Where to start your collection

Start by drinking widely before buying seriously. The knowledge required to build a good cellar comes from tasting, not from reading. Spend a year drinking wines from the regions and producers you are considering collecting before committing significant capital. Entry-level collecting in Bordeaux: good vintages from cru bourgeois and lesser classified estates where the quality-to-price relationship is more favourable than the first growths

Northern Rhone from reliable producers: Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph before Hermitage and Cote-Rotie. Village-level Burgundy from reliable producers before premier and grand cru. These wines improve the palate and build knowledge at manageable cost.

CollectorGrade take

The cellar you build in your first five years should be primarily educational. Buy wines you intend to drink within five years that teach you about the regions and producers you want to understand. The knowledge you develop will make the serious collecting decisions better.