Wine collecting is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there. If you are planning to start a wine collection, consider what types of wines you want to include. The type of wines best included in a wine collection depends on a given collector’s goals. For example, if a collector wants to invest, then the goal of wine collecting is to sell the wine after its value has increased. Some wine collectors have simpler, goals like having a decent selection of wine to consume during special occasions.
Two Considerations in Choosing Wines for Your Collection
There can be various reasons as to why a person collects wine. Regardless of your goals for collecting wine, here are a few important factors to consider:
What wines should you include in your collection?
1. Most wines need not be stored long term.
Most of the wines you find on the market are ready-to-drink. In other words, you need not store it in your wine cellar for a very long time. If you keep these kinds of wines in a custom wine cellar, make sure they are consumed within a year.
It’s not ideal to store ready-to-drink wines for investment purposes, because they have already reached their peak. Most of the time, they will deteriorate with age, even when stored under the ideal conditions.
Here are some conditions for purchasing ready-to-drink wines:
a. Check for Health Benefits
It’s a good idea not to collect only expensive or rare wines. Check the health benefits of a wine before you add it to your collection. Wines that have high levels of Resveratrol or Polyphenols are known to prevent many cardiovascular diseases.
b. Determine Calorie and Carbohydrate Content
Today’s trend includes making sure that the stuff we eat and drink won’t expand our waistline. When selecting ready-to-drink wines to include in your collection, choose those that have less calories and carbohydrates.
c. Choose Green Wines
More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. When choosing ready-to-drink wines, choose those that are organic, biodynamic, or carbon-neutral.
2. Some Wines are Better Consumed When Allowed to Age
As long they are stored in the ideal conditions, there are many benefits to collecting wines that improve with age. Since they need to be allowed to age, you have a longer time frame to enjoy these kinds of wines. Also, you can increase the variety of your collection. Moreover, this type of wine is often offered on sale or with bargains. You can save a lot of money by taking advantage of these. This type of wine will benefit investors a lot too, because these wines increase in value over time. However, less than 1 percent of all the wines in the world are investment grade, and 80 percent of those are Bordeaux.
Proper Wine Storage is Essential for All Types of Wines
Wine cellars for your wine collection
Regardless of your purpose for collecting wine, or of what types of wine you will include in your collection, you must always remember that wines need to be stored properly. The right conditions have to be met so that you can maximize the wines’ flavor and aroma.