Zij was once the queen of the red light district, and a regular wine customer. Suddenly I had to report and was given a tour of her 'house'. What immediately stood out were the many bathrooms. The explanation was that she now wanted a 'real wine cellar', but not one where you have to go down a steep flight of stairs in your high heels and dashing clothes to get a bottle of 'Dom Peridon'. The proper pronunciation of this elite champagne had passed her by. "Just pick the most suitable room and build the cellar," was the order. I chose a bathroom without any contact with the outside world. After all, no sun means less cooling.

'Sweet tooth'

Once the necessary square metres of insulation material had been installed, the custom-made wooden wine racks with dovetail joints could be put in place. BLR-Bimon provided the necessary cellar cooling and after a month, a beautiful, cooled walk-in cellar on the third floor had been created. Then, of course, the wine cellar still had to be filled.

Wine auctioneer Christie's in Amsterdam

Already madam's favourites were purchased in large numbers: the aforementioned Dom Pérignon, but also copious amounts of liquid gold because she loved luscious sweetness. Because I was regularly allowed to hold up my hand for her at wine auctioneers Christie's in Amsterdam and London, the auctioneer quickly nicknamed me 'the young gentleman from Holland with the sweet tooth'. And that was true, because crate after crate of the noblest sweetness changed hands and ended up on the shelves in madam's cellar.

Missed opportunity

Sometimes, however, things don't go well. For instance, I advised a very wealthy family from the Far East who came to live in The Hague. At my intake interview, I inspected the cellar. Indeed fantastically laid out with natural stone niches for the bottles and a cooling unit that made the North Pole pale into insignificance. But this wine cellar too was empty.
I unleashed all my wine-buying talent on it and within a day came up with a complete procurement plan for the next five years. All the trimmings.

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Daily wine, Sunday wine, layaway wine from all the classic regions and port for the next generation. Unfortunately, it was to no avail, as two weeks later I visited the family again and was horrified to see that the wine cellar was filled to the ceiling.

'My buddy Jort Kelder describes this kind of drinking behaviour as 'liver-threatening''

With no exceptions the wrong years, the wrong wines and in quantities that will require you to walk on a pink cloud all day for the next decade to finish it. My buddy Jort Kelder describes this kind of drinking behaviour as 'liver-threatening'.
So a missed opportunity, but at least there was a colleague who got rid of all shop daughters in one fell swoop.

Balanced

But now seriously: so how do you build a balanced wine cellar?
First of all, there must be a space, cool, dark and vibration-free. This can be above- or below-ground, but in either case cooling is the way to go. BLR-Bimon is my regular partner, they cool a room for reasonable amounts, ensuring a stable climate of at or around 14 degrees Celsius in summer and winter. Keep in mind that the better the insulation (including ceiling insulation!), the better the end result. That's the easy part.

'The modular Vinicase system is made from pulverised soil from the Comblanchien quarry in Burgundy. It doesn't get much nicer than this'

Which racks?

Then immediately the first dilemma: will it be custom-made wooden shelves or simple steel shelves? Or beautiful stone niches to make your mouth water (see photo)? These are from the modular Vinicase system and are made from pulverised soil from the Comblanchien quarry in Burgundy. It doesn't get much prettier than this. The considerable mass of matter surrounding the bottles also seems to have a temperature-regulating effect, similar to the large pebbles in the vineyards of the southern Rhone. These retain heat during the day and radiate it at night to give the grapes warm feet.

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Remarkably and advantageously, the Vinicase system fits two rows of bottles back to back, creating unprecedented storage capacity. Ideal for small wine cellars. Thanks to the removable shelves, the niches can be adapted to the current composition of the user's wine collection. For example, by inserting a shelf, you can give a remnant of a particular vintage its own compartment. When this remainder is drunk, you remove the shelf again, leaving another large compartment available for newly purchased wines.

Then comes the hard part, because the thousands are burning in your pocket and the cellar has to be full. But in limitation the master shows himself. A good wine cellar holds between two and five thousand bottles. If they all come to drink at the same time, the result is not a liver-threatening situation, but a tsunami. You just can't finish that wine in time and slowly your precious wine wilts, piece by piece. A mortal sin.

A thousand wrongly bought bottles means three years of drinking against the grain.
Much wiser is to draw up a purchasing plan in advance that is really tailored to your own wine tastes. If you love pinot noir, do not put away fifty crates of top-notch Bordeaux. If you hate sweetness, do not buy a stack of cases of luscious sauternes or bold vintage port.

Consider before you...

So a nice, balanced wine cellar starts with a good conversation with the regular supplier. I say 'regular' emphatically, because switching to a new wine supplier every week will not help the end result. After all, you don't change your hairdresser, dentist, GP or insurance adviser every week either. So the wine specialist involved must (start to) understand your personal preference.

'To be considered: how many bottles will you empty on a yearly basis and how often do you hold dinners at home, garden parties et cetera'

Garden parties

Consider how many bottles you will empty on a yearly basis and how often you hold dinner parties at home, garden parties et cetera. If you have neighbours visiting you once a year on New Year's Eve, that's a different drinking pattern than if you have seven student children living away from home with their families over every weekend. Once these parameters are mapped, the fun work can begin.

Of all things

As outlined earlier, it is important to buy what you love. Let's keep it easy and point to Bordeaux wines. This famous wine region has all sorts of 'layers'. You have the entry-level wines, which can be quite charming and sometimes have excellent ageing potential. For little money (10 to 15 euros), you still have something beautiful in the cellar and it gets a little better every year. Then there is a very large 'middle layer', wines of 15 to 20 euros per bottle. These can include gems that - depending on the year - can age for six to 10 years.

