A reader asked me last week what my thoughts were on
how many bottles of a collectible, high-scoring wine to purchase upon release if one wants to collect for the long term.
The two biggest factors affecting this decision are:
- Your bank account – Financial resources are usually the biggest constraint. But if money isn’t an issue, do you really care if you buy too much when you can usually sell any “excess” later for a profit or at least get your money back?
- Availability – No matter what you may want to buy, some wine is so scarce that what you can find becomes the limiting factor.
Assuming you have the money and the access, then other consideration come into play:
- Diversity of tasting experiences – There are far more wines worthy of your attention than you’ll ever get a chance to try. Why load up on any one of them?
- Learning through experimentation – Many wine collectors like to experience tasting a wine at various stages of its evolution (recommended).
- The wine’s drinking window – The longer the wine is expected to develop or remain drinkable, the easier it is to “safely” buy more.
- Your personal drinking window – The younger you are, the more you’ll likely be alive and healthy to drink the wine you’re buying.
- Method of consumption – When you open fine wine, are you having friends over and drinking multiple bottles at a time? Is there a minimum quantity you’d like to have available when you serve it?
- Corked bottle risk – It would be incredibly disappointing to cellar a wine for years only to find that it’s flawed upon opening one of a limited number of bottles.
My personal preferences
- The maximum amount of any wine that I’ve ever purchased is 2-3 cases, usually of first-growth Bordeaux or Yquem which I felt safe buying for the long haul.
- I was comfortable “buying a drinking option” that purchasing “excess” quantities provided me. I subsequently sold off the excess and made a nice profit but investment gain wasn’t my goal at the time of purchase.
- Considering my strong desire to experience tasting a broad spectrum of wines together with my consumption profile, 6 bottles is now a normal purchase for me and a case is my upper limit.
Bottom line: Analyze your personal circumstances with the above framework and determine what makes sense for you.
