Why people collect wine

Wine is the only collector category where the object eventually disappears. Every bottle represents a decision: hold or open. Hold too long and the wine passes its peak and becomes a different, often lesser, object. Open too early and you consume something that had more to give

The serious wine collector is always managing this tension, and the management requires knowledge that takes years to develop. The pleasure of that knowledge is a large part of why people collect seriously rather than simply buying wine to drink. Understanding why a 2005 Petrus tastes different from a 1990 Petrus, and why both are different from a 2000 DRC La Tache, requires time with the wines and with the literature about the wines. That knowledge compounds

The collector who has spent twenty years building and drinking through a cellar knows things that cannot be read anywhere.

CollectorGrade take

Wine is the only collector category where enjoyment requires consumption. Build a collection you intend to drink, not just one you intend to hold. The cellar that gets opened regularly teaches you more than the cellar that sits untouched.