11 Jan Organizing Your Wine Collection

If you are an avid wine collector that has amassed (or hopes to one day collect) an expansive selection of bottles, installing a wine cellar in your home is the next logical step. Not only does it give you the ability to expand upon your collection, but you also have the opportunity to organize your bottles for easy storage and retrieval.

The more bottles you collect, the harder it becomes to efficiently locate each bottle. That’s where a wine-rack management system comes into play. With the help of experienced professionals, like those at Papro Wine Cellars and Consulting, you can create a system for organizing your wine collection that ensures you make the most of your wine cellar. Consider these wine-cellar management tips.

Grouping by Row/Column

One simple way to manage your wine collection is to assign a particular quality to each row or column, for example by grape or region. Once you’ve taken that step, divide each of those rows again by vintage or winery. This way, you’ve instantly made it much easier to find a specific bottle of wine without needing to disturb too many bottles from your collection.

Tags and Labels

Tags or labels may involve more work, but it can be a very effective way to locate a specific bottle. Blank tags or labels can be purchased or you can design them yourself, and attach them to the neck of each bottle. Information typically included on wine bottle tags includes the grape, region, vintage and any other information you may find helpful.

Technology

For some collectors, using a log book, spreadsheet or a wine cellar app is most effective. There are many wine cellar apps available to help you keep track of your collection and where each bottle is located within your cellar. Some apps also allow you to track other information such as the ideal time to consume each bottle. The app organization option appeals to many of today’s oenophiles who like to use their phones as a central database for as many facets of their lives as possible—for everything from controlling their home alarm systems and heating to their daily schedules and reminders.

Alphabetical Order

Although it may sound overly simple, alphabetizing your wine collection could also work effectively, as long as you keep your categories for alphabetization consistent throughout. Once again, wines can be organized according to grape, winery or region, or any other characteristic that makes sense to you.

Combination of Systems

There’s nothing preventing you from combining several of the suggestions we’ve outlined in order to find a system that works best for you. For example, you may decide to have rows organized according to region alphabetically and still keep track of them all in an app as well. Generally speaking, the more specific the categorization of your bottles, the less hassle you are likely to have with locating the bottle you want on any given day.

The goal is to find a system that makes sense for you and your lifestyle. Otherwise, you are likely to become frustrated and overwhelmed by your collection as it continues to grow and expand over time.

The professionals at Papro Wine Cellars and Consulting work with wine management professionals who are capable of assisting you with developing a system for organizing and cataloguing your wine collection as well as making recommendations for helping you to determine your individual tastes and preferences. For more information about the services we offer, please call 1.866.651.9229 or email [email protected]