Poll: Do I have a buying problem?

[SteveC]

@Charlie Fu

Any you want to sell at cost let me know

Fu, you (and your posts) are the one who got me buying from said retailer

[Patrick_Friel]

Think outside the box and be open to possibilities, Steve.

At some point it will make more sense for you to move across the country instead of the wine.

Tell me that wouldn’t be an awesome conversation to have with a spouse over a spreadsheet and a glass of wine.

[David_Bu3ker]

@SteveC

@David M. Bueker

Tell that to the pallet of 2001 German Rieslings I bought.

Want to sell any of those 2001 Rieslings?

Nope!

[J_Galang]

You do not have a buying problem, you have a sharing problem…

[Chris_Seiber]

@Mike Evans

As one who went through a dumbass overbuying period myself, I can attest that regret it. I suspect that that the OP isn’t boasting or trying to impress, he’s just a little shocked, and may be deflecting some of that.

I don’t know the OP, and this may not reflect his position at all, but I recall telling similar stories at one point. I wasn’t trying to brag or impress. I was trying to admit to myself that I had a problem. Telling the stories to others, somehow acting as if they were funny and not just a little sad, was an indirect way to get myself to confront the issue.

When I finally realized that what was once a great source of pleasure had become an unhealthy obsession, I pretty much cut wine out of my life for 6 or 7 years. I stayed in one tasting group that met monthly, and stayed on the Rhys list, but that was it. I went from an active participant on a few wine forums, to not ever visiting the sites. I wouldn’t even set foot in a wine store. I avoided my wine geek friends, both in person and online (that was by far the hardest part). But by avoiding all sources of temptation, I managed to keep a hobby from turning into a financial disaster.

As I’ve stepped back out into the wine world in the past couple of years, I’m finding it much easier to maintain a sense of moderation and perspective. In part because I’m conscious of not repeating the mistakes of the past, but also because it has been like the old tale of frogs and pots of water.

I was out of the market long enough that the huge increases in pricing on many of the wines I used to buy is makes it pretty easy to pass on them. It helps that foolish overbuying left me with plenty of wines from somewhat older vintages. And there is still plenty of great, age-worthy wine available at relatively inexpensive prices.

TMI, I know. And most people have enough sense and discipline that they are unlikely to make the same mistakes I did. But as much as we as wine geeks bond over sometimes nervous laughter joking about our (over)spending habits (and I still do it, though my laughter is more nervous than it used to be), it can be a real problem for some. Don’t stop joking. But if the jokes hit too close, view it as an opportunity for a little self-reflection.

There will always be another great vintage. And it is much better to miss out on owning a few vintages of great wines than on a few years of time with great friends.

Great post, and thanks for your candor, which I know isn’t easy or comfortable. I think many of us struggle with over-collecting to varying degrees (though hopefully, mostly not to the “creating major financial and life problems” level), notwithstanding all those periodic threads on the board where everyone boasts about how smartly they have been in paring down their cellar and cutting out mailing lists.

For me, so much of what I love about wine is the discovery and the finding of new and different things – different regions, different producers, different styles, different varietals, different vintages – and the unending diversity of wine, but the constant desire to explore turns the discovering and acquiring into a thing of itself, above and beyond the drinking of wine itself.

Before I forced myself to cancel my beloved winebid account, I remember sometimes I would find something and bid on it, discover on Monday I was outbid, and actually be happy about it – I had essentially had the fun of finding and buying the wine, without needing to pay for it and pile it onto my oversized collection. That is one way in which I can see how the finding/acquiring/collecting is a dimension of its own, related to but separate from the actual love of drinking wine and sharing wine with friends, which I also have in spades.

I certainly agree with the “well, if you buy too much, stop your whining and just choose to buy less” motif, but as we all know if we’re being honest with ourselves, it can be hard to do that, especially for many of us like myself who are fortunate to be able to afford to buy too much wine without causing ourselves financial calamity.

