Question to a wine waiter ...

How does one set up a wine cellar ?

You should begin by buying one-third wines that will be ready to drink shortly, then one-third wines for semi-long keeping - to be opened in three to five years. The remaining third should be long-keeping wines, pleasure wines, those which truly justify the existence of a cellar, and in some cases, make it profitable.

You must always taste before buying. After that, it's a question of personal taste. Some prefer Burgundy wines, others the wines from Alsace or the Rhone valley, for their particular character. If you prefer the technique in Bordeaux, you will want to look for ripe harvests which give the patina, the silkiness, rounded, fleshy rich wines. In other regions, you have to look out for rusticity, which does not always go hand in hand with quality.

Don't overlook the wines from the Loire, the Jura and Savoie, which can be excellent.


Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribault. 2003