Your wine "magic number"?

What’s your wine “magic number”? (total # of bottles)

Some recent posts about scaling back on wine (“I’m done*”, “Taking a Vintage Off- Any Tips?”) got me to thinking… What’s your “magic number” of # of bottles to see you through whatever milestone it is you’re tracking to? For example, it could be age based, getting closer to retirement, you ran out of storage space and refuse to increase, or you’ve simply sunk enough $ into wine and are looking to stop.

For me, I’m at my magic number of around 750 bottles. In my late forties and at current consumption rates, that gives me enough bottles to lay down for some mid to long-term aging while still keeping some early / frequent drinkers around. I know inventory counts can be somewhat personal, but it would be interesting if others would be willing to share.

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My algorithm is extremely simple. Max cellar capacity = ~1400

Is this like a Sleep #?

Need higher #'s !

ditto

Wow, I clearly underestimated the choices!

555 +15 seems like my happy place.

There are quite a few people on this board with very large cellars. I would guess those are the people least likely to answer the question!

I don’t have the storage for them all, but I’d like to eventually have enough room for 750-1,000. I think that would look like another Eurocave (I have 3) or two.

I am pretty sure my magic number is “more.”

I started with the idea of anticipated annual consumption x 20, since I like them old. Then it got complicated.

Will consumption increase or decrease? I’m less tolerant of alcohol in terms of quantity, and “they” say consumption goes down with age. OTOH, I’m more inclined to open a bottle on Tuesday since retiring. OTOH, we’ll be traveling more and probably not bringing wine from the cellar. OTOH…

Will I still like them that old in another 10, 20 years? Do I need to keep the pipeline full? Will I shift to younger wines, or to buying older wines at auction?

Somewhere between a bottle a week and one every two weeks with time off for travel comes out to ~500-1000. Assuming they’re all the “right” bottles. Yeah, it’s complicated.

We drink 200 to 350 bots per year, so need north of 2,000 to survive for 7 yrs

A while back my wife asked me that question, how many bottles is enough. I said 1,000…so my answer is 1,000 (in case she ever reads this).

Honestly, If we could afford it, it would be well north of 5000. We like old wine, so you have to have alot in the cellar. We at 2000-ish now, and I think we should stay in that ballpark.

Delighted and shocked to see my cellar among the most “modest” here (~700)!

There are some crazies here!

I’ve spent a few year reducing to ~700 and have decided that number is too low (we really like aged wines).
I’d like to get to 1000-1250.

5000 would be a nice number. If I had got into Burgundy and Piedmont decade or so earlier than when I got seriously into them, I may have got to that number. With escalating prices I have kind of given up on buying most top producers. 3000 will do for me now.

1,000 - 1,250 is my current feeling on this topic. Subject to change with the winds …

Approximately 25,000.

But I would start in earnest collecting other items of interest to me well before then.