Bargains in store for stellar cellars

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002 | 8:26 a.m.

In most parts of the country all one really needs is a dark closet to start a wine collection, and a small stash of carefully chosen, moderately priced wines that can be added to periodically.

Because wine is an organic substance, and "cooks" at high temperatures, it is a bit dicey collecting wines in Las Vegas. Wines can't be left on a living room rack in Las Vegas. So look for the coolest spot in the house (there's always one) to store wine.

Don't be put off by all the jargon and the many wine choices, not to mention the prohibitive prices of fine wines. If you enjoy wine and have a corkscrew and a pair of wine glasses, you're in business. Here are two sample cellars that will cost approximately $100 and $150, respectively, with a few tips on how to store the wines and when to drink them.

The first item a novice will want to consider is simply the difference between red and white wine. Red wine generally undergoes some fermentation with the grape skins, so the color is imparted to the wines. Tannin, the astringent substance in red wine, mellows with time in fine wines, but can be strong in lesser wines. White wines, on the other hand, range from clear to a straw-yellow color and are fermented without the skins.

With regard to storage, think in terms of short, medium and long. The short-range wines are those that will be drunk casually, soon after purchase. The medium-range wines are for special occasions, and the long-range wines are those in which to invest. If the investment is modest, most of the suggested wines will be ready for drinking shortly after laying them down.

Wines age best at approximately 55 degrees. Wines do not do well when stored at temperatures higher than 70. A refrigerator can be used to set the proper temperature (say, a spare fridge in the garage), or any cooling unit on hand. Wines also respond well to humidity. Refrigerators provide moisture or special units expressly to store wine can be purchased.

Small refrigerator-style units can fit into a small space and are not expensive. Serious wine collectors may want to invest in a wine locker, which can be rented for as little as $10 a month at local wine merchants. (Lee's Discount Liquors offers such a service.)

The advantages of having a personal cellar are many. A collector will know which wines they enjoy and have them around the house to share with friends. Secondly, there are better bargains to be had this way, especially if one finds a wine they really like. Ask for the case price (12 bottles) when purchasing -- it's usually around a 10 percent discount.

There is really only one way to tell when a wine is ready to drink, and that is to open a bottle and taste. But a new wine choice can be aged until it is at its peak both in taste and price. The beginning wine collector would be well-advised to put a neck tag showing the date of purchase on the bottles.

The following are two sample cellars, different in approach and selection. Neither is intended to be anything more than a guideline (but taking these these examples literally should be pleasing):

Gregoire Verge and Agathe Giganti run the wine shop Marche Bacchus, at 2620 Regatta Drive. Verge has some excellent bargains and he likes the idea of starting a cellar with two bottles of each wine chosen, so that one can drink a wine immediately, then compare the same wine months (or even years) later.

Verge has chosen the following wines for an 11-bottle, starting cellar for under $150: Two bottles of '00 Louis Jadot Macon-Villages, a dry white wine from France, at $9.99 each. "It's a great sipping wine," he says.

Also, two bottles of '98 Vinum Pointe Blanc, at $14.99 each, a white that is a blend of three grapes -- Chenin Blanch, Roussanne and the flowery, fruity Viognier.

Two bottles of the classic California '98 Cabernet Sauvignon from Guenoc at $15.99 each, and two more of the tannic, powerful Spanish red '98 Marques de Murrieta, which can be laid down. From France's Rhone Valley, a spicy red '98 Cotes du Rhone from Domaine de l'Enclos, $9.99. Finally, just for fun, a dessert wine from the Muscat grape, Robert Mondavi's La Famiglia, $11.99. Presto -- there's a cellar.

Real bargains can be had at Trader Joe locations around the valley -- especially wines that will please you for less than $5 a bottle. Here is a 12-bottle cellar for less than $100, with room for a splurge wine to boot.

From the least expensive, start with two bottles of the '99 Cotes du Rhone from Cellier de Beauregard ($3.99 each). Then two bottles of a Cabernet Merlot blend from Australia, the rich '01 Rosemount, $5.99. Follow that with a single bottle of Italy's '99 Torresella Merlot, softer than a Cabernet but still tannic at this age.

Then two bottles of the fine '98 Parducci Cabernet Sauvignon from California, a good food wine. Just $8.99 buys a bottle of the superb '99 Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinfandel, a variety grown only in California that is powerful and on the alcoholic side at more than 14 percent.

At the same price one also can buy a bottle of the flinty Chilean '99 Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc, which is quite different in character from a Chardonnay. At $12.99, try two of the '99 Zaca Mesa Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County, Calif. -- buttery, smooth, and typical of the region. That leaves enough money for a soft, delicate Pinot Noir ($17.99), the '98 from La Crema, of Sonoma County, Calif.

One should become friends with their wine seller. Most wine merchants are happy to share their knowledge. It's a speedy way to become a stellar cellar master.

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