I dunno. Buying is fun, but much like I go through a phase in hot weather where I just don’t want to reach for a red, I go through periods when I just don’t want to buy more bottles.
My cellar is over full, so thats a factor and I’ve had a fair number of ostensibly exalted and expensive bottles that were just “ok”. It makes me feel jaded and a bit cynical for a while, till the next new discovery…
…and then the game is afoot (again).
But lately I find myself recalibrating and not buying much.
I have dropped off of almost all my lists, which has reduced my overall wine buying by a fair amount. I’m still buying, but instead of compiling cases, I am now trying more random bottles here and there of a wider variety of wines. I’m enjoying it.
Never.
Thank you everyone for the replies. Special thank you to @ Saul_Mutchnick who provided a particularly thoughtful response, and as someone in the business, has an incentive to encourage me to buy more wine, not advise me on how to buy less!
Too many great responses to respond individually. But I did read all of them and it made me realize a few things:
Given the above, I’ve come up with the following rules which I’m posting here for full accountability. I bought some Beta today to stay in Ketan’s good graces, but that is going to be the last purchase not constrained by the rules below. I like the idea of seasonality, so I will adhere to these rules through spring and until the summer solstice of June 21st. At that time, I’ll reassess and may continue.
Phew! We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, I gotta get working on my CellarTracker inventory!
Thanks again everyone,
Noah
Ride or die, amigo! 
Still have mine and I quit buying plate blocks in 1970 when I discovered girls. I bought old unused stamps as well as new ones. I wonder what it’s worth now.
Everyone is susceptible to herd mentality, but when you practice saying no, it becomes easier over time - like working out a muscle. It’s also helpful to wait 24 hours on any new purchase. If you really still feel like you need it the next day, then you can reconsider. If you really can’t control yourself and you have a true addiction, that’s a different situation that requires a different strategy.
This is what I do (often more than 24 hours). Aside from a very short list of producers/vineyards (could count on one hand) that I prioritize, I never rush to respond to offers. And am often quite content to find that it is no longer available after waiting.
Yes, I have intentionally tried. Many times. And I have failed every time too!
Justification - the mental process by which any wine purchase can be made to seem necessary.
Reverse Justification - Reality based mental discussion that determines a wine purchase is not necessary.
I battle these thoughts on almost every buy. There are a couple automatic buys for me, everything else comes down to how I can justify it or reverse justify it.
Examples - “I’m running low on sparkling” as I stare at 4 cases on the floor. “We had a special time at that winery 12 years ago”. "That’s a great deal for “x”.
Examples - “I have enough pinot”. “I don’t need another zin producer”. “When would I open that $300+ bottle of wine”.
Reality says I’m 51, and at current consumption rate have enough wine to last me 12+ years and am damn near out of storage space. I’ve already thought through leaving instructions for my family on what to do should I pass on to the vineyard in the sky sooner vs. later. I don’t need any more wine, and have started to reverse justify more than in the past. My challenges are that I still love to explore (damn Bordeaux is a slippery slope), we still love to drink the wines of the places we’ve explored and reminisce, and it’s fun.
The struggle is real.
We have finally pulled the trigger on downsizing and are building a patio home so I have decided to stop buying anything that isn’t for immediate consumption. This year my shopping efforts will be only items related to the new house like Sub-Zero, Toto, etc. I need to get rid of a lot of possessions and want to move as little as possible.
About once/day…
Unsubscribe from all mailing lists
Check your current inventory regularly
I find that drinking current holdings helps as I see so many choices…
I made a spreadsheet of all my allocations and memberships. Used that to prioritize what I really want vs what I was okay letting go. Also unsubscribed from basically every retailer or deal site. When I need more Chablis I buy more Chablis. I’ve gone from 10+ allocations to the 4 I really care about and otherwise buy wine to drink when I want to drink it.
I’ve gone an entire year buying nothing but a few cherished allocations, for a total of less than 1 case per year, on four different occasions over the years. The impetus was having more wine than we would drink before it or we went over the hill, and lack of storage space. We also sold a bunch of stuff to deal with the wine aging out and palate shifts but those were separate issues.
The first time was the hardest. After that it was easy. Things that helped me:
I think this summarizes my position eloquently!
Went cold turkey this year. Was bit by the champagne bug the last couple of years which ended up causing an inventory overload, as I didn’t hold routine buying; just added to it.
Very liberating to pass on allocations: first one is the toughest and it gets easier from then on.
Only one purchase so far this year and it was yesterday, Beta. Oh, speaking of that, don’t make the mistake to drink one of your mailing list wines right before the allocation hits! Drank my 2nd Beta red Sunday night (‘13 Montecillo), and lets just say my wallet is significantly lighter on Monday morning…
So many good wines out there and not enough storage, money or time to get and drink them all.
Move to Quebec. The provincial monopoly will unintentionally make you intentionally buy less.
Yikes! What a tragic situation to find oneself in. I feel for you.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
