I have the opposite of this 'Oenophobia' and need help!

[Dr Ralph]

Doc for an appropriate small fee I can provide some counselling within the cellar.

Do you mean you can hep me to consumer the wine or do you have special psychological skills to cure my FOMO and spendthrift ways?

 

[Captain Halliday]

What about offering up a tasting of some sort on the BAM Christmas trip... Perhaps with an option for members to make a donation to a charity of your choice.

 

[Dr Ralph]

What about offering up a tasting of some sort on the BAM Christmas trip... Perhaps with an option for members to make a donation to a charity of your choice.

BAM Christmas trip?

 

[Captain Halliday]

BAM Christmas trip?

An AFF gathering on a train owned by one of our members. Details here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-events/drinks-on-the-bam-november-76436.html

 

[Dr Ralph]

An AFF gathering on a train owned by one of our members. Details here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-events/drinks-on-the-bam-november-76436.html

Thanks. I see that a date has not yet been confirmed.

It may be a possibility, subject to date - I do have a government contract which requires me to do some work on weekends in November.

 

[redbigot]

Maybe reduce the physical size of your cellar - convert half to a gym...

When I was working up to retirement I aimed for about 10 years worth of wine in the cellar - that's about 3,000 bottles for me as I have a partner who does drink wine, with similar tastes to me and many thirsty friends.

Ten years later it's still at that level, so I have to live at least 10 more years if I stop buying now. But my partner is 11 years younger than me and I need to leave some for her and for the wake, so I can keep on buying for a while yet.

In my case my cellar is sized for just over 3,000 bottles, 3,500 at an absolute maximum, - stacked bottle-on-bottle in bins or standing upright, or in original boxes. So when the regular storage space is full and the pile of boxes just inside the entrance get in the way I stop buying for a while.

I can continue sometimes with the buying addiction if I need to stock up for quaffer packs that I put together for friends or if we have some wine group tastings or dinners where we dig into older vintages from my cellars, that can quickly go through a couple of dozen and I usually only charge them my original cost price.

I usually send off a pile to Langtons once or twice a year, in recent times mostly cork-sealed wines as I try to reduce the remaining number in my cellar. Some I lose money on, some I make money on, I generally come out just in front after selling fees. It's illegal to sell wine to friends or others without a licence - but it happens and nobody gets hurt.

But the key is to be more brutal in your buying decisions, in my case focussing on new release wines that will definitely cellar as I have plenty of 10-12+ yo reds that are ready to go, enough even for week-day drinking and younger ones that need to be tried to assess how they are going. If you tend to be an impulse buyer, make a check list of the characteristics of the wine(s) you need to improve your cellar, keep it up to date and always assess a prospective purchase against the list.
To know what you still need to buy to improve your cellar you need good records of what is there already (Cellartracker or something else, I have a home-grown system that suits me) and work out a plan for the future buying.

 

[Tannin]

A few random thoughts:

1. Have regular dinner events with friends - could be at someone's house or a restaurant. They cover the food, you bring the (good) wine.

2. Reach out to some of your favourite charities. Ask them if they do lunches/dinners to raise money for their charity and, if so, offer to provide the wine at no charge (they pick up or arrange courier).

3. If you're truly passionate about wine, start "Wine Appreciation Events" where, for a small nominal fee, you'll talk about wine, then let people taste. Or do blind tastings. Whatever you like! Ensure opened bottles go home with the participants!

4. Run raffles, money goes to charity (or your back pocket).

You could involve AFF as much or as little as you'd like in the above.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

A few random thoughts:

4. Run raffles, money goes to charity (or your back pocket).

You could involve AFF as much or as little as you'd like in the above.

Are you sure you have thought this one through? What say Ye Admin - you'd be all over this like a cheap suit?

 

[Tannin]

Are you sure you have thought this one through? What say Ye Admin - you'd be all over this like a cheap suit?

Of course I hadn't thought it through! Just getting some creative juices flowing... You're right - #4 doesn't apply to AFF. And probably #2 (though some AFFers would probably register as a charity to get the excellent wine no doubt cellared!)

 

[rhodges]

Unfortunately this equation may be too simplistic if some of the wines will expire before you do. That may be another reason to sell down some stock. And to refrain from auction offerings of wines that are already near or past peak.

Think of it as the rate at which bottles need to be disposed of (or topped up) - regardless of the method (drinking, giving away, tipping down the sink). Each person will need to make their own assessment re how much to actually drink as those othe rates will vary from person to person.

Ah but if you tip it down the sink (or sell through Langton's or whatever), do you then say, "Oh well, no wine for me tonight." Or do you go and get another? Unless your 'B' in the equation already accounts for this, your (C/Y) is going to come out wrong. I suspect that most people buy a lot when they first get the bug, which will mean that 'B' will vary from year to year (well, of course it will anyway, but a lot of people might not consider this factor) - with a big hump somewhere of "oh I don't really want to drink that thing I thought I liked 10 years ago that was never going to cellar well for 10 years".

