Are you a collector? Many of us, men in particular, have a compulsion to buy and hoard coins, stamps, cards, runners, watches, bags, pictures and a host of other items. Wine is no exception. Wine lovers often build up a collection, loftily known as the cellar, but never get around to drinking it. An admission: I am one of those hoarders. For years, I could never resist the temptation to buy a special bottle to join dozens of others in boxes piled high in cool rooms.
Building a cellar is hugely satisfying, bringing back memories of where and when you bought a particular wine. It also allows you to enjoy mature wines that have taken on an extra complexity and depth. Some of the greatest wines I have tasted have spent 10 years or more in my collection. Not only can we drink mature wine, but we can save money by buying young.
But collecting also has its pitfalls. Can we (or the experts) be certain that a wine will improve with age? Most wines don’t improve, and many taste worse after 10 years of ageing. I have had a few standout stars, incredible wines that I remember with a wistful smile. But there has been no shortage of duds: wines that were incredibly tannic when I bought them were still pretty austere and tannic a decade later, and no fun to drink. Others had withered away and lost all of their lovely fruit.
At one stage, a group of us collection addicts would hold “bring out your dead” parties. All of us brought along a few elderly bottles that might or might not be over the hill. We lined the wines up, tasted them quickly, discarded the bad bottles and sat down and enjoyed the good ones over dinner together.
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It’s not just about waiting for the wine to be at its best. I am waiting for the right people (wine-lovers, or people who will appreciate the lovely wine I am serving) and the right occasion (a dinner with appropriate food, at home). Somehow, in my busy life I can never find the perfect time.
Recently, I have been trying to drink my way through my cellar, and buying wines to drink now rather than a decade hence. Wine is made to share and enjoy with people. I also often get more pleasure from a bottle of young fruity wine that cost me €20-€30.
We can kid ourselves that our cellar is a financial investment – and sometimes it can be, but I have sold my wine on very few occasions. And while it does allow you to drink wines that have skyrocketed in price, it can be difficult to drink a wine that might be worth hundreds of euro.
The other big problem with collecting wine is that, unlike pictures, antiques, bags, watches and other collectibles, you get to enjoy them only once.
