Saying goodbye to wines.

Not all of them, just a chunk of the cellar which in many ways resembles an overgrown jungle. It’s only about 10% by volume so its not really going to hurt, at least that’s what I thought

I’ve been building the list by reviewing cellartracker, which is part of the problem. There before my eyes are I credible scoring wines, crazy alluring reviews. I know I don’t like these wines that much, or at least as much as they are worth, and yet pangs of regret as they slide I to the shippers.

Anyone else go through this? I mean, seriously, I have too much to drink. I either sell some or drink wines that are over the hill. I’m being rational, and yet somehow I find it hard to let go of these high scoring wines. Will I like them better if I try them again?

No, probably not, and truth be told when your standing on a stack of cases in the basement trying to get a better view at the contents of the second row of stacked cases the enormity of it all sinks in and it gets easier to let go of all but the most coveted bottles but this is still harder than I thought it was going to be.

It also reveals my lackadaisical approach to online cellar maintenance, which seems to have left me more positive than negative surprises so far.

Anyone else irrationally attached to bottles of wine? Do. Ears shit in the woods? Come on and share and help an addict out.

Having been the person removing the wines from cellars to go to auction, I have seen this a LOT. Not uncommon at all. Just concentrate on the good stuff: a more manageable cellar and cash!

Greg,
FWIW, I assume that someday my doctor will recommend I no longer drink. It may not happen but I simply assume it will. And since I am almost 68, I assume this advice will come sooner rather than later.
That makes it easier to part with or drink bottles I might otherwise keep. It also seems to limit my buying to some degree.
As evidence I note that at its peak, my cellar was over 100 cases. Today it is about 300 bottles.
Your mileage may vary.
Best, Jim

I can probably see what you mean, but my cellar is not so big that I have much quantities of anything I would want to part with; they are all rather precious to some extent. So, my answer is different from yours, in that I may have a bottle or two of something I would rather not drink, but nowhere near 10% of what I have.

Greg,

Just let them go. You should feel relieved of the pressure to feel you have to open them soon.

After that line, I think you’re a poet, not an addict.

If a tree falls in the woods and there are no bears nearby, does it make a sound?

Seriously, yes, I expect that almost all of us deal with that issue, including many who are always trumpeting how coldly rational they are about buying and selling decisions.

I struggle with this in giving bottles away as gifts. I have no reluctance to open hundreds of dollars worth of wine to share with a few friends who come over, but somehow, I struggle emotionally to give bottles away. I do it all the time, but except when I have some good bottle that doesn’t interest me at all lying around (usually something I got as a gift from someone else - e.g. someone gives me a SVD bottle of Belle Glos pinot), I battle this profound reluctance in my gut. I think my issue is that part of me doesn’t want to give it up never having tasted it and gotten to see what I think and have that reference / learning point (even if it didn’t turn out to be something I loved).

So how are you selling the bottles? What % are you paying?

Yes and only in 1% of the cases (or less) did I regret cellar pruning. Hurts the most when figuring what to sell and packing them up.

It will be fine once the bandaid is fully removed.

For the past 5 years I’ve annually culled my cellar of bottles that I thought I wouldn’t drink for one reason or another. I have never regretted selling a single bottle. I’m currently trying to reduce by another 500+ bottles and find that it is more difficult than last year, as I like most of the wines I own, but have too much based on projected consumption. The people who I work with on my cellar have made some suggestions based on drinking windows, quantity owned, value, and ratings, with the goal being to maximize cellar efficiency with an eye toward profitability.

Or, in the words of the father of a high school friend: “Does the Pope shit in the woods?”

I think that was a Steve Martin line.

And on topic, I am seriously considering selling 500+ bottles from my cellar just to get it back in my cellar.

Not that I am aware of…

Hang tough! Open something nice.

I heard it a couple of years before Steve Martin came on the scene, actually. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a Lenny Bruce line, knowing my friend’s father.

At least the higher scoring wines (if you’ve decided to sell anyway based on CT reviews) will fetch a higher price… Meaning you sell less bottles (or have more money to recycle).

Let’s face it, we’ve all got more than we need - it’s the compulsive collecting, right?

I’ve sold about 20k bottles in the last 2yrs and have almost no regrets. Other than (a) some of the Burgs, and (b) starting to buy back again…

Greg’s post describes my cellar situation perfectly but I don’t really want to deal with the hassle of auctions and shipping, nor am I looking to make a profit. There’s no market in this area that I know of so I’ll just get thirstier and entertain more.

Chris - trade some with a friend for non-wine? I did for Man Utd vs Chelsea tickets recently (for a bottle of 2001- based MV Krug). Better than giving/drinking it away…

I have been looking at my growing inventory and have started wondering how many bottles will I not be able to drink because I died.

The other day, my wife opened a dangerous box by suggesting that if my current storage vaults were at capacity, we could buy more. If I don’t do that, I will be forced to drink more than I buy. So, that is Plan A.

There is no Plan B.

I’m 66 and if, like Jim, above, Dr. Yahya tells me I have to stop drinking, then I guess I’ll be faced with your problem. More than likely, I’ll just have an Open House.

In the meantime it’s Plan A.

Doctor Who??

Yes, Greg. I share your emotions. There are plenty of wines I own that I know logically I’d rather have cash than the bottle, in the end, even if only to perform an arbitrage of some sort. And yet, I suffer anxiety and pain at the thought that I will no longer be able to look in my cellar and see XXX wine. Or think of it happily resting at home.

I try to think of my cellar as a repository of pleasure, and that every wine I add there will increase the pleasure quotient. Some add more than I expect them to, and some less. If I open a prized bottle and it is corked, that does not decrease the pleasure quotient of my overall cellar. I try to think of selling in the same way.

And still…it is hard.