Of course this is an argument both to dispose of some (good for Dr Ralph) and that you might need to buy more than the formula suggests to compensate (bad for Dr Ralph, but it sounds like the number might just be slightly less negative for him, which really means, he doesn't have to dispose of as much of the stuff that he is really fond of). That might ease the pain a little: the thought that, yes, you have to dispose of some of this, but actually, the overall quality of what you have cellared can increase as a result, so the payoff is in quality of life.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Ah but if you tip it down the sink (or sell through Langton's or whatever), do you then say, "Oh well, no wine for me tonight." Or do you go and get another? Unless your 'B' in the equation already accounts for this, your (C/Y) is going to come out wrong.

B accounts for this - each individual needs to adjust B to their circumstances - do you give away 1, or 10, or 100 bottles a month? Do you only buy newly released wine that is unlikely to be faulty? or do you have thousands of old bottles that run the risk of being duds? Factor in those "losses" into your average per day/week/year drinking to give you an overall measure of B

 

[rhodges]

Unfortunately this equation may be too simplistic if some of the wines will expire before you do. That may be another reason to sell down some stock. And to refrain from auction offerings of wines that are already near or past peak.

B accounts for this - each individual needs to adjust B to their circumstances - do you give away 1, or 10, or 100 bottles a month? Do you only buy newly released wine that is unlikely to be faulty? or do you have thousands of old bottles that run the risk of being duds? Factor in those "losses" into your average per day/week/year drinking to give you an overall measure of B

I understand what you're saying AC. My point is just that many people may not factor that in, or may think they are doing so, but later find themselves to be in error. This equation can only give you an instantaneous result, even though it looks superficially as though whatever it spits out is the eternal answer unless you change your consumption habits. There are of course completely unforeseeable events, like theft, that might be altogether impossible to factor in too. I think it's a fine formula to use, but if you're going to go with a mathematical model, you should run the numbers through it regularly.

 

[Kangol]

As bad a deal as that sound like BettyB, it's something that I might actually consider.

Old for new as it were.

But it will only see the life time of the wine extended, it doesn't actually reduce the stockpile I have.

Think outside the box (or case).

eg. I give you one, you give me two (or three or six). The higher the ratio of given:received, the quicker your stockpile will reduce.
Everyone wins, including you.

 

[beefarmer]

Think outside the box (or case).

eg. I give you one, you give me two (or three or six). The higher the ratio of given:received, the quicker your stockpile will reduce.
Everyone wins, including you.

It's a long way to drive to swap a few cases Kangol.

 

[BettyB]

Betty, it may be hard to accept that I belong to a profession which has a very high regard for ethics.

Insurance fraud is not an option:

1) Because it is a criminal offence

2) Because I would lose my Practising Certificate (https://www.lawsociety.com.au/ForSolictors/practisinglawinnsw/yourpractisingcertificate/index.htm)

An insurance claim could only be a possibility if I were actually robbed or a fire destroyed my wine cellar. Whilst this is possible and hence why a person holds an insurance policy, there should be no suggestion of any intention to make a fraudulent claim.

I didn't say fraud. You've interpreted it that way.

So no trade I'm guessing

 

[Wozza]

I didn't say fraud. You've interpreted it that way.

So no trade I'm guessing

I thought you two were best of AFF buddies! Is this your first online misunderstanding?!

To follow up, BettyB's questions, Dr Ralph, are you up for swaps? If so, what are you after? And what are you looking to swap from your collection? PM me if you prefer or post away so others can join in.

 

[Kohen]

"I want the one I can't have, And it's driving me mad, It's written all over my face" The Smiths (original FOMO)

Recently loaded up cellartacker with current stocks, was eye opening to see the concentration of variety / region / producer

Got me thinking as to optimum cellar balance, how many of each to keep & value of wines to cellar, definitely in light of Dr Ralph's conundrum

Can already spot the phases of drinking styles have been through - need to reduce the big alc's, barossons, etc...

Appreciate others thoughts, am heading towards higher value (say 3 bots) for cellar, and pick up 6 pk quaffers purchases as needed - feeling the FO and their ilk are contributing to large multiples of average / mid tier quaffers

 

[Dr Ralph]

To follow up, BettyB's questions, Dr Ralph, are you up for swaps? If so, what are you after? And what are you looking to swap from your collection? PM me if you prefer or post away so others can join in.

Working on finalising a plan. I've appreciated the detailed responses provided so far. I think some swaps will be part of the final plan.

Things a little bit complicated by the fact that I will be overseas for about 1/3 of the next 12 months. But at least this should curtail my buying – at least on this continent.

 

[Dr Ralph]

First part of the plan locked in.

Local restaurant has agreed to purchase from me 100 bottles of wine in the 2005 to 2010 range that I paid between $10 and $20 for. This includes items like Penfolds BIN 28 (2005 purchased for $16) and Wynns Black Label (2010 purchased for $17.50). In return they will give me credit to use at the restaurant.

I eat there around once a fortnight, so it's an OK deal. Means that I will have between $1000 and $2000 credit to spend at that restaurant.

Who knows how much they intend to sell those bottles for.

 

[penegal]

Dr Ralph - You are looking at this all the wrong way... Just live longer.

I plan to die when I run out of wine, which is why I keep buying because I don't want to die just yet.