If you are holding wine for drinking later, you have a wine cellar. While the words wine cellar conjure up thoughts of underground caverns, a wine cellar is any space dedicated to storing wine. Differences between wine cellars are enormous. Vast caves storing millions of bottles at unvarying temperatures are at one end of the scale and a small cupboard with a few wines for drinking soon is at the other end. Every wine cellar exists for the same purpose – to keep wine in an ideal environment for enjoyment some time in the future. While a specialized wine cellar can aspire to emulate the underground cavern, a lack of these resources should not discourage you from having a wine cellar. The benefits of wine cellaring are varied and many.
Pleasure
The pleasure of owning and managing your own selection of wines can only be experienced by those who have such a wine collection. Every one derives different satisfactions. There is the pleasure of visiting old (wine) friends in the cellar and the excitement of meeting new ones whenever a stored wine is opened. There is the happiness associated with maintaining an accurate and effective wine inventory and the fun of selecting a wine, knowing that it will be easily found and retrieved. The ability to produce a wine suitable for the occasion at hand, without having to travel to the store, is satisfying and convenient. There is an undoubted pleasure in sharing and showing your wine cellar to visitors. And who can deny the pleasure of saving money and being able to enjoy and share wines which have reached a higher value than what was paid. Surrounding all of these satisfactions is the heightened anticipation of enjoying the wine which you have selected for purchase, stored, chosen and finally shared at the peak of its potential.
Convenience
The convenience of selecting a suitable wine for any occasion and producing it with ease and aplomb is only available to those who have a well stocked wine cellar. Very few wine cellars can provide this level of performance for every occasion. The objective is well worth aiming for and when achieved is very satisfying.
Saving Money
There is no doubt that money can be saved with the use of a wine cellar.
You save money when you buy by the case especially when good wine is being offered at discounted prices. You save petrol and time when you avoid driving to the wine store to satisfy the immediate need for a bottle. You save money by turning a good wine into an excellent one as it ages to advantage before you enjoy it. You save by selecting the right wine for the occasion and so avoid serving an expensive wine for quaffing because there is nothing else available.
Profitability
While making money from the storage of wine is a dream of many and is fully possible, it is seldom the prime reason for starting a home wine cellar. However the knowledge gained by building up a wine collection can lead to the confidence needed to successfully buy and later sell wine for a profit.
Knowledge
Results of surveys carried out by Vinoté and others clearly show that people who build up a collection of wine inevitably become more knowledgeable about wine in general.
Confidence
This improved knowledge leads to a dramatic increase in wine confidence and this in turn leads to people buying more wine and often spending more per bottle due to their certainty that the wine will be cared for and enjoyed at the right time.
Status
Not an important reason to develop a wine cellar but one freely felt by those who have a well organised and well presented cellar.
* Adapted with permission from James Wilson
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