Collecting verticals

One of the greatest joys of collecting wine is the ability to have some friends join you to sample a vertical array of the same wine. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good quality value wine like say Wynns Black Label, or if its at a much more expensive level like John Riddoch; the ability to look at a series of wines from the same maker over the years is one of the most enjoyable vinous experience available to wine lovers.

Obviously collecting all these vintages takes a long period of time and much money, so if its something that you want to do, its worth a bit of thought to make sure you reduce your risk. Here are some considerations that need thinking about if you are planning on collecting verticals.

The first is obviously the potential longevity of the wine. There is no point in trying to collect wines for verticals if they wont live to about 10 years of age, hopefully longer.

The price bracket of the wine will be the next consideration. Don’t be tempted to go to cheap. Frequently the lower end wines are stretched or possibly even downgraded in quality. Many years ago, for example Seaview wines would certainly go the distance but as the years passed, a number of labels were brought in over the top, price remained constant and the quality of the wine was reduced. So if you were collecting this label for verticals the last year collected should have been about a decade ago.

Whilst we are on the subject of price, increases can also sneak up on you, or even wack you in the head. With some labels there may come a point where the increases will stop you dead in your tracks because you consider the wine in question no longer worth the money. Unfortunately in today’s environment this is becoming increasingly more common. I used to purchase a number of labels year in and year out, but after a spate of recent huge increases, these wines have just dropped off the list. When this happens, its time to select a new wine to takes its place.

Which are the best wines to collect for verticals? That’s like asking what’s tonight winning Lotto numbers, it’s not easy to pick a winner every time. Mid price and above wines with a track record for consistency are a good starting point. Bin 389, Wynns Black Label, etc are pretty reliable. Up and coming wineries that seem to have a good reputation and sell much of their wine by mail order is another good bet. If you happen to be a Rockfords Stonewaller for example you are doing well. Do a bit of searching and see if you can find some rising stars of your own, these ones pay the best dividends in the long run but can be risky.

Finally, there is always an easy option. You could decide on a wine that is relatively easily available and purchase the wines at auction. The one draw back with this option is that the wines may have come from vastly differing quality storage conditions. As a result conclusions drawn from the tasting may be heavily influenced by outside factors that are not representative of the actual wine. But as a quick option or a last resort, it’s worth some serious consideration and can produce some great results.

Whichever way you decide to do it, the rewards are worth the effort.  The wine selection is always going to be a bit of a punt, and when you have a bit of a flutter, you win some and you lose some, but winning is a great feeling. And the ability to sit down with friends and do a vertical of wine is one of the most enjoyable vinous pastimes imaginable.

Cheers

Ric