How to Start Your Own Wine Collection: Tips for Beginners
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Time to read 2 min
Starting a wine collection is a rewarding endeavor that can blend enjoyment with investment. Here’s a streamlined guide to get you started with confidence.
1. Define Your Collection Goals
Begin by determining the purpose of your collection. Are you interested in wines to enjoy over time, to showcase at gatherings, or as a financial investment? If it’s for personal enjoyment, focus on wines that you like drinking. For investments, consider wines with strong aging potential and value growth.
2. Start with Beginner-Friendly Wines
Choosing accessible wines is a great way to ease into collecting while expanding your palate. Here are some basic beginner-friendly wines to consider:
Pinot Noir (Burgundy, California): Smooth and versatile, with good drinkability.
Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux, California): Well-suited for aging and investment.
Chardonnay (Burgundy, California): Approachable and can age well, making it a great choice for beginners.
Sauvignon Blanc (France, California, New Zealand): Crisp and refreshing, great for early enjoyment.
Experiment with different varietals and regions to find what resonates most with you.
3. Focus on Proper Wine Storage
Proper storage is crucial to protect your collection:
Temperature: Store wine at a consistent temperature of around 13-16°C. Temperature fluctuations can cause wines to age prematurely or spoil. A wine fridge is a great investment if you don’t have a cellar.
Humidity: Ideally, wine should be stored at 60-70% humidity. This keeps corks from drying out, which can let in air and spoil the wine.
Light and Vibration: Light, especially UV light, can damage wine, so keep your bottles in a dark area. Avoid areas with frequent vibrations, as they can disturb wine sediment, impacting its aging process.
Position: Store bottles on their sides if they have a cork to keep the cork moist, preventing oxidation. Screw-top bottles, however, can be stored upright.
For a small starter collection, a compact wine fridge is usually sufficient. Once you expand, you may want to consider a larger wine fridge or a dedicated wine cellar.
4. Learn About Aging Potential
Understanding aging is essential for building a collection with longevity. Wines with higher tannins (like Bordeaux) or acidity (such as Nebbiolo) often age well. Many reds, especially Bordeaux and Burgundy, and some whites, like certain Chardonnays, can develop added complexity over time.
Start with bottles that have shorter aging windows (3-5 years), then gradually expand to more age-worthy wines.
Super Tuscans, Barolo, and Ribera del Duero wines are also all highly age-worthy due to their structure and depth.
Super Tuscans: These Tuscan blends, often with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Syrah, are powerful and complex, with the best examples maturing gracefully over decades.
Barolo: Made from Nebbiolo in Piedmont, Italy, Barolo’s high tannins and acidity enable it to age beautifully, developing from floral and fruity to earthy and truffle notes over 10–20+ years.
Ribera del Duero: Primarily Tempranillo, these Spanish wines have great structure, allowing them to age 15–25+ years, gaining flavors of leather, tobacco, and dried fruit.
5. Consider Wine Investment
If you’re collecting for investment, look into regions and producers with historical value growth, like Bordeaux’s First Growth wines or high-quality Burgundy.
Consider Futures and Auctions : “Wine futures” allow you to buy wine before it’s bottled, often at a discount. Alternatively, reputable auction houses offer access to rare, investment-grade bottles.
6. Track and Enjoy Your Collection
Stay organized by documenting each wine’s details—vintage, region, purchase date, and price. Apps like CellarTracker make tracking easy and remind you of ideal drinking windows.
Wine collecting is as much about discovery as it is about investment. Attend tastings, visit vineyards, and by reading books on wine. Enjoy learning about different varietals, vintages, and regions as you build a collection that brings lasting enjoyment.