I think if I really needed to make a harder push to cut back, one thing I would have to consider is disconnecting from this board, because I just read about too many interesting producers and wines that I want to try, and most of the time that involves buying more bottles (I go to plenty of tastings, but it’s not as though I can usually read about some great Loire red and just go find a 2 ounce pour of it conveniently to try, plus most of the time if I could, it would only make me want to buy more bottles of it). But I do love this board and the people on it, so that would be a tough thing to do.

Hopefully, I can just keep cruising along and maintain enough control not to get into problems bigger than my wife nagging me occasionally and houseguests wondering what all those cardboard boxes in the guest room are doing there. But I do want to make sure I keep a close eye on myself so I can avert any real problems before they arrive.

[Eric_Ifune]

Depends.
If you plan on drinking it all eventually then I say no.
But that’s from someone who shipped 100 cases of wine from Europe after living there 3 years.

[John_Kight]

Mike Evans, very nice post!

[John_Morris]

@SteveC

I now find out that I have two full pallets of wine ready to ship to the East Coast…

This got me to thinking, do I have a wine buying problem.

No. I think you’re problem is that you have too much money.

[Corey_N]

@John Morris

@SteveC

I now find out that I have two full pallets of wine ready to ship to the East Coast…

This got me to thinking, do I have a wine buying problem.

No. I think you’re problem is that you have too much money.

That’s not a problem. The problem is that Steve doesn’t have enough friends to drink with.

Which reminds me…if I wanted to submit an application to be your new BFF, where exactly would I send my résumé ?

[Keith_Levenberg]

I saw Steve’s list of the stuff he sold off. There were many problems evident.

[Dan_Kravitz]

Warning! I am ITB

1. While 56 is the most common pallet configuration, I’ve seen pallets from 48 - 70.
2. For bag-in-box, I’ve seen pallet configurations of 70, 84, 88 and 90. Steve, are either of your pallets bag-in-boxes?
3. Unless you are brushing your teeth with Trocken Rieslings from the Saar in a cold vintage, they won’t help with the Cali Cab stains.
4. Tomorrow morning I have to bust up about 40 empty cases (10 wood, 30 cardboard). The cardboard goes to the recycling center. The wood is kindling. I have to do this because they are cluttering up the storm cellar steps, which I need free to bring in the summer drinking wine next week. As I’m in Maine, this is serious (as I’ve often said, why do they call it tourist season if you can’t shoot 'em?).
5. I feel so virtuous and moderate as the incoming summer shipment is currently 16 cases (only!.
6. Brett Favre.
   
   
   Dan Kravitz

[Odd_Rydland]

@Chris Seiber

I think if I really needed to make a harder push to cut back, one thing I would have to consider is disconnecting from this board,

A very nice post, but I have to admit one of my reasons for coming here is to feel normal.

[Corey_N]

@Odd Rydland

A very nice post, but I have to admit one of my reasons for coming here is to feel normal.

It must be tough to feel normal when everybody else is calling you Odd.

[Odd_Rydland]

@Corey N.

@Odd Rydland

A very nice post, but I have to admit one of my reasons for coming here is to feel normal.

It must be tough to feel normal when everybody else is calling you Odd.

Yes indeed. Fortunately not in Norway, where Odd is a reasonably common (but currently unfashionable) name, meaning (traditionally) Edge. Doesn’t mean I’m a fan of U2 though.

[Ken_V]

@Odd Rydland

@Corey N.

@Odd Rydland

A very nice post, but I have to admit one of my reasons for coming here is to feel normal.

It must be tough to feel normal when everybody else is calling you Odd.

Yes indeed. Fortunately not in Norway, where Odd is a reasonably common (but currently unfashionable) name, meaning (traditionally) Edge. Doesn’t mean I’m a fan of U2 though.

Now that’s odd. How can you not be a fan of U2?

[SteveC]

Ken, he still hasn’t found what e’s looking for …

[David_Bu3ker]

I’m sure U2 will live with or without him.

[Odd_Rydland]

This thread is spinning Out of Control.

[David_Bu3ker]

Yet I will follw it.

[SteveC]

@Odd Rydland

This thread is spinning Out of Control.

That’s Odd