17 vintages. Average 2010.7
75% 2010.7 through today.
25% prior to 2010.7.
25/2010 here
24/2008
12/ 2012.7 but i am a young one
My Avg. Vintage: 1995.0
Edit: Forgot the total vintages = 73
I did a sort by type first, as I have mostly stopped buying young red wines but am still buying new vintages in whites.
Red: 2002 average in 44 vintages
White: 2009 average in 29 vintages
I can use a mental break from my work day, and also I love to help in useless ways.
21 and 2010.6
28 - 2010.6
59/2000
Wow everyone, we’re at 18 vintages, avg. 2012.4, with 22.5% before 2012.
19/2009.6
Agreed. Some are newer to he hobby, increasing their celler size, or haven’t acquired much of a taste for old wines. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or judged by. It is what it is.
I don’t think they are disclaimers…giving a couple numbers without context is a bit boring. I was actually thinking more data would make this more interesting: collector age? when did you start collecting? outlier vintages?
Why would anyone ever be embarrassed about average age of wine in their cellar? That seems a bit absurd.
I don’t know, that’s why I asked. What I was getting was “The avg vintage is Y but I loaded up on a lot of Z otherwise it would be Q.”
31, 2004
I assume we all collect what we like and what we can afford (well some collect what what they can’t afford, but let’s not go there)… I think far from being a useless exercise, this is a really interesting insight into people’s collections, preferences etc.
If we are doing this properly, though, I would be asking other questions:
What percentage of your purchases are current releases?
Is your buying fairly consistent, or is it increasing or decreasing?
What percentage do you buy from auction/retail?
Do you ship from out of state? (anonymous poll)
Are you buying purely for your own consumption or do you plan to sell or trade some of your collection?
Have you ever bought wine purely with the intention of flipping?
Given your current consumption, how many years would your cellar last you if never bought another bottle?
Have you sold your wines? If so, did you use CC board, find consumers,use stores or wine traders, or did you go to an auction house(s).
Has your taste changed markedly over the last five years? How has it changed your buying patterns.
I don’t think people are embarrassed, it’s about a more detailed picture. A single anomalous tick that skews the overall data is relevant to understanding what the numbers mean. That’s why a lot of statistical models drop the high and low.
Agree. And, as mentioned, it also depends on what one buys. For me I love Port so that means I’ve got a lot of stuff that tends to be older, though typically far cheaper than most brand new French and American wines are. So age and vintages don’t always translate into some massively expensive cellar. This thread was the first time I’ve ever looked at the stats and I was surprised it was as young as it was until I realized I’ve bought a far amount of young Portuguese dry wines in the past decade which probably has brought the average down. But even those are typically priced at least 1/2 or more less than a comparable Napa Cab.
Buy what you like, cellar it to the point you want to, and enjoy them. Numbers are just that and they don’t give one pleasure.
Great questions. They go much deeper than the numbers.
What percentage of your purchases are current releases?
When I was buying, about 95%. I wasn’t comfortable with provenance uncertainty and lack auction skills. I like aged Bordeaux, so I relied on patience and, in the early years, the kindness of others.
Is your buying fairly consistent, or is it increasing or decreasing?
I gradually decreased and completely stopped 6 months ago. The cellar is well stocked.
What percentage do you buy from auction/retail?
Auction - 0%
Retail - International 100%, Domestic 25% (rest is winery direct)
Do you ship from out of state? (anonymous poll)
Used to ship to DC, WV or VA on occasion. It’s now legal for wineries to ship to MD.
Are you buying purely for your own consumption or do you plan to sell or trade some of your collection?
Purely for my own consumption. But Wine Buying Disorder has led to an oversupply at times, in turn leading to auction sales.
Have you ever bought wine purely with the intention of flipping?
No.
Given your current consumption, how many years would your cellar last you if never bought another bottle?
20 years
Have you sold your wines? If so, did you use CC board, find consumers,use stores or wine traders, or did you go to an auction house(s).
Yes. Auction houses.
Has your taste changed markedly over the last five years? How has it changed your buying patterns.
No. It changed about 20 years ago, and led to less California Cab and Zin purchases, more German Riesling purchases. Bordeaux and Rhone remained strong.
In the new spirit of enhanced disclosure:
Red. (55) Average vintage 1992.1
Piedmont. Average vintage 1977.7
La Rioja. Average vintage 1991.5
Jura. Average vintage 2002.5
Rhône. Average vintage 2004.3
Loire Valley. Average vintage 2004.3
Burgundy. Average vintage 2009.6
Bordeaux. Average vintage 2001.6
White. (28) Average vintage 2005.6
Jura. Average vintage 2006.3
Loire Valley. Average vintage 2006.9
Mosel Saar Ruwer. Average vintage 2008.7
La Rioja. Average vintage 1994.0
Rhône. Average vintage 2003.8
Rheingau. Average vintage 2004.4