Three Ways To Stock A Wine Cellar - Food - Wines and Spirits

<p>A wine cellar is a fabulous investment. It enhances your lifestyle in many wonderful ways. Here are five ways:</p>

<p>Civilization: Andre Simon, author of the book, Commonsense Of Wine, wrote, "Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized." </p>

<p>That is a profoundly true statement. Any meal is always enhanced by adding a delightful glass of wine. A good wine cellar gives you a variety of both red and white wines to pair with any dish. Not only that, a good wine cellar also provides a great supply of wines with which to cook. Have you ever noticed that most of the best meals use wine as an ingredient? That's because wine has a particular talent for bringing out the finest tastes and aromas in foods.</p>

<p>Historically, the vast majority of treaties and negotiations, tribal agreements and business deals, engagements and marriages have always been consummated over a good meal. Wine has always been a major part of all such transactions. Good food and good wine are perfectly synonymous with civilization. </p>

<p>Convenience: What could be more convenient than having your own wine cellar? Never again find yourself zipping to the store to buy another bottle because you've run short. Keep in mind that you are probably under the influence and could be risking a nasty "Driving Under Influence" charge. </p>

<p>Social life: Having a wine cellar always lends itself to a better social life. What could be better than socializing with like-minded people who also make their own wine and have a wine cellar? Wine always enhances a social evening.</p>

<p>Security: We live in uncertain times. Not long ago, the world seemed at the edge of total economic collapse. What happens if there is a total economic collapse? What if there is runaway inflation? These are all very real possibilities. Will you survive? </p>

<p>If something like that ever does happen, the barter system will become critically important. A wine cellar will always prove to be a phenomenal asset. Money may have little to no value, but you can always trade a bottle of wine for a chicken or a little gasoline </p>

<p>Health: Just about all health professionals agree on the health benefits of drinking a moderate amount of wine each day (1 to 2 glasses). Here are a few citations by credible medical institutions:</p>

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<p>There are three main ways to stock your wine cellar:</p>

<p>The first is to purchase the wines from outlets such as retail stores, direct from vineyards, or from Internet suppliers. The main advantage to doing it this way is an infinite variety of high-quality wines from all over the world. The main disadvantage is the cost. Most countries attach significant taxes to wine products and if ordered via the Internet there are sure to be added shipping costs. A wine cellar of 1,000 bottles stocked in this way will cost somewhere between $10,000 to $30,000 or more, depending upon tastes and quality of wine. </p>

<p>The second is to make your own wine from the crush. By that, I mean buying your own grapes direct from the grape grower or another supplier, crushing the grapes and making your own wines right from scratch. For the wine making aficionado there is no better way. It allows you to express your own creativity and ingenuity, test your wine making expertise, and custom make wine to suit your exact tastes. </p>

<p>The disadvantages to this method are the cost of equipment and the time and knowledge required. Also, it's difficult for the individual to get good quality grapes as you will be competing with big buyers who purchase hundreds of tons of grapes each year. In order to make great wine, you need to buy great grapes and great grapes usually go to great vineyards who make great wine. The grapes you would buy from the supermarket are not great grapes for making wine.</p>

<p>Fresh grapes for making wine are available only once a year, during harvest time. Unless you purchase and ship grapes from the opposite hemisphere from where you live, you will only be able to purchase once a year. </p>

<p>A Ton of grapes will make approximately 600 to 700, 750 mL bottles of wine, depending upon their juice content, and--also depending upon quality--a ton of grapes will cost somewhere between $700.00 and $6,000.00. Guess which is the best quality. However, the average, normal price for excellent quality grapes will run around $2500.00 to $3500.00 per ton.</p>

<p>Another disadvantage to making wine from the crush is that if you buy a ton of Merlot grapes, you can only make Merlot; you cannot make a Chardonnay or an Amarone from a Merlot grape. If variety is your goal, you will need a variety of grapes. Buying by the ton can be prohibitive if variety is your goal, and, as another negative, buying in smaller quantities increases the cost of the grapes. </p>

<p>The third is to build your wine cellar from wine kits. This is probably the most practical and most inexpensive way of making your own wine and stocking a truly International wine cellar. Think about it for a moment. Virtually all of the hard work is already done for you--the kit maker has already crushed the grapes, tested and balanced the juice for sugar content, acidity, and best results. Then every ingredient needed to successfully ferment your wine is packaged. All you need to do is ferment and bottle your wine. That's the beauty of making wine from wine kits! </p>

<p>In addition, the selection of wine kits is almost infinite. You can easily build a wine cellar filled with International wines. How about an Australian Chardonnay, a German Gewurztraminer, a South African Pinotage, a Chilean Malbec, a California Cabernet Sauvignon, a New Zealand Unoaked Chardonnay, an Italian Amarone or a Barolo, a Stag's Leap Merlot, a Spanish Tempranillo Cabernet, a French Viognier or a Canadian Pinot Noir. Just buy and process a wine kit for whatever kind of wine you would like to try. </p>

<p>Also, why not make some of the Award Winning wines? All of the wine kit manufactures have them. The grapes come from exceptional harvest conditions and the results are phenomenal. Many manufacturers also have special Limited or Restricted quantity kits that can be purchased only once a year. </p>

<p>All in all, to stock your wine cellar with 1,000, 750 mL bottles from wine kits will cost somewhere between $1,000.00 for the most inexpensive kits to about $3,500.00 for the highest end kits. And, you will not be disappointed. Be brave, try something new! As they say, "Variety is the spice of life."
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