Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far since it’s purely about enjoying food and company. Food and company also happen to be the two best friends of wine. I love Thanksgiving so much that this year I’m going to three dinners and last year I went to four. Usually, I’m the only wine enthusiast at these dinners with any sort of formal wine education, so the other guests often defer to me when it comes to wine.

My answer to my friends, family and to you is that you don’t need to have a wine education or consult a wine expert to figure out what to bring to a Thanksgiving dinner: the best wine is the one you bring to share.

Wine should not be the focus of a dinner with family and friends. The fact of the matter is, not everyone loves wine, and not everyone is going to rave about the fact that the 1980 Shafer Zinfandel is drinking way better than it has any right to. Some people will just want to have ginger ale or beer or milk. So don’t stress about it and bring a wine you’re happy to share.

Here are some wines that Marie Keep and I will be sharing this year:

1996 Huet Vouvray “Le Mont” Moelleux Premiere Trie

Just like your dinner, this wine is quite the mouthful! The beauty here is that the wine can slip in anywhere on the menu: as an aperitif, with the salad, paired with the turkey, or even as the dessert. While technically a dessert wine, the acidity is so perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the botrytized Vouvray that it’s almost refreshing to drink. It’s a real crowd pleaser and a single bottle will go a long way. – Michael

2009 Friedrich Becker Spätburgunder “B”

This terrific example of a German Pinot Noir tends to be a bit leaner than Burgundian examples without sacrificing earthiness. Far from being a juice bomb, this is another wine that could fit into the menu just about anywhere. And who doesn’t like an excuse to say “Spätburgunder”? – Michael

Pierre Peters Brut Cuvee Reserve NV

For sipping during dinner prep, this beautiful Champagne is worthy of kicking off a day of great eating and drinking.  The components are vividly clear – crisp light fruits and gentle rich creaminess cut through with brilliant layers of minerality.  It will wake up the palate, keep the kitchen staff happy, and the socializers primed for the first course. – Marie

Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot 1996

This selection pairs beautifully with caramelized vegetables – yams, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables — as well as with cranberries made savory with gravy.  The tannins will provide a fine backbone for all the flavors on the plate to come together while allowing the wine to hold its own. – Marie

Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle 1997

This wine will tower over the table, but will provide a step back from the laden dishes as it will take on-point concentration to sip. Once the palate has readjusted a bit, the eating can recommence – it will be something of an early drinking date for this particular bottle of wine, but provides a compatible counterpoint to the over-the-top nature of the traditional Thanksgiving feast. – Marie

What will you be pouring this Thanksgiving?

Tasting notes can be fun

The other night, a client asked me how I approach tasting a wine. We were about to sit down to a dinner at Troquet and Chris Campbell, the wine director for the restaurant, had laid out what looked like a chess set worth of glasses for each diner. I’ve learned that the best way to keep track of wines at a dinner like this is to take semi-formal tasting notes.

There are several popular resources for tasting notes and each taster has his or her own way of doing things. Of course, the two most famous palates on the planet are Robert Parker and Michael Broadbent. Parker is famous, among many other things, for colorful notes and assigning a numeric score on a 100-point scale for the wines he tastes. Broadbent on the other hand, rumored to have a library of tasting notes estimated to contain nearly 100,000 unique notes, relies on a 5-star system to rate both wines and, more generally, vintages. Of course, there are variations on these themes throughout the wine industry, such as Wine Spectator’s scientific approach to tasting or Allen Meadows (aka the Burghound) and his wonderful prose. When people ask me who the best wine critic is, I tell them that critics are much like wine, you have to rely on your experiences with them before finding your favorite, someone whose tastes align with yours and whom you feel you can trust.

Until very recently, I eschewed the tasting note, preferring to rely on memory alone to be my guide. How naive I was. Much like childhood memories, soon tasting experiences began to melt into one another. For example, I know that both the 1990 and 1982 Latour were among the finest examples of Claret I’ve ever tasted, but what specifically sets them apart from one another (besides eight years and several hundred dollars)? I remember a stark contrast between the 1989 and 1990 La Chapelle, but which was redolent with fruit and spice and which was the earthy, smoked eye-opener? This is not to say that my memory is completely shot; I can trust myself enough to know that 1982 Pichon Lalande remains the single finest wine I have ever tasted, full of the darkest cherry notes and laced with cedar and whisps of menthol leading into a finish that went on for an eternity. But what happens if I’m lucky enough to try it again? How can I track its progress, and how can I track my own progress as a taster? The answer is obvious and it requires a small Moleskine notebook, a pen and the tiniest bit of discipline.

My most formal training in the art of tasting comes from the WSET, which champions their Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT). A great intro to tasting, I personally find it a bit rigid, though very thorough as an analysis of a wine. Over time, my personal approach to the tasting process has evolved to the following:

1. When presented with a wine, I typically check the color against a clean, preferably white surface to get a sense of its development.
2. I swirl the wine to aerate, check the nose and repeat.
3. Take a sip, aerate in my mouth, enjoy.
4. Then I revisit steps 1-3 and take notes.

I prefer having a sense of the wine as a whole before taking physical notes. Generally, I am far less interested in identifying specific, esoteric flavors (I’ve never had ortolan, nor will I, so how or why should I be able to identify that in a wine?). More important to me is the harmony of the wine – does the fruit balance with the tannin and acid? Are there off-putting flavors? Where is the wine in its development? These are the elements I’m most interested in. At a dinner like this one, I’ll take five pages of notes or more.

Evidence of a successful tasting.

Here are some recent examples, including some from the dinner in question:

2005 Vogue Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru: Nose is a perfect balance of earth and cherry; light on the palate, tons of sharp tannin. It’s a baby, would love to revisit this in 5-7 years.

1998 Pichon Lalande: Smoky, leathery, strong primary fruit, sweet spice and cigar box. Silk in the mouth, tannins already integrated. Amazing!

1970 Calon Segur: Classic Bordeaux features; lightly dances across the palate. Surprising, and simