Wine Buying Freeze... I mean it!!!

[Blanquito]

OK BWE, I need some group support here. I have a problem (step 1).

As shipping weather has almost arrived, I decided to check my outstanding ready-to-be-shipped wine (AKA wine I've bought since June 1) and it comes to 25 cases!!! This doesn't count any pre-arrivals/futures I bought over that same period.

I am aghast. I really had no idea it was so much wine. My cellar is already over-full, so squeezing these bottles in will be nearly impossible.

I need your collective help. I want to go on a 100%, no-exceptions wine buying freeze.

How I do this? How long should I do this for? What is my penance?

Part 2 is, if I can induce any of you to visit me in Colorado, I will be having a serious cellar-thinning wine party in the near future...

[stefan]

Patrick, most years I have more than 25 cases shipped to me in December, but this year I will have only a few. So you CAN break the habit.

Or you can get more storage. That is easier than breaking the habit.

[Nicklasss]

Blanquito,

another solution is to exchange those 25 cases for 3 bottles of 2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. you should be able to find some space for these in your cellar...

Seriously, a freeze is never a good idea. I tried it many time, but can hold it more than 3 weeks... and yes, sometime I'm considering consulting a psychologist to help me, but i always think that he/she could use the 100 $ that I will pay for an hour, to buy wine... so better me to buy it than him/her.

Nic

[jal]

Yeah Patrick, you're asking the right people...

[stefan]

Nic, I am sure that a $100 bottle of wine does more for your mental health than an hour with a psychologist would do.

Lucie was thinking about us installing a putting green in our back yard until I translated the cost into bottles of La Lagune and Haut-Brion.

[Blanquito]

You are correct, of course, Jacques, except that if any wine buying addict has figured out how to cool things off, I'd be likely to find him (or his creditors) here. Plus, a public declaration helps me help myself (so I hope).

Hence, I do publicly declare, I will buy no wine for the month of October (partially because my shipping costs are going to be so high!).

[aimeedogdogdog]

Patrick,

Taking up another hobby might help. Like us (or Nick) raising a kid... which definitely would put you out of the map. Ok, so I realize this hobby is way too extreme. How about trying some green tea for a starter? Or somthing else which you have been wishing to do since a kid.

Good luck!
Werner

[Houndsong]

I have room. Also, Kathy and I have been meaning to vist FC. Hear there's some good antiqueing. We can help with a few btls while there.

[JonoB]

I would certainly advise perhaps getting into high quality teas as well. Much less space consuming, and there are many similarities with wines in terms of flavour profiles and structure... And it keeps your palate fresh without knackering it with alcohol.

Thus you can vary your purchasing as some of the best teas are not cheap.

[stefan]

Our most important purchases in Beijing last spring were teas. The problem, however, is that tea degenerates quickly no matter how you store it, so tea buying does not provide a substitute for wine buying.

[JonoB]

Surely that makes it a good substitute, drink it regularly and replace it regularly, and if you keep thr leaves dry and in a dark, cool place, they can last for a lot longer than one thinks. And tea also ages, think Pu-er?? And if you get first flush instead of 2,3,4th flush Darjeeling it will age as well, yada yada yada...

[Blanquito]

Thanks for the tea suggestion. My main wine buddy in Fort Collins is a huge tea lover, so he will be a great resource.

Art, please come visit the Fort! You and Kathy are welcome anytime, and I can use your visit to open some wines I've been saving for special occasions (alas, no Cheval Blanc, though). I've got a guest bedroom too should you choose to stay the night.

Day 2 without wine buying and counting...

Best,
Patrick

[Claret]

I am supposed to be on a buying freeze myself, but it is just not happening. It is a buying chill at best. I have probably spent more this year on wine than ever before, due to heavy purchases from the 3 wineries that I buy direct from and stocking up on occasional closeout bargains. I even passed the other day on some $4 and $7 wines that were heavily reduced. Oh, and my storage locker is totally maxed out to boot. With cooler weather coming I can store short term in a spare bedroom in my house that stays cool in the winter. Wait a minute, this is supposed to be a freeze, so stop rationalizing!

Another factor that I cannot ignore is my blood work results with an elevated result for one of my liver functions. Those damn cholesterol meds and alcohol are not a good combo. I am reducing my alcohol consuption by 20% and I will retest and hopefully get into the safe range. Drink less and buy less, that is my new mantra.

On the way home from our camping trip at Sequoia National Park last week we came back thru Amador County and hit about 10 wineries. While quality is a bit variable there, we still managed to buy a few bottles that were above average in quality included a limited release Sangiovese from Vino Noceto that reminded me of a good Brunello.

Glenn

[mike reff]

buying freeze...HA, we all need to make room for 2007 bordeaux

[DavidG]

Sitting here in SFO waiting for my plane home following a Cornea Society strategic planning meeting in...


...Napa.

So much for my self-restraint.

[Comte Flaneur]

The only thing that will stop you Patrick is impecuniosity, or drinking-related health problems. My wine buying has been out of control for about a year, especially the first six month period. I just cannot pass up a bargain and I have a very keen sense of vfm...so when Jono offers out 99 Giacosas at 300 sterling a half case I can't resist...then there are the 'must have' wines...unfortunately I missed the recent 95 tasting but when I read Jacques's and others' write ups I convinced myself I really must have some - a case of - 95 Ducru - a wine I have a feeling will be one of the best ever - the thing is that I already have three bottles. But I am generally happy with the wines I have accumulated and doubt I will regret it, especially with the Fed trying to debase paper money. (On an aside and at the risk of thread drift, I have 90% of my net worth in hard assets now including vino)

[jal]

I'll take the question seriously Patrick, here are some strategies:

1) Cancel all your subscriptions! To erobertparker, to the Wine Spectator, Burghound, Jancis, etc... Cancel them now.
2) Only buy to replace. Don't buy a bottle unless you drank one earlier. Don't buy a case unless you had a big party, etc...
3) Buy twice a year during the February and August clearance sales. And then only with a strict budget.
4) Don't get fooled by the TNs of anyone, including those on BWE. There are no such things as a Must Buy, Can't Miss, Best Ever, Wine of the Vintage, Vintage of the Century. There will always be a better wine! Once you avoid one Bargain of the Century, you'll learn to avoid them all.
5) Don't be fooled by the diversification claims. You really don't have to have more Italians/Australians/Loires/Malbecs/Roses/Syrahs in your cellar.

Jacques (who is much better at giving advice than following it)

[Houndsong]

Your buying decisions should be dictated by two factors: breadth and depth. You need a cross-section of wines by producer, region and vintage. Then you need depth in the specific wines a) you like and b) others like. And funds. Three factors! Breadth, depth, funds, and hedging. Four factors!

[jal]

It's like a Spanish Inquisition!

[Jay Winton]

This thread made me count the number of cases I have coming soon, fortunately not at Patrick's number but not too far away as I pull the trigger on another 6 bottles.

[JCNorthway]

The sure-fire solution to an effective freeze is to not have a job. Trust me, it's working very well.

[stefan]

Certain serious health problems also work, Jon, not that I recommend that.

It is better to live with your obsession, Patrick, than to try the cures that Jon and I mention.

[JonoB]

If you can't give up... pay someone else to store it... or build an underground layer in the garden...

Don't have a garden, so I pay someone else to store my wine, or leave it at friends houses.
Ian, may have noticed that Joe Fisher and St. Js Jeroboams have large enough cellars to cope!!!!

[DavidG]

Wow, 25 cases. Well, you are young and still in cellar-building mode. (Am I helping yet?) Job loss isn't any more attractive than serious illness - too many negatives. You could get married, have kids, and send them to private school. That would re-order your budget priorities, but it will take years.

You could try to recruit some fellow BWE "freezers." JScott did that years ago on the orginal BWE board. Got about 6 or 8 of us to pledge to a freeze from Memorial Day to Labor day. None of us made it.

If you are serious about a freeze and need help now, take Jacques' advice. Very practical.

[Blanquito]

These posts remind me of certain (cherished) passages from Catch-22. Is it better to die on your feet, then live on your knees? or live on your feet then die on your knees?

