles when you are purchasing your bottle for the night or the party or whatever. That’s all. Stick to the plan young Grasshopper. Soon you will be a Wine Master.
Let’s start in the Good Ole U.S. of A. and then move around. Normally, wine would start in France. All wine leads to France. It’s just the truth. Wine laws, history, cultivation… you name it. French. But let’s buck the tradition and just start in the West Coast of the United States.
The remainder of this article is basically a list. Follow accordingly. Make a simple spreadsheet to mark off your purchases and monitor your collection.
UNITED STATES WINE
CALIFORNIA
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma Valley Chardonnay
Paso Robles or Sonoma Zinfandel
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
Santa Barbara Chardonnay
OREGON
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley Chardonnay
WASHINGTON STATE
Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley Riesling
Columbia Valley Merlot
FRENCH WINE
BURGUNDY
Chablis Chardonnay
Côte d’Or Pinot Noir
Côte d’Or Chardonnay
BORDEAUX
Left Bank Red Blend
Right Bank Red Blend
RHONE VALLEY
Northern Rhone Syrah
Southern Rhone Red Blend
CHAMPAGNE
Yes. Get some Champagne.
LOIRE VALLEY
Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc
Vouvray Chenin Blanc
Chinon Cabernet Franc
Muscadet Melon de Bourgogne
GERMAN WINE
Mosel Riesling
SPANISH WINE
RIOJA
Tempranillo Reserva
Tempranillo Gran Reserva
RIAS BAIXAS
Albarino
ITALIAN WINE
TUSCANY
Chianti Classico Sangiovese
Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese
VENETO
Pinot Grigio
Valpolicella Ripasso
PIEDMONT
Barolo Nebbiolo
Barbaresco Nebbiolo
AUSTRALIAN WINE
BAROSSA VALLEY
Shiraz
HUNTER VALLEY
Semillon
NEW ZEALAND WINE
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
ARGENTINA WINE
Mendoza Malbec
CONCLUSION
This list is not exhaustive. It’s not broken down with tasting notes. There are no details about aging or wine laws here. You will see that some areas are more detailed than others. The point is to enjoy. To expand your wine palate and wine pleasure through actually experiencing the taste of wine.
Take notes if you want. Compare Chardonnay from different parts of the world. Ask yourself questions when you notice differences in taste. Be aware. But also just enjoy. I mean, that’s the point. Right?