In Part III I discussed the different wines you should own in your collection. In this the fourth and final installment I will discuss how your overall collection will look at the highpoint of the first year and how to continue building.

As you have by now purchased a complete assortment of wines for the year, or at least are planning to, your collection will look something like this.

Fill in additional space with other reds and whites that you discover such as pinot gris, Barolo and special wines. Remember at least 1/3 of these bottles are going to be rotating out every year and your house wines may not even have to go in the fridge depending on where you live giving you ample room to lay down your special wines and avoid them. Begin saving for a 200-500 bottle storage solution. After 5 years you are going to have 40-60 bottles of world class Cabernet and Bordeaux alone. By design your house wine will become single vineyard fine vintage wines rivaling the best restaurant wine lists in the world. This is a good plan.

Just as a restaurant would, keep a favorite “house wine” in rotation until you find something you like better or is a better value. When you go to wine tastings, restaurants, or out with friends, don’t order what you can have at home. Stretch yourself and try something new. You may find a house wine for the upcoming cellar rotation, or even better, a value or special wine to savor in the future. ~fin