Quite a weekend…after years of planning, saving, starting, scraping and more saving, I was able to get to a place where I can now say “I have a wine cellar.” 
It’s something I’ve wanted for years and it has turned out exactly how I wanted it to be: Plain, functional, roomy and unpretentious. Well, as unpretentious as a room in a home devoted to wine storage can be. But, I suppose it’s my version of a man room. After all, I have a 33” TV and watch DVD’s on an Xbox. But wine is kind of my thing so I think it makes it ok. And now that I can sit down here on my cold, perfectly scuffed concrete floor and stare at all the bottles, I’m reminded of why I have them at all.
[boring bit] When I was a kid we lived in the bay area. Several weekends each year my Mom, varying numbers of aunts, uncles, and scattered cousins would arrive and we would inevitably make the hot, steamy ride north to the Napa Valley. We’d be seven to a car, no seat-belts and the kids would sit on the coolers. Nobody was a collector or a “taster” in the Wine Spectator sense of the word, but they did like wine. And in those
days it came free and it came with good conversation, it was an experience. It was the `70’s and Napa wasn’t nearly what Napa is today. It was the days before the limos and expensive hotels. In fact, the place I recall most is Inglenook. Jug Chablis maker to the country. It was a blast. I can remember playing on the grounds, eating grapes, climbing tractors and kicking the ball around as the adults pitched camp in the tasting rooms. Inevitably, one of the hipper aunts would bring a glass out and the kids would get to sip. I liked it. Not sure why, but I know I looked forward to the sample. And it stayed with me, as did the sourdough, salami and cheese sandwiches we’d eat on the lawn. [end boring bit]
It’s something I’ve wanted for years and it has turned out exactly how I wanted it to be: Plain, functional, roomy and unpretentious. Well, as unpretentious as a room in a home devoted to wine storage can be. But, I suppose it’s my version of a man room. After all, I have a 33” TV and watch DVD’s on an Xbox. But wine is kind of my thing so I think it makes it ok. And now that I can sit down here on my cold, perfectly scuffed concrete floor and stare at all the bottles, I’m reminded of why I have them at all.[boring bit] When I was a kid we lived in the bay area. Several weekends each year my Mom, varying numbers of aunts, uncles, and scattered cousins would arrive and we would inevitably make the hot, steamy ride north to the Napa Valley. We’d be seven to a car, no seat-belts and the kids would sit on the coolers. Nobody was a collector or a “taster” in the Wine Spectator sense of the word, but they did like wine. And in those
days it came free and it came with good conversation, it was an experience. It was the `70’s and Napa wasn’t nearly what Napa is today. It was the days before the limos and expensive hotels. In fact, the place I recall most is Inglenook. Jug Chablis maker to the country. It was a blast. I can remember playing on the grounds, eating grapes, climbing tractors and kicking the ball around as the adults pitched camp in the tasting rooms. Inevitably, one of the hipper aunts would bring a glass out and the kids would get to sip. I liked it. Not sure why, but I know I looked forward to the sample. And it stayed with me, as did the sourdough, salami and cheese sandwiches we’d eat on the lawn. [end boring bit] 
Back to the cellar. You can see the original frame and the window that was in this part of the basement. The window was removed and a wall with the cooler was added in its place. At full capacity (including the top shelf bit) it will hold around 1,400 bottles. Will it ever get to that point? Highly doubtful, but it’s worth a shot.
And now it’s my turn. My hope is that Keegan and Devin look at this collecti
on as a shared memory. I think we're off to a good start. Where I had Napa, Keegan has Burgundy (though, just once). Two great shots from that trip: climbing the small stone wall into Romane-Conti (the most expensive wine on the globe) to taste a grape (GASP!) and another of him napping in a cellar tasting room. The French loved him. Keegan wanted to put the first bottle in the new cellar and is now adept at being able to navigate the Wall, row, column code to pull out the right bottle. It’s a good party trick. He’s proficient. I have a mixed case of `04 stuff I’m holding for his 18th birthday so we'll see how it goes (my sense is Devin will be a Tequila guy. Check back on that.). 
So my point is this: each bottle in this cellar has a story. And now I can sit here and think about the trips, friends and family that have influenced each of these bottles. Both in wine buying and in life, for me it’s about memories and emotions. And that’s why I think the wine industry and wine marketing is too much about scores and reviews. Wine is like any other kind of food or drink. It’s emotional and in many
instances, ties to specific memories and feelings. What if the marketing departments started to think about the “ who & why” people buy the product vs. the “how” it’s consume? Might we sell more wine and sell it to 
a broader audience?
Off to pull some corks. Cheers!
on as a shared memory. I think we're off to a good start. Where I had Napa, Keegan has Burgundy (though, just once). Two great shots from that trip: climbing the small stone wall into Romane-Conti (the most expensive wine on the globe) to taste a grape (GASP!) and another of him napping in a cellar tasting room. The French loved him. Keegan wanted to put the first bottle in the new cellar and is now adept at being able to navigate the Wall, row, column code to pull out the right bottle. It’s a good party trick. He’s proficient. I have a mixed case of `04 stuff I’m holding for his 18th birthday so we'll see how it goes (my sense is Devin will be a Tequila guy. Check back on that.). 
So my point is this: each bottle in this cellar has a story. And now I can sit here and think about the trips, friends and family that have influenced each of these bottles. Both in wine buying and in life, for me it’s about memories and emotions. And that’s why I think the wine industry and wine marketing is too much about scores and reviews. Wine is like any other kind of food or drink. It’s emotional and in many
instances, ties to specific memories and feelings. What if the marketing departments started to think about the “ who & why” people buy the product vs. the “how” it’s consume? Might we sell more wine and sell it to 
a broader audience?Off to pull some corks. Cheers!
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