fbpx

Stock Your Wine Cellar to Survive COVID-19

General Wine

Wine Cellar

Stock Your Wine Cellar to Survive COVID-19

In these times of “sheltering in place” we have more time to consider what we truly want to drink. Whether you are planning for a Virtual Happy Hour with friends or thinking about what you should have on hand when we are (eventually) allowed to congregate again, now is the time to think about stocking your wine cellar!  Regardless of the size of your wine ‘cellar’ – be it a corner of your fridge or a full scale wine cellar in your home – we have some advice for you to handle any emergencies or uncertainties that may come your way.

Here are the assumptions we used when developing our suggested list of wines for you to stock your wine cellar:

  • Target maintaining 20 to 50 bottles in a Wine Fridge or cool, dark, place with constant temperature
  • Average consumption is one bottle per day or 350 annually
    • To maintain 50 bottles you need to purchase at a 30 bottles/month rate
  • Consumption Pattern:
    • Wine as pre-dinner ‘Cocktail’ (Virtual Happy Hour)-Nightly
    • Wine with Dinner (3-4 times per week)
    • Wine Entertainment (4 times per month)
  • $20 Average bottle price
  • 10-15% require aging beyond 3 years
  • 80% should be consumed within the year you purchase it

Learn more about buying wine in our course: Wine in the Liquor Store.  The prices we use in this article are the prices at Total Wine.

What to Buy

Stock Your Wine Cellar with White Wines

Regardless of whether you are a ‘red wine drinker’ or a ‘white wine drinker’, you need both to stock your wine cellar.  White wines have the light body and refreshing acidity that will go with your fish, poultry, white sauced pasta and some of the more delicate buttery cheeses you like to serve when entertaining.  Also, they tend to be approachable wines suitable for Spring/Summer seasonal consumption.

The following wines are easily obtained online or from your local liquor stores – find a producer that you like.  Do not pay much attention to the ‘points’ awarded to them. Try bottles priced at $12 – $25/bottle and stock at least 2 bottles of the ones you like:

Light body/high acid dry whites:

  • Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Napa Valley, CA, France – Bordeaux (Entre deux mers, Graves)
  • Pinot Grigio from Italy or Oregon
  • Soave from Italy

Medium body and medium acid dry whites:

  • Albariño from Spain
  • Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley of France or South Africa
  • Riesling from Alsace, France

Full body and low acid whites:

  • Chardonnay from California (oaked and unoaked) or France (Bourgogne)
  • Cote du Rhone Blanc from France (Grenache Blanc)

Stock Your Wine Cellar with Red Wines

We recommend that you always have 6 bottles of your favorite red wine stocked in the ‘fridge’, accessible at all times. In addition, it is a great idea to expand your collection to include several other styles to pair with a variety of foods, cheese, appetizers and simply for sipping as a cocktail.  Try out some of these wines to see which Producers appeal to you.  Maintain at least 4 different red wines that you have selected from this list.

The wines on this list will be ready to drink within the year purchased and most will be enjoyable for the ensuring 2-5 years. As with White wines, you can obtain reasonable quality paying $15 – $25/bottle.

Light Body, Low Tannin:

  • Gamay, from France Beaujolais from Cru areas (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin au Vent)
  • Valpolicella from Italy
  • Cabernet Franc from France (Chinon) or US
  • Pinot Noir from Burgundy or Oregon

Medium Body/Medium Tannin:

  • Barbera d’Alba from Italy
  • Merlot from California, France (Bordeaux)
  • Chianti Classico (Sangiovese grape from Italy)
  • Cotes du Rhone (Grenache Noir from France)

Full Body, high Tannins

  • Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley or Bordeaux, France
  • Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain
  • Zinfandel from California

Sparkling Wine

Always have 2-5 bottles of non-vintage sparkling wine on hand. These need to be consumed within the year of purchase. So, store them in a readily accessible part of your ‘cellar’ and invent opportunities to use them outside of Birthdays or Bar Matzahs!

Champagne – for a celebration, have a bottle of the ‘real thing’ on hand. Some good quality bottles with reasonable prices (for Champagne) are:

  • Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve $30/bottle
  • Henriot Brut Souverain $40/bottle
  • Laurent Perrier La Cuveѐ Brut $45/bottle
  • Moѐt Chandon Imperial $50/bottle
  • Ayala Brut $35/bottle
  • Piper-Heidsieck Cuveѐ Brut $50/bottle

Other High Quality, reasonably priced Sparkling Wines to try

Cava from Spain:

    • Segura Viudas $10/bottle
    • Freixenet Cordan Niegro $12/bottle

Prosecco from Italy:

    • Bisol Crede $22
    • Mionetta Prosecco diTreviso $13/bottle
    • Zonin Cuvѐe 1821 Prosecco Spumante $13/bottle

Cremànt from France:

  • Lucian Albrecht Brut/Brut Rosѐ $22/bottle
  • Sparkling wine from the US:
  • Gruet Brut $16/bottle
  • Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs $35
  • J Vineyards Brut $38/bottle

The Box

Regardless of your personal tastes it is advisable to keep at least 2-3 bottles/boxes on hand for entertaining guests with very simple wine requirements.  Some really ‘quenchable’ wines for the ‘beginner,’ these will make your casual wine drinkers happy without breaking the bank.

  • Black Box Pinot Grigio 3 Liter $15
  • Lindemans Chardonnay Bin 65 $7/bottle
  • Hahn Chardonnay $9/bottle
  • Woodbridge Mondavi Light Oak Chardonnay $6/bottle
  • Woodbridge Mondavi Cabernet-Merlot $9/bottle
  • Camp Viejo Rioja Tempranillo $7/bottle
  • Antinori Santa Cristina Ross Toscana $8/bottle

We hope that you continue to enjoy good wines at reasonable prices! Please let us know what you try by posting to our Facebook page