uring the holiday season, many family
members and friends asked me about
starting a wine cellar: “Which wines
should I buy? Where should I store
them? How long should I wait before I drink a
bottle?” I reached out to a few industry profes-
sionals for helpful tips on building the essential
cellar at your home.
Three starting questions
Ask three questions when starting your
wine cellar, advises Erik Liedholm, wine director of the John Howie Restaurant Group in the
Seattle area. The first is: “What is your budget?”
This will go a long way in determining what
type of cellar you can have.
Then, “Is your cellar for pleasure or investment or both?” Liedholm believes you should
find wines that give you pleasure, whether from
a hedonistic standpoint or from sentimental
value, such as a birthday or anniversary. A wine
with some sentiment attached to it is always a
special part of a personal collection.
Last, “Where do you plan to store the
wine?” Many people have cellars at home, but
commercial storage outfits are an option.
Examine your lifestyle
DC Flynt, a Master of Wine based in Lake
Charles, Louisiana, agrees that there’s no reason
to collect wine if you can’t store it properly. But
beyond that, “it is all about your lifestyle and
goals,” he says. “How much do you consume
a year, entertain and the like?”
He advises buying wines you like—not just
highly rated wines. Also, remember that very
few wines are meant to age for more than five
to seven years. “Educate yourself on the wines
that will improve with age,” Flynt says. “Nothing
is worse than holding a nice wine for years and
finding out it is over the hill.”
Also, don’t rush to fill up your space. You
will regret it, as both your taste and opportuni-
ties change over the years. Finally, “Don’t be
afraid to open a great bottle on a Tuesday
night,” Flynt says. “Life is short!”
Which wines age well?
“Wines that age particularly well can
be found in Bordeaux, Spanish tempranillo,
German riesling and Tuscan reds,” says
Sara Floyd, Master Sommelier and co-founder
of Swirl Wine Brokers and Luli Wines in
California. “Piedmontese wines [from northern
Italy] are really amazing with age, and you can
get fantastic wines at very reasonable prices.”
She adds that the great vintages almost
always age better than the lesser years.
The beauty of this treasure hunt is you
may never stop searching for that perfect bottle
of wine that can bring you immense joy. Happy
wine hunting!
Annette Alvarez-Peters oversees
Costco’s wine, beer
and spirits program.
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Stocking your cellar
Building an essential wine collection at home
by ANNETTE ALVAREZ;PETERS
D
COSTCO
CONNECTION
Costco o;ers a wide
variety of fine wines
for your essential
cellar in select locations. You can also
find wine cellars
and coolers on
Costco.com.
