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I spent last weekend helping a friend sort through 400 bottles in his basement. Maybe 60 were past their window. Just — gone. Expensive Burgundy turned to vinegar because someone on a forum told him to "hold it."
Here's what nobody in wine media wants to say: most wine should be drunk within 3 years of release. Including the stuff that costs $50. Including the stuff the sommelier told you to "sit on."
The whole culture of cellaring is built on maybe 5% of wine that actually improves with age. The other 95% just slowly dies in your basement while you wait for a special occasion that never comes.
Open the good stuff on a Tuesday. Drink it with takeout. The wine doesn't care.
— Elena
Same voice. Different conversation.
I spent last weekend helping a friend sort through 400 bottles in his basement. Maybe 60 were past their window. Just gone.
I know you mentioned you're starting to buy wines you actually like instead of whatever's on sale — good. But if anyone tells you to "cellar" a $30 bottle, ignore them. Drink it this month. It's not getting better.
The whole culture of cellaring is built on maybe 5% of wine that actually improves with age. The other 95% just slowly dies while you wait.
At your stage, the best thing you can do is drink more, not save more. Open two bottles side by side on a weeknight. That's how your palate develops — not by reading about it.
— Elena
I spent last weekend helping a friend sort through 400 bottles in his basement. Maybe 60 were past their window. With your collection at 600+, I'd bet you have the same problem — bottles you bought in 2018 that you keep walking past.
Here's what nobody in wine media wants to say: most wine should be drunk within 3 years of release.
I know you've got the cellar conditions dialed in, so your stuff is holding better than most. But pull out anything you bought pre-2021 that isn't Barolo or classified Bordeaux and open it this weekend. Seriously. Before it turns into an expensive lesson.
That 2019 Côtes du Rhône you told me about? Tonight. With whatever you're eating. It's not waiting for you.
— Elena
Every reply makes the next issue smarter.
...At your stage, the best thing you can do is drink more, not save more. Open two bottles side by side on a weeknight.
— Elena
Ha — you don't finish them. You open both, pour a glass of each, and compare. Cork the rest. They'll be fine for 2-3 days.
On the label thing — no judgment, everyone starts there. But try this: next time you're at the shop, grab one bottle you'd normally pick AND one from the same region that looks boring. The boring-looking bottle is usually the one made by someone who spent money on wine instead of graphic design.
What's your price range? I can give you three specific bottles to try this week.
Same writer. Completely different issues.
You said $15-25. Perfect — that's the sweet spot where it gets interesting.
This week, go find these three. Any decent wine shop will have at least two of them:
Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2022 (~$22) — This is the little sibling of one of the most famous wines in the Rhône. Drink it with a roast chicken. Don't overthink it.
Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2021 (~$16) — Spanish. Huge fruit. The label is ugly. Buy it anyway.
Trimbach Riesling 2021 (~$18) — White. Bone dry. If you think you don't like Riesling, this will fix that.
Try the Borsao and the Trimbach side by side. You'll figure out pretty fast whether you lean red or white — and that's actually useful to know.
— Elena
I've been thinking about your collection since last week.
600 bottles is where it stops being a hobby and starts being a logistics problem. Here's what I do with my cellar every January — took me years to figure this out:
Sort everything into three piles:
Drink this month — anything past its window or at peak right now
Hold — structured wines with real aging potential (be honest)
Gift/dump — the bottles you bought because of a score or a dinner party and now can't remember why
Most collectors have 30-40% in that third pile and won't admit it.
I made a spreadsheet template if you want it. Nothing fancy — just forces you to be honest about what you actually have.
— Elena
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