In the culinary arts, there are few things that can match the storied past or significance of wine.
Today, the Internet has increased consumer awareness about wines by offering Web sites with information about everything from varieties available to auctions of rare vintages. If you’re thinking about acquiring wines, here’s some suggestions from producers and collectors.
At its most basic level, experts say wine collecting is about tasting as many varieties as possible and buying what you like.
Knute Anderson, owner of the Naperville Wine Shop Inc., believes there’s “no money plateau or price point that identifies someone as a collector” and says an interest in wine is “more of an attitude than a money issue.”
“You have a spectrum that runs from the wine lover on one end to the obsessive, compulsive collector on the other,” Anderson said. “It’s whatever makes you happy. Sometimes, there’s so much pretension and trying to impress friends. It’s become a commodity people trade today, and you wonder if anyone just enjoys wine anymore.”
Fred Koehler, owner of Lynfred Winery in Roselle, who has produced wine for 21 years, says to visit wine tastings and restaurants and find a wine you like. Lynfred Winery offers tastings featuring seven wines a month.
“I tell people to buy two cases of something they like, maybe at $100 a case, and put one away and forget about it,” Koehler said. “Take the other case, and drink one bottle per year. Reds have a longer life because of the use of the grape skin when they’re made. Keep a record of how the wine matures — the changes in color, the flavor, and how it feels in your mouth.
“As the wine ages, the tannins from the grape skin change and soften. Note the aroma, the flavor and the aftertaste. Then after 12 years, that’s when the fun starts. Wines that are 13, 14 years old are like velvet on your pallet. “
Dave Batt, owner of Cabernet and Co. of Glen Ellyn, suggests purchasing three or four bottles rather than a case since tastes continue to evolve.
“The strategy I’d suggest, particularly when you’re starting out, is to buy three or four bottles and enjoy one right away,” Batt said. “You’ll soon know if it was something good. As you learn more and your tastes change, you’ll move on to others and probably be glad you didn’t invest in a case of something early on.”
Batt features 400 wines at Cabernet, including 40 by the glass, and offers a seminar in how to tackle a wine list.
“We charge $25 for folks to come in, and we take them through a spectrum of whites or reds in order to determine what they like,” Batt said. “It’s about a 21/2 hour process that makes people more comfortable when they go to order at a restaurant or buy later on.”
Free wine tastings are offered every Saturday at Anderson’s Naperville Wine Shop.
Recently, serious collectors have begun to explore rare or collectible vintages using the Internet as a directory. Koehler says collecting wine for a profit is strictly “something for the real experts.”
“It depends on your budget, but most people collect wines because of something they like,” he said. “Usually, collecting becomes profitable when the heirs of somebody sells a collection. And a lot of wine auctions wind up going for charity.”
“Buying or trading wine over the Internet can by tricky,” Batt adds. “You’re never really sure how the wine has been handled and if it’s been properly stored. Other collectors might have bought it, and then shipped it off to some other place. You might not be buying what you expected.”
Wine makers and collectors alike both say it’s important any purchase for long-term use begins with the means to store it. Koehler says three factors affect the longevity of wine.
“You need a constant temperature, darkness and humidity,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons you can take wine from the bottom of the ocean that’s been there for decades and it’s still good because you’ve got those three things. Wine also has its own preservatives, since it contains alcohol, acid, sugar and tannins.”
“People need to be sure they have a cool, dry, dark place for storage,” adds Julie Balsamo, co-owner of the Downer’s Grove Wine Shop. “People with just a wine rack in their dining room can’t store wine since the sun comes in during the day and warms it up. Sometimes, you can find bottles with corks that started to pop because of the heat.”
Koehler and Balsamo both suggest that the wines you put away for a while be free from vibrations.
“Wine really isn’t that fragile, unless you mishandle it,” Koehler said. “Besides avoiding frequent temperature changes, you don’t want it exposed to a lot of vibration. People that live by railroad tracks that make their dishes rattle will have problems.”
“You want to store wine in a basement away from stairs or furniture or the air conditioner that’s rattling outside,” Balsamo adds. “You have to let the baby sleep.”
While consumers can order custom-made wine cellars with woodwork costing $50,000, experts said there are more frugal ways to keep a collection and still maintain its integrity. Rick Wilson, president of Chicago Winemakers in Elmhurst, says beginning collectors buying full or half cases of wine should consider a simple, inexpensive bin storage method.
“Simple boards mounted about a foot away from a wall could be used, with flat shelving used as a storage rack,” Wilson said. “With people buying full or half cases, there’s no need to get a bottle from the bottom on a bin, since it’s all the same. Make sure you store the wine butt down, neck up, on a five or six-degree tilt. That way, any sediment that forms will collect at the bottom, and the cork still stays wet.”
Small rooms in basements or a garage can be temperature controlled using a small air conditioner and a temperature controller that is connected between the electrical outlet and the appliance. Wilson says he sells them for $49.95.
“You can also use them in a small refrigerator which generally won’t allow you to get the temperature up to 55 or 60 degrees,” Wilson said.
Here are a few other suggestions worth noting:
– The American idea of “room temperature” vastly differs from what experts say is the ideal wine temperature. Koehler says to serve fruit wines at 45 degrees, white wines at 55 and reds at 65. You may want to keep these numbers in mind when you set up your storage system. Variances in temperature of 15 to 20 degrees aren’t necessarily harmful as long as they are gradual.
– Avoid making wine collecting an obsession. “Collecting can become a passion instead of buying it as needed,” Balsamo said. “Make sure you spend your money properly, and enjoy the experience as a hobby. Spending $150 on a bottle you hope will one day turn a profit is foolish, especially if there are necessities you’re passing on to buy wine.”
– If you intend to make collecting a hobby, plan to visit wineries in your area or make visiting them a part of your agenda when traveling.
Batt says to remember that when storing wine, those wines kept at cooler temperatures age more slowly than at warmer temperatures.
“But you don’t have to wait years to experience changes,” Balsamo says. “Even a few months makes a difference.”
