Drinking a nice bottle of wine right after buying it is very enjoyable, but you might be missing out on more. Many bottles improve with age and become more valuable in the process. Starting a collection is a fun hobby and can become a lucrative investment. Here are a few tips to help you start making smart decisions about future bottle purchases. 

What to Consider When Collecting Wine

1. Make a Plan

While you could start buying any collectible bottles, it’s better to formulate what kind of collection you hope to build first. Use your own preferences to determine which characteristics to seek out. This will help you to establish rules when it comes to adding new bottles to your collection and avoid getting caught up in hype 

2. Do Your Research

You want to know everything there is to know about wines you are interested in adding to your collection. How much do bottles sell for on average? Where are the grapes grown? Look up critic reviews and other collectors’ thoughts. Also, become familiar with the winery, including learning about other wines they produce and their plans for the bottles you’re interested in. The more you know, the easier it will be to assign a price to a bottle or case. 

3. Determine Cellaring Period

Wine changes with age, but how it evolves is different for every bottle — even those of the same vintage. When collecting, you have to figure out the drinking window for each bottle that you are interested in. This window is affected by grape type, harvesting and cultivation practices, and the region where the vines grow. How you store the bottles later on will also affect their condition. You want to purchase bottles within their expected drinking period because if you choose not to consume them, they can still be sold or traded. 

Early reviews and accolades heavily influence a wine’s reputation. You can find award-winning bottles to add to your collection at Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston, IL. Owners Steve and Angela Gorazd and their team of winemakers produce wines from locally-grown fruits and bottle them in an on-site cellar. View their available selection of bottles on their website and easily place your order from anywhere. If you have any questions about a particular vintage or want to learn about their available event venue spaces, call them today at (618) 228-9111.