The Occasional Collector

The majority of wine drinkers buy their wine shortly before consuming it. This is a perfectly sensible thing to do, but its limitation is that you are at the mercy of your local retailers and their range of wine, which in some rural areas or remoter suburbs can be restricted. Better to accumulate a small and diverse cellar, so that you will have wine on hand whatever the occasion.

You should choose your wines according to your personal taste, of course, but bear in mind that a varied collection will enable you to respond to every whim and mood - both your own and those of your guests or friends. You may particularly enjoy Australian Shiraz, for example, but there will be occasions when you may need to offer a different style or colour of wine to a guest who doesn’t share your enthusiasms, or when you need to take a bottle as a gift, or open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate some good news.