As i’ve continued to build up my collection, I’ve often wondered about having someone look at my purchases to consult on things like:
Am I overextended in one particular producer or variety?
From an aging perspective, do my available bottle match well with typical drinking curves (said differently, am I sitting on a bunch of stuff I shouldn’t access for years or vice versa)?
Based on producers I already own, are there other key wineries I should be trying of which I’m not aware?
Are there wines which are being consumed too fast or slow?
It would be kind of fun to have board “experts” review your collection and provide constructive feedback - does anyone already do this?
One of the things I have done… when I had more time on my hands, is look at some of the cellar inventory of people in cellartracker who have posted similar notes on wines that I have in my cellar.
If their cellar is similar… I look to see what are some wines that they have that I DO NOT have.
It’s an interesting experiment in seeing if you can find new unknown stuff that someone with a similar palate (not, pallet… HA! I remembered for once!) also likes.
… the only problem with this is many on cellartracker have their cellar inventory blocked from being viewed. I hate that.
I have no doubt if such a coach existed and was respected in the field, he or she would take one look at my cellar and tell me I’m nuts. …which means it’s exactly how I want it.
I’m guessing, from what I know of you through WB, that the main advice you’d get is that you’re buying too quickly off of new world mailing lists, and there is a risk that your preferences change, that you may not like how some of these taste once you finally get to them, and/or that you’ll run out of money or room to get more into different categories. It’s pretty sound to remind ourselves that there will be as many or more good wines to buy in coming years, so we don’t need to stockpile so much now, but should allow more flexibility to see where our tastes and preferences go.
That would be good advice to me as well, and I struggle with the impulse that “I’d better find as many good producers and buy as much of their wine as I can now,” so I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m wagging my finger at you. But I’m guessing if you bared all your purchasing, drinking and collection to the collective wisdom of the board, that would be the main recommendation you would get. And the same for me.
Chris, you’re probably right on the loading up of new world producers, but options are limited in TX to acquire top wines from other locations. I feel like I’ve done reasonably well in avoiding typical rookie mistakes, e.g. no cases of Silver Oak or Caymus sitting in the cellar (no offense to those who have it). I am, however, trying to build a backlog to drink and age as I’m late to this whole wine collecting thing, ergo my aggressive purchasing.
OK, this I can respond to easily: stop. IMO, the biggest mistake someone newer to wine can make is trying to somehow “catch up” to what they see other people buying and drinking. No amount of reading or following what other people do will bring you to a place that is right for you. If anything, you are more likely to end up frustrated in five years.
You don’t have to compete with anyone else.
You don’t have to buy from every mailer you get.
You don’t have to jump on every “new big thing”.
There is always another vintage.
There is always another “new big thing”.
Do:
Take every opportunity to taste as much as you can, including wines from all over the world.
Find wine friends who are willing to explore with you, and/or share wines they own.
Figure out what you really enjoy, not what you think you’re supposed to enjoy.
Take your time.
If you don’t change your approach TODAY, I predict you’ll have a cellar full of bottles you don’t really enjoy within 5 years. That’s not to say you will necessarily follow the same path anyone else has, you’ll find your own; but if you’re like 99% of us, that path will surely lead in different directions than you’re following now.
Biggest mistake is having wines in more than one count that you have never tasted.
Tasting is knowing and knowing is everything. if you do break this rule, make sure they are easily tradable going forward.
Your tastes may change and probably will, so nobody has the crystal ball but maybe, just maybe if you ask advice from some seasoned folk who have similar tastes to yours now, you just might have a glimmer of an answer.
Alan, sound advice, but keep in mind that we’re going through a significant number of bottles each year as well, between dinners, gatherings, etc., so some of the buying is just a pure numbers game to keep from depleting our cellar. That said, I have taken some flyers on stuff blindly, based off recommendations, only to find it’s not necessarily to my taste. I’m trying to use a “buy less, but better”, picking up more French and Italian, etc.
If you’re keeping up by trying a lot of what you buy, and not over-buying or over-spending, that’s really just part of trying and tasting, so nothing wrong there. But a lot of people fall into the habit of buying a bunch of wine from a producer because it’s the hot thing, and never trying any because “it’s not ready”, then end up with cases of stuff they don’t like.
I am a newbie really. I have only been collecting since the 09 vintage and already have outgrown my home cellar, my garage locker, and now my offsite.
I have cut my list down these days and will cut it down again next year. I will not take more than 2 cases a year from a producer going into next year.
I will stay on Rhys, Copain, Ceritas, Arcadian, and LF, while taking some bedrock. All my others I am going to retail on now. I want to be able to go wider into Oregon than I have on the list I have been on. I want to drink 3-4 bottles from a list of places, not take cases from a few any more.
As far as I can see I dont believe my taste will change outside of my core 6 group, and I can explore new things.