I remember threads from the old BWE about buying freezes-- I innocently wondered what that would be like, having too much wine?!?!? Those threads prompted this one, and I got just what I needed: humor and some useful suggestions.

My girlfriend likes many of the suggestions here about "re-ordering" my financial priorities (now that's some Orwellian language for a shotgun and a make-shift altar!), but she thinks we're putting the cart before the horse (not a comment on her looks)... Yes, a shared domestic budget would be a powerful tonic, then followed shortly by kids... Oh crap, this line of reasoning isn't helping my resolve-- clearly I need to buy while I still can!!!

Seriously though, thanks guys.

I am on Day 6 of my freeze and all's well (the shakes have faded some)...

[Michael-P]

Patrick:

I tried asking BWE the same question a few months back, in a slightly different way ("how much wine is enough?"). I was feeling probably like you, since I think I've bought more wine than ever in the past 12 months, adding storage lockers along the way, etc.

But of course, I had asked exactly the wrong people, since BWE is as addicted as you and I, and everyone quickly convinced me I needed even more wine!

Michael-P

[Houndsong]

Well, the 2008s will be arriving this spring, inclduging many outlier Parker points. That should be the true test.

Probably you should point to QEII and world-wide zero interest rates the next time the soon to be Mrs. Blanquito mentions a new financial order. Did I hear someone say even the Chinese were going to devalue? You have go to be kidding me.

Buy more wine now. Go big. I see "Esat Coast Gentlemen" etc. are already offering their 05s for auction.

I remember checking a year or two ago for the first mention on BWE of when firsts would go en primeur for $1,000/btl. It only took five years for the prediction to come true. So, anyone want to guess when the first case of a first goes for $100,000 en primeur? It shouldn't be too long according to some.

[DavidG]

Patrick, once married, the wine budget will have to be doubled to account for the compensatory leather goods purchases. Just as you can never have too many bottles in the cellar, she can never have too many pairs of shoes or bags in the closet. Particularly egregious buying sprees may need to be countered with a vacation or jewelry. Building a new and larger cellar typically needs to be balanced by a remodeling job - new furniture, wall and window coverings, a new kitchen, or perhaps finishing the basement or updating the closets to handle all the Gucci and Prada. That will have to suffice until you are paying tuition for the kids. Then your problems will be solved.

Hound, I am looking forward to ever upward price spirals for top flight Bordeaux. I am starting to think as a net seller rather than a net purchaser. It will never end, right? Just like the tulip and Florida housing markets.

[Blanquito]

My wine buying freeze ended today (sigh)... If only Werner's generous care package of tea en route had arrived before the "private client" pricing email from JJBuckley (apparently unsubscribing from the general JJBuckley mailing list doesn't eliminate the "private client" emails), my resolve might not have (jj)buckled.

To wit, three bottles of the 2004 Chapoutier Chante Alouette Blanc for $25/each... great price for a really excellent wine AND it filled out a case of wine on hold there... the double-whammy got me...

[stefan]

Five days is a long time for a wine buying freeze, Patrick. Congratulations for lasting so long.

[DavidG]

OK, now this reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where they bet on how long they could go without...

Of course they didn't want Elaine to be in on the bet because it's so much easier for women to abstain. Anyone remember who was out first?

[Ramon_NYC]

OK, now this reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where they bet on how long they could go without...

Of course they didn't want Elaine to be in on the bet because it's so much easier for women to abstain. Anyone remember who was out first?

i believe it was Kramer who caved in and was first one that was not a Mater of His Domain.

[Nicklasss]

So Patrick, your wine buying freeze was respected for what 6-7 days? You really deserve a special BWE award as you just proved you're a real BWEer. Congratulations!

Nic

[DavidG]

OK, now this reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where they bet on how long they could go without...

Of course they didn't want Elaine to be in on the bet because it's so much easier for women to abstain. Anyone remember who was out first?

i believe it was Kramer who caved in and was first one that was not a Mater of His Domain.

We have a winner!

[Michael-P]

When you reach a point where you need to buy a second house just to store your wine, is that the time to go on a buying freeze?

Michael-P

[DavidG]

Could be, Michael-P, but seems to me that some just rent off-site storage to fit those bottles that aren't yet in the ready-to-drink queue.