Does anyone else collect wine?

[samandglove1]

I have been a firearms collector for years, mainly WWII US Arms, older Winchester/FN/Marlin rifles, and of course S&W revolvers from the 40's-60's. But for just as long a time period, I've enjoyed collecting wine (California Cabs, French Bordeaux/Champagne, and Vintage Port). I would buy high end examples at release (Futures) and hold them until they were ready to drink. I mainly enjoyed them with my family and friends, but I have also given away many bottles as gifts or for charity auctions. I have even traded wine for an occasional firearm (my best was a single bottle of 2000 Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux for 1600 rounds of 30.06 HXP from the CMP and a post-war S&W Heavy Duty…).

As space/storage became more dear in my basement and prices of many "collectible" wines increased, I decided to sell a good portion of my accumulation through one of the wine auction houses. I still have more than my wife and I can drink on our own, especially Vintage Port (our favorite). I also am drinking bourbon more frequently, as my wife and I don't seem to have as much time to drink a whole bottle of wine together.

I know some other forum members are also car guys, fishermen, hunters, etc…but collecting, enjoying and researching wine has been equally as fun as finding that needle in the haystack 5-screw treasure. Anyone else share the love of a nice glass of wine?

 

[Arik]

Sure but it never sits long enough

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[italiansport]

I did essentially what the OP did for several years back in the 70s and 80s. Back then you could buy a 2nd thru 5th growth French Bordeaux wine at release for around $200 a case, sit on it for several years then enjoy drinking it. After this time the speculators started driving wine prices thru the roof and we drank off most of what we had but didn't replace it.
I also moved to Arizona and there went to wine cellar. Today we just buy wine for consumption but I still have a few interesting examples around.
Jim
This is a 1928 Sauternes still in the original wrapper!

 

[gregintenn]

I've never developed a taste or appreciation for wine.

The cheaper the wine, the better I seem to like it, but don't really care for any of it.

 

[SW MP15]

I would, but I don't have the storage space for all those dang Vintage 2015 boxes.

 

[deadin]

I'm not sure how it happened, but I seem to have quite a collection of wine corks....

 

[Bajadoc]

I have collected wine, in small amounts, over a long period of time, by drinking it.

 

[Absalom]

......
I know some other forum members are also car guys, fishermen, hunters, etc…but collecting, enjoying and researching wine has been equally as fun as finding that needle in the haystack 5-screw treasure. Anyone else share the love of a nice glass of wine?

I certainly enjoy a nice glass of wine, and living in the middle of the top pinot noir region in the country, I'm surrounded by people (and have friends) who are immersed in wine culture. Maybe I ended up a whiskey nerd just to be contrary .

Living by myself and not being that social, however, I find wine a somewhat awkward subject of study and collecting. Simply put, you have to drink too much to get good at it. I usually have a few dozen whiskey bottles open at a time, have a bit of this one evening, something else the next, may not come back to a bottle for weeks. You can't do that with wine. You open a bottle, you're going to drink wine for the next few days. Doesn't work for me.

And buying and collecting, or rather investing in, unopened high-end bottles with an eye on profit isn't my thing. And not just with wine. Not with spirits and for that matter guns either .

 

[HoleCarder]

I buy a case of wine each year and store it in my basement.

It will make a great gift for my next wife . . . . when she finally turns 21.

 

[Targets Guy]

For the summers only.

 

[pawncop]

Not a collector, but very much enjoy wine. I don't have the storage space to be serious, so very involved in drinking.

 

[jag312]

Brunello di Montalcino; I'll buy a case to hold if the vintage is outstanding. After aging, I'll break out a bottle for friends on a special occasion. I'm told the 2011 is an excellent year.

Tenuta Le Potazzine Gorelli Brunello di Montalcino 2011 is rated 96 points.

 

[Texas Star]

I've averaged maybe 12-15 bottles at a time in a closet, in a cardboard box or two to keep temps okay.

I've had some great ones, like Lafite and Latour, but for routine drinking, some of the best Cabernet values come from Washington, California, and Chile. Australia has some good values.

I like good Chardonnay, but often prefer Sauvignon blanc. Kendall-Jackson has a good one. And I like Riesling, esp. the German Spatlese grades from the famous estates.

Alas, I now have to take pills that the doctor said will conflict with any alcohol. I have a chronic condition that probably means that my drinking days are over. I gave my wine to my son and daughter and a neighbor. I'll miss it. I'll miss whiskey, too, and white rum and tonic in summer.

I was never a very heavy drinker, but it added to my enjoyment of life. Good wine certainly enhances a meal.

 

[chief38]

I did until my 52 bottle wine cooler crapped out again (for the last time) about a month ago. It's only 5 years old, not under warranty anymore and I am now replacing it with the proper sized kitchen cabinet (being built now - must match existing ones). No more wine coolers for me and I will now just buy what I need for immediate future.

 

[islamoradamark]

i could never have a wine collection my wife likes it to much

 

[italiansport]

Another from my scaled back collection. I had two bottles of this at one time but opened one when it turned 100 years old. Yes it was still drinkable but somewhat faded. The reason the bottle says "Jubilee" is 1887 was Queen Victoria's 50th year in office. Fortified wines like port can have an incredible lifespan.
Jim

 

[H Richard]

Wife and I both enjoy sampling wines, and visit many wineries in our area, Washington State when visiting our son, Colorado when visiting our daughter, and whenever we travel. Oldest we visited was the Verizano in Italy while on a tour a few years ago, which has been in continual production for over 1000 years. And, we especially enjoyed all the local wines while on a river cruise through Germany. We don't hold on to any wine very long.

 

[chaparrito]

I have an interest in a local winery here and put in a couple of days a week behind the tasting bar and in the vineyard and production as necessary. I'm not a collector. I buy, I drink. I do have a few dozen bottles of our own production that I've put away to see how they age, we're small production, about 2K cases a year and it all sells. We don't have any "reserve" editions.
Bourbons and Ryes are another matter entirely. I'm a avid collector. So far my bourbon library consists of about a third of a bottle of Four Roses small batch and a half bottle of Whistle Pig Rye. It's taken years to get to this point.

 

[samandglove1]

Its always difficult to establish enough of an inventory to really start putting bottles down to age. Once you have 60 or so bottles (5 cases), you can afford to sneak an occasional bottle now and then as you continue accumulating.

While its a thrill to buy and enjoy an aged wine that has gone up in value from $100-200 (cost) to $1000-2000 (value). It was more fun buying and then selling the crazy expensive stuff, and then using the profits to really build a collection of very good to excellent wine without having to go back to the banker (my wife). After doing the research and tasting a ton of different wines, its very satisfying to go to a restaurant and see a $300 bottle of wine on the menu that you bought in bulk for $25 a bottle 5-6 years earlier.

 

[samandglove1]

Another from my scaled back collection. I had two bottles of this at one time but opened one when it turned 100 years old. Yes it was still drinkable but somewhat faded. The reason the bottle says "Jubilee" is 1887 was Queen Victoria's 50th year in office. Fortified wines like port can have an incredible lifespan.
Jim

Wonderful bottle. After moving the bulk of my collection, I am now heavy in Vintage Port. It's my wife's favorite wine and I love it also. We still have a bunch of different producers from '55, '63, '70, and '77. As well as the not quite ready '94, '97, '00, '03 and '07. There is still plenty of 2011 out there, and it will be spectacular in a few years. Best vintage in probably 20 years. Worth buying a couple of bottles.