Scenario: You just returned from wine country with friends and are now looking at a few bottles of some (perhaps) pricey bottles of vino. You’re now concerned though because you have no way to store them now that you’re home. Should you invest in something to properly store your new wines or just a rack will do?… What to do?... What to do?...

Wine snobs will argue that it depends on a multitude of factors: What is the wine? Who made it? Where did the grapes come from? bla. bla. bla.

Screw that noise. Ask yourself these two questions:
1. Do you intend to drink it soon or hold on to some for later?
2. Do you think you’ll be buying more wine in the near future?

If you’re going to consume your wine in the next few months, then don’t waste your money of a cellaring system. Save your cash for more good vino you’ll enjoy. Just make sure wherever you do store the wine, the bottles are on their sides (to keep the cork sealed) and the wine isn’t in place with too much varying temperature. Just toss them in the kitchen pantry until you’re ready to party-it-up.

If you intend to save the wine any longer then 1 year, then I would start doing my research as to which cellar system is best for you. The last thing you want is to open those wines you’ve been saving and discover they’ve turned bad. Nothing is more depressing than pouring out the wine you’ve been saving for that “special occasion”.

If you’ve got a good amount of bottles already and see yourself buying more, then think about getting a small wine refrigerator or something to properly store your wine.

I’m a big advocate to drink wine now. Waiting is a craps-shoot and there’s too many things that can wrong along the way. My rule of thumb is simple:

If I enjoyed enough to buy it, it’s worth opening at any time to drink.