The first day of spring here in the Western Hemisphere was Wednesday, March 20. The last day of spring will be Friday, June 21.
Which means if you haven’t started spring cleaning around your house, time is quickly running out.
Of course, the most important aspect of spring cleaning for a wine lover revolves around the wine cellar… or wine closet… or wine cooler… or wine rack.
The more bottles you have, the more important it is to keep them organized for optimum enjoyment.
So what’s the best way to accomplish this goal? Obviously, it depends on the size of your collection. The bigger the stash, the greater the organization required. But for most of us, a simple two-area approach works.
No matter how you choose to store your wine, make sure the bottle labels are clearly visible. You want to be able to see not only the name of the maker and the type of wine, but also the vintage.
On one side of your cellar, closet, cooler or rack, place all of the wines that would benefit from several months to several years of aging. Think of this area as your “wine library,” a place to explore every so often, or when a special occasion is coming up. Keep Cabernet Sauvignon bottles with other Cabs, Merlots with Merlots, and so on.
On the other side of your storage area, place all of the bottles that you intend to drink sooner rather than later. These are your “house wines” (wines that you enjoy often with dinner or for casual sipping), joined by bottles that have been moved over from the “library” because their time has come.
Rather than organizing these wines by type, arrange them by “drink by” date. Obviously, you don’t have to drink them in the order you set up, but this type of system provides an easy-to-understand road map for consumption, and helps prevent wines from being stored beyond their prime.
A little bit of organization can go a long way toward ensuring that you always have the right wines on hand for everyday enjoyment, any type of meal, and any special occasion.
