Cellar Secrets

Collecting fine spirits means not only do you get to drink the best, but also, perhaps, make money on it.

- Jasodhara BanerJee & Angad Singh Thakur

Collecting fine spirits, like collecting all things fine, often begins with love. “Even for those who collect for the financial aspect, it starts with a love affair,” says Emma Hammonds, regional director-Asia of Constellation Brands, a New York-based beer, wine and spirits company that has 40 wineries and other facilities. “When you find a wine that you love and you buy more than two bottles, you can become an accidental collector.”

She adds, “You buy enough to be able to put some away. And as wine is, you can always find another beautiful wine bottle, and buy some and put some away. I don’t think anybody becomes a collector intentionally. You just wake up one day and find yourself surrounded by bottles of wine.”

David Elswood, international head of the wine department at auction house Christie’s, agrees: “Collectors tend to amass the wines that fascinate them most, the wines they most like to drink.”

This, however, may not be the case for every collector. As Robert Joseph, former (consumer) wine writer and co-founder of winemaker Hugh, Kevin & Robert, says, the first question you should be asking yourself is: Are you collecting to make a profit, or are you collecting out of passion? Or are you doing both? “Personally, I think a combination of both is a good solution,” he adds.