Before you start collecting wine you need to ask yourself the following questions:

How much wine do I drink?
If you are not an avid drinker you should begin by allotting extra space for age-worthy wines.

How much space do I have to store bottles?
Find out what additional finances you have to spend to creating optimum storage space.

How much money can I afford to spend?
Consider the whole package of buying, storing, processing, making or maturing the wine. Make a plan for which types of wine need to be bought first and how much you can afford to spend on each type.

What types of wine am I interested in buying?
Do you prefer white to red? Are you patient enough to allow the wine to properly age? Do you entertain on a regular basis? Decide what kinds of wines are worth your while to invest in.

In order to accumulate a wine collection to satisfy your personal needs, you must have a balance in the above questions.


Collection Types

Basic Collector
Usually 75 bottles of wine or less will make you a basic collector. Fifteen percent of your collection should consist of maturing wines; the remaining bottles should be drinkable wines. Don't spend a fortune on age-worthy wines -- a few special celebration bottles should satisfy the need. You will need a large variety of drinkable wines so you don't get bored of a particular taste. A small basic storing room will be sufficient to store your mini-collection.

Avid Collector
Most avid collectors have between 300 and 10,000 bottles. If you wish to become an avid collector, define your objectives. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I want to make money?
2. Will I sell these wines?
3. Can they be passed down through generations?

Diversity in your collection will allow you to accumulate wines that are higher in quality and price but still leave you with enough variety in drinkable wines to keep you interested. Some wines may need to age 10 years to be mature. It will take considerable cost to store large quantities of wine if you will need to build or cool a storage room. Always leave enough room to continue building your collection.


Collection Staples
A sample collection may look like this:
Table wines (majority)
Apéritif wines
Dessert wines
Champagne

Decide what staples are important to you but always remember to include a large variety of drinkable wines. Buy age-worthy wines when they are first produced. That way you can purchase them in a larger quantity for a cheap price.

Recommended red and white

Drinkable wines:
Simple Chianti wines - Italy
Red Zinfandel - California
Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blancs - California
Pinot Grigio - Italy
Alsace Pinot Blancs

Recommended red and wine age-worthy wines:
White Bordeaux
Great German Rieslings
Gewurztraminers
Rioja Wine - Spain
Barca Velha - Portugal
Henschke Shiraz Wine - Australia
Collection Records

Always label your wine bottles. You'll need to know exactly where your prized bottle is located when wine-savvy friends visit. Here a few common ways you can organize and sort your collection:

1. Wine Name
2. Price
3. Where you purchased the bottle
4. Region
5. Country
6. Type of Wine

Storing Collections
Bottles can be placed in any room or on a shelf lying down. Be sure to keep the bottles out away from both radiators and direct sunlight. Both will interfere with the quality of the wine.

Passive Wine Cellars
This cellar must completely be underground in order to have good insulation. The temperature of the room should be around 12-16 º C. It should be very dark and damp with over 75% humidity.

Artificially Cooled or Humidified Room
The temperature of this room needs to be set at a constant 12-16ºC. Humidity should rest at approximately 70-95%. The room itself should be damp and be free of vibrations, light and chemical odors. You can purchase a professional cooling unit for around $1000-$3800, not including professional installation.

Wine Cave
These are professional fridges built to house 24-2800 bottles. Prices range from $650-$8000 depending on space needed. These can be purchased in all wine accessory catalogs or contact a wine dealership.

Storing Tips
Avoid refrigerating wine - The fridge's motor is harmful and the intense cold flattens flavours.

Buy a hygrometer - This measures the atmospheric humidity and will keep your wine at the optimum temperature.

Insurance
If you want to become an avid collector, investigate insurance policies before you begin. You can personally appraise your collection by finding related bottles being sold at auctions or request that an expert oversee your collection. Most homeownership insurance will not cover an extensive collection. Update your records frequently.