After that, we are already in the sub-top, the Crus Bourgeois. This classification was subject to another review in 2020. Sometimes these wines offer exceptional price performance. This also includes a superlative, Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels, with wines that also perform at 'Grand Cru level', but for considerably less money. And then the name is called: the Grands Cru's.

Bordeaux

This is the uppercrust of Bordeaux which, unfortunately, is increasingly in the hands of big investors: banks, supermarket owners, insurers, car makers, road builders, mobile phone network owners and the similarly stone-rich. Since the 'financials' took over the Grand Cru helm, the price trend has been huge and the small enthusiast has lost out. No dough, no grand bordeaux, so to speak. It is striking that the reputation of these 61 Grand Cru's of the Médoc determine the entire price picture of Bordeaux. Because the Grand Cru wines are sometimes overpriced, the rest seem to be too. Nothing could be further from the truth, however.

Many more beauties

Apart from classic Bordeaux, what else can grace a private cellar? Beautiful, white wines that improve with some years of rest. Think of white bourgognes up to 'villages' level, but also Loire wines from the chenin blanc grape (Vouvray and Savennières among others) and the stylish (German) riesling.
An example. I recently opened a Clos du Papillon 2006 by Florent Baumard. WHAT a super wine and to think it was already 15 years old. Yet other wines do not last that long and should be bought 'short'. Let's just say that they can stay in the cellar for a maximum of 18 to 24 months. A good adviser knows his way unerringly through this forest of years and styles.

Age clock

With reds, you may also look closely at the age clock as it ticks on. Filling the wine cellar well with wines that will last 10 to 30 years is perfect. But also look for wines that are much more mature after just two years. Simple red Burgundy, Beaujolais, light red Loire and wines from the Rhône and Languedoc. To this you then add wines that can mature for three to five years, such as fine tempranillo-based wines from Spain. But certainly also wines from Australia, America and South Africa. And of course elegant wines from Italy like top-level Valpolicella and Chianti, fine Barbera from Piedmont, powerhouses from the far south of the boot, Taurasi, Primitivo di Manduria.

This is then followed by wines that last five to 10 years. The aforementioned mid-range Bordeaux wines, red bourgognes up to 'villages' level. Fine wines from the Northern or Southern Rhone. Mid- to high-quality Spanish, ditto Italians and tough wines from Portugal. From France, also consider lesser-known appellations such as Madiran or Cahors, where you can find excellent 'oplegwines' at very reasonable prices. Top wines from Chile, Argentina, Australia, South Africa also fit into this list.

The top 'en primeur'

Well, and then it's time for the bigger stuff. These are often not the wines that are bought in shiploads. It is also for this reason that many top wines and megatop wines are packed in cases of six or even three bottles. In this category, budget dictates the options. With six bottles of Lafite or Mouton, it is soon a case of raiding the local bank, because that stuff costs real money. But if you buy smartly during the 'primeur' weeks in spring, you can buy great wines from the highest echelon at attainable prices. The best-known 'primeur' campaign is that of Bordeaux.

Usually in April, the professionals get to come and taste on site. For this writer, that's a week of working like mad to briefly visit all the top châteaux myself, 15 to 20 appointments a day, pace thus. The resulting tasting notes then become available to my clients, and as soon as the chateau releases the price, they can tender for the wine in question. When building a balanced wine cellar, you do well to buy some five years in a row.

Châteauneuf du Pape

Not gobble up the budget in one fell swoop, but spread it out. As for red Burgundy, some wines at Premier Cru level, and if the purse allows, perhaps an occasional Grand Cru. From the Rhone, I would not directly recommend Châteauneuf du Pape but much rather Côte Rôtie or Hermitage. Just as expensive but much more impressive.

'Big, concentrated Malbec from Argentina for when Queen Màxima comes to dinner with hubby should not be missed.' © RVD - Martijn Beekman

Màxima

From Italy come great wines like Barolo, Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino, and from Spain there are giants from Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Rioja. From Australia blockbusters from timbered grape varieties like shiraz or cabernet-sauvignon. The same can be said of great wines from South Africa, and look at the hypertop from the pinotage grape. Big, concentrated Malbec from Argentina for when Queen Màxima comes for dinner with hubby should not be missing from the wine cellar.

Don't buy three hundred bottles of the same variety, but three-six-twelve bottles of lots of varieties. This will create a varied and interesting bunch that will make you happy and proud as a cellar master. Also try to keep track of what you think of the wines once they open. This can be done in a simple lined notebook or digitally, depending on your wishes and technical ability.

Sweet

Admittedly, 'sweet' is out, but nevertheless some sweetness cannot be missed. Gorgeous, concentrated and sumptuously sweet wines from South Africa, for example. But of course also the classic sauternes from Bordeaux. And if the fair allows, the hypertop from Germany, Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. Again, the advice is not to take a whole splash of the same wine, but rather buy broadly, different regions, grape varieties et cetera. Bit of this, bit of that.

The overlay sweet wine 'par excellence' is, of course, vintage port. This is the absolute best in the Douro Valley and is usually only produced in the better, best years. Great vintage port only comes into its own very slightly after about ten years in bottle. But actually you have to be patient for 20 years. It is an old British tradition to put away a case of vintage port from your child(ren)'s birth year. Great port easily lasts 35 to 65 years and is therefore seen as the wine for the next generation.

Building a wine cellar can be the realisation of a dream for the true enthusiast. Maintaining a good cellar is a fantastically fun hobby that benefits family and friends, And the same can be said for the children who inherit the cellar.

Useful addresses:

- Vinicase,wine storage systems, cellar cooling et cetera: www.exaro.nl

- BLR-Bimon, wine cellar cooling: www.blr-bimon.nl