So, you’ve started a wine collection. You’ve managed to stockpile stellar bottles and scavenge the countryside for loose Petrus and other grail Pomerol. You’ve made a pilgrimage to the holy lands of Bordeaux, Tuscany and the Napa Valley to pay respects to the masters. You brought home souvenirs.
And then you laid them down, with the dreams that these bottles would ascend in quality (and price) over the next five, ten, fifteen years and beyond.
But buying coveted bottles doesn’t guarantee success down the line. Savvy selecting and excellent cellaring will cause a collection’s value to rise over time. If collected carelessly, a wine will plummet in value—and may result in a disappointing drinking experience.
How do you avoid aging blunders? Expert collectors weigh in.
Smart Shopping
Walker Strangis, owner of both Walker Wine Co and Walker Wine Locker in Los Angeles, warns clients that collecting for your own taste requires different strategies than cellaring bottles for future sale.
“If you want to build a cellar that has actual monetary value, don’t buy singles or very small quantities,” he says. “Buy a half or full-case: they are much more appealing to future buyers.” (Though he notes that pedigreed or wildly allocated producers do limit purchases to a bottle or two.)
If you are collecting for yourself, remember that tastes—including your own—change. Into white Rioja right now? You could be enamored by Vaillons from Chablis next year. “People often start collecting because they fall in love with a certain region,” says Strangis. “But what they start collecting is often not what they love down the road.”
That’s why he advises clients to not lean too hard into one region or style. “The value may go up, but you may not be enthusiastic about the actual taste,” he says.
To stay ahead of the pack and score potentially new and interesting finds, Strangis recommends keeping abreast on collecting trends by maintaining a good relationship with an auction broker or a fine wine trader.
“The auction world looks three to six months in the future to understand where the market is going,” he says. “They see where the wine trends are going, how producers are pricing, who’s buying and who’s not.”
Be Wary of Trends
Though it could be rewarding to stay ahead of the collecting curve, it’s important to remember that a lot of trends fade away. That’s why some experts advise that it’s important to avoid producers or styles that are overly zeitgeisty.
Think about where you were twenty years ago—do frosted tips or Juicy Couture tracksuits fit into your life now? Probably not, unless you’re a trendy 20-year-old.
“Hype is only relevant if you’re passionate about trends or looking to resell,” says Maximilian Riedel, the CEO and president of Riedel (and a dedicated collector himself, as evidenced by his Instagram). “I recommend sticking to reputable, historic producers you know you can rely on for high-quality, cellar-worthy wines.”
Mike Hoagland, president and founder of The Particular Cellar Co and former senior vice president at Wilson Daniels (importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leflaive), will direct drinkers towards the legendary producers, but he also stresses to not skip the upper middle class bottles for the elites.
“If you think about a certain appellation or region—Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Napa—and think about the handful of the best producers, they’re the nines/10s: the collectibles,” he says. “But through improved winemaking practices, new vineyard acquisitions or generational changes, the sixes through eights may be on their way to becoming nines through 10s.”
If you do see those prestige bottles, Riedel advises collectors not to get starry-eyed over rare labels—it’s easy to overpay. “A truly savvy collector will only buy wines at the right price,” he says. “It’s as simple as buying in a primary market (retail) and avoiding secondary markets (like auctions) where prices can inflate. A very connected collector can buy wine en primeur, or before bottling, to lock in a guaranteed price.”
Regardless of what you’re purchasing, be cautious about provenance and understand where the source of the wine (retailer, broker, auction house, etc.) initially acquired the bottle.
“Was it from the winery directly?,” says Particular Cellar’s Hoagland. “Another personal collection? From a designated importer? Sadly, there is a lot of wine of the highest level that may not have the best provenance, and it matters immensely.”
Savvy Storing
Once you’ve chosen your bottles—after ensuring, thus far, they’ve been suitably laid away—take care of them. A proper cellar must be temperature controlled and away from direct light.
“Don’t move the wines around constantly, don’t expose them to bright light for an extended period of time and keep temperatures consistent,” says Hoagland. “55 degrees is commonly thought to be appropriate for long-term aging of wine. But wine at 60 or even 65 degrees (if it is consistently at that temperature) is better than wine that might be at 55 for a month, 70 for another month, etc.”
It’s important to pay attention to what those bottles are being stored in, too. “Avoid storing cardboard boxes in cellars—the damp air may cause bacteria and mold to grow and spread through the cellar and corks,” says Shawn Zylberberg, founder of Zonda Wine Services consulting and cellar management. “Keep wines in the original cartons or wooden boxes—it can increase their resale value.”
Log them in a system—an Excel spreadsheet, a dedicated platform or whatever works best for you. And keep the physical receipts. “Saving purchase receipts—so you know not only the cost basis but also the direct source of purchase—is always a good idea,” says Hoagland.
This is particularly important for resale. “Auction houses will make sure the wines maintain the house’s reputation—this helps establish provenance through a chain of sales,” says Zylerberg.
Babysitting Bottles
Once everything is resting soundly, you also have to manage expectations: be ready to part ways with a bottle when it’s time. “The biggest and most disappointing mistake I run into is when people hold wines for too long,” says Zylberberg.
And always be constantly cognizant about what you’re buying and collecting. “If you find yourself staying on an allocated list for a wine that you no longer enjoy, stop buying it,” says Strangis. “I’ve seen people stay on mailing lists for wines they no longer drink solely because they go up in value. The secondary market is awash in people moving their high-scoring cult wine they no longer drink.”
Another key point: be okay with asking for help. “If you’re looking to resell bottles, it’s wise to have your collection appraised every so often,” says Riedel. Experts can also help you move or reorganize. “Wines are temperamental, so having an expert to support you to ensure your bottles are handled with care and protected from damage is key,” he notes.
It’s all legwork, but helps avoid heartbreak down the line. Zylberberg has seen some of the world’s top wines go down the drain due to collecting mistakes. “The wine world is vast and the books and tasting reports endless,” he says. “It’s good to have someone on watch for your next favorite, and maybe even life changing, bottle.”
More Wine Collecting Coverage
- In “Building a Wine Collection? Choose the Road Less Traveled,” Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Aleks Zecevic examines conventional wisdom.
- What you need to know when picking the cooling unit for a wine cellar.
- “Can I Use an Air Conditioner to Cool My Wine Cellar?,” asks Wine Enthusiast Education Officer Marshall Tilden III. The answer may surprise you.
- Collect what you drink and avoid the wines stuck in the anointed wine collecting circle.
- You can collect wine on any budget. How to start your wine collection.
- Wine collecting dos and don'ts.
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Published: August 8, 2024
