One of life’s little treasures is being able to engage in wine tastings at home. While you can go to the supermarket everyday or have your affluent friends buy the wines for your wine tastings, it is much easier and enjoyable to start your own collection. Many people think that collecting wine is an expensive hobby. Collecting can be an expensive hobby, but there are many ways to start a collection on a budget. Here is my gift to you: 5 tips on how to start and maintain your own wine collection.
1. The first step in starting a wine collection is determining how much money you are willing to spend. With $1000 to $1500 you can build up a fairly nice cellar. You can work with less though. There are many good budget wines that come out of Argentina. The most popular Argentine red varietal, Malbec, can be had for around $15 to $20 a bottle. A wonderful white Torronts costs around $15 to $20 as well.
2. Don’t forget to add Champagne to your collection. Champagne is essential in a good wine collection. It is used at almost every celebration worth attending, can be mixed with orange juice and drank at lunch or breakfast, and in general is just a tasty, bubbly beverage. You can usually buy 5-6 bottles of decent champagne for around $120.
3. Keep a good selection of reds. Red wines are the most important wine in your collection due to their usefulness at many different occasions. Red wines typically pair better with foods that are typically served at dinner. White wine with a steak? I think not. Look for good Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot wines. Diversifying your collection is absolutely essential.
4. Don’t forget about the white wines. White wines go well with lighter dishes typically served at lunch. White wines are also essential for a good summer barbecue, and also can be used as a type of aperitif for those who like sweet, but not too sweet wines before their main meal. Round out your white wine collection with Torrontes, Cabernet Blanc, Chardonnay, and Chablis.
5. After you have purchased your basic white and red wines, spend the rest of your budget on more expensive wines. I’m talking about Argentine Malbec reserves, French Bordeaux, and any other wine that you would save for only the most important of occasions. If you frequently do business at your home, having such a wine to serve to guests can show that you are seriously about what you are pitching.
The main point of collecting wine is to have fun. Don’t get stressed about money. If all you can afford is a box wine collection then do that. Wine tasting need not be so posh.
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