Should I or shouldn't I create a cellar?
Well, that's up to you, the choice is yours alone.
If you want to cellar you should be prepared to have a chunk of money sitting under your stairs. It costs a lot of money to create a maturing cellar.
You have to ask yourself some questions as to why you're cellaring.
For some people it's the ability to bring out a special bottle for a special occasion, for others it’s the nurturing and care that gives pleasure especially when the wine becomes “of age” and is spectacular to drink.
For some it’s about bragging rights and bringing out the big guns in front of the Jones'.
More often than not it’s a combination of some of the above plus it's because you've found the wine at a good price and you want to be able to enjoy it for a few years especially if it gets better.
I once asked a Barolo producer how long he would recommend laying down his wines for, here's his answer:
"In my opinion the best collection of wine is one of empty bottles. I make my wine to be enjoyed now, not in 20 years."
For me, I subscribe to the same mantra as Barolo guy.
I want to drink my wine now and not leave it for someone else.
I don’t have a budget for a big cellar and I don't particularly want to have big money sitting where it might go off as my cellaring conditions aren't the best.
But I do have bottles that have improved with age, not many, 50 or 60 bottles and i'm happy with that.
I live in France remember so I feel that if I want to have a special bottle i'll go and find it, there are many options.
There are many portals nowadays for consumers to purchase affordable and incredible wines so the need to cellar has subsided somewhat.
It used to be that if one wanted a good bottle of wine one had to have it in one's cellar.
Not any more, the internet and changing face of wine exportation has changed that greatly.
So, if cellaring is what you want, do your homework before you jump in and take as much advice as you can get.
For others thinking about doing it; in my opinion it’s great to have a few bottles/cases at hand but do you really need to tie up funds when you can get cracking wine quickly and easily anytime you need it?
You decide.
Here are a couple of links to companies that can help with cellaring:
BBR (UK) - http://www.bbr.com/cellar-plan
Lay and Wheeler (UK) - https://www.laywheeler.com/cellarcircle
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