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Do it while you have time!!!

Hic I'm not as thunk as drenkle peep. Glirch.
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Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Joanbunting » Sat May 26, 2012 4:10 pm

It has suddenly come to us that, while we are very fortunate to have a more or less proper cellar containing some really lovely wines - mostly bought many years ago and at reasonable prices - it is foolish for us, at our age to consider continuing in the same way, though the kids might be pleased if we did :D :D

If I am sounding pretentious I don't mean to be. We are neither posh nor wealthy, just wine lovers who have had the chance, as many others have, to build up a (very) small cellar by most standards, but love having it.

What I am trying to say is if you have the right place, a bit of knowledge and a bit of spare cash then think about making a cellar while you have the reasonable expectation of drinking most of it in your life-time :D. We started ours in a cupboard under the stairs in a terraced house in Newcastle.

There are lots of places in the UK where you can get impartial advice and there are classes if you are really interested.

Have any of you got a cellar, a wine collection or are thinking of making one? Where do you go for help advice and information?

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby OneMoreCheekyOne » Thu May 31, 2012 12:41 pm

We move into our new house in a couple of weeks which has two cellar rooms. We've been thinking of using one room for storage and the other (smaller one) as a wine cellar. We currently have a wine rack in our dining room which holds approx 20 bottles so we'll get another one of those I think.

I don't think we'd need any more space than that. Mostly because we couldn't afford the wine to fill it! We'll definitely be making the most of special offers however so that we can stock up when there is a particularly good deal :thumbsup

Does anyone buy from Majestic wine warehouses? There is one near us but i've never been in it.

We also have a small 'beer' fridge so I have no idea where that monstrosity will go yet. I think i'll be suggesting we hide that in the cellar somewhere :D

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu May 31, 2012 1:21 pm

I don't have space for a proper cellar - i have a wine rack in the attic which has a couple of dozen bottles, maybe a few more

I would love a cellar

One thing I have found, even having only that little bit of storage, is that many suprmarket offers are sold cheap to get them out of storage, it seems. For example, Morrison's seem to have a tame Burgindy negociant, Maurice or Meurice, and occasionally offer good deals on their wines, especially whites (Macon, St Veran). The first few I had I was disappointed with - then I found the second bottles 6 months later, at their peak of perfection. Now I buy to keep when I see them - and drink 6 - 10 months after purchase.

Majestic do have some good deals in my experience - and one thing they do, is to give you chances to try before you buy, there is quite a lot of tasting available; worth popping in and seeign what your local branch is like, how much you can get in the way of advice is dependent on how good the branch manager is - if s/he is any good, make friends & s.he will point you at good deals (and give you lots of tastes) and get on the mailing list (do that anyway)

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Joanbunting » Thu May 31, 2012 2:06 pm

I have been impressed with Majestic in the past. They do what Oddbins used to - ie help :D and their multi offers seemed good to my. Our wine-writer friend is a big fan.

We save up all our supermarket points and spend them during the autumn wine fair here sometimes get BOGOFs on whole cases. For the rest we buy direct so we have a somewhat unbalanced collection - tipping dangerously south :D :D.

I think we are so lucky to have met our friend - at wine tasting classes and been encouraged by her to make a start when we were young. At that time neither she nor us had much spare cash so we used to share boxes. She didn't even have a cupboard under the stairs!! Her advice was always as low down in the house as possible, as dark as possible and in the coolest place in the house - in her case it was in the wardrobe in the spare room.

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby OneMoreCheekyOne » Thu May 31, 2012 2:44 pm

Thanks both, i'll check out Majestic wines this weekend then. I like the thought of being able to try before we buy.

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby efcliz » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:48 pm

We don't have a cellar, but having listened to a 3 part radio series many years ago about wine (no idea who presented it but it was good!), we learnt that the most important thing is that the temperature is constant - it's not so important if it's a bit hot or a bit cold, but it shouldn't keep fluctuating. We converted our understairs cupboard into a wine rack, as it is surrounded by other rooms on all sides, no outside walls.

You can't really see from the picture a friend took but each slot is deep enough for 2 bottles.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kippygo/60 ... 259095063/

We also have a small built in rack in the kitchen.

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Joanbunting » Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:29 pm

That is really ingenious.

I think the programme could have been done by Jancis Robinson. Whoever it was was absolutely correct - fluctuations are the problem both in temperature and humidity - that is why when we realised our cellar was at risk of flooding when it rains hard we took action to divert the water around the corner.

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby efcliz » Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:15 pm

We're actually in panic mode at the moment. The reason for the gap at the bottom right hand corner is the electricity meter. We had a long power cut last week and have received a letter to say that they need to come in and do some work on the property that may include excavation. We're terrified they'll rip it out!

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby hungryhousewife » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:13 am

My Dad was tasting wine with a friend in Burgundy last summer. The woman who owned the vineyard was showing them a couple of reds she was very proud of. One of the bottles was about £7.50 per bottle, and the other was about £12.00 a bottle. My Dad asked about the difference and she explained that the £12.00 was delicious now, but that the £7.50 bottle was good, but would be excellent in a few years time. He asked which one she thought he should buy. She looked him up and down (he is a very fit and athletic 82!) and then said - "I think you should buy the one to drink right away!" :lol:

I'm glad to say, he thought this was hilarious, and has 'dined out' on the story ever since!

HH

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Joanbunting » Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:19 am

Lovely story HH ! I hope he is enjoying it :thumbsup

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby kavey » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:34 pm

We don't have a proper cellar of any kind but we do have a cupboard under the stairs in our Edwardian end of terrace... it's the space beneath the lowest stairs, so not good for much else and the previous owners built some bottle racking inside it.

On our irregular visits to France, particularly those to the Loire, we often buy wine that is "put away" for 2-5 years, occasionally more, according to the advice for each from the winegrower. We've bought from one vineyard since 1999 and really enjoy visiting. Last time, we took my sister and between her and Pete, I was GOBSMACKED how much wine they bought, and that we could get it into the car. The car did sag a bit once loaded!

None of these are in any way expensive, or rare, and our first visit to that vineyard was serendipity but Pete has always loved how they age.

Nothing in there that would be kept more than 10 years though.

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Re: Do it while you have time!!!

Postby Joanbunting » Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:50 am

We have one bottle of the famous Loire sweet wine Moulin Touchais - bottled in 1962.

http://www.finestandrarest.com/moulin-touchais.html

It is the last of 3 bottles given to us in 1982 for M's 40th. This wine is said to keep for ever but I think we might drink it for his 75th!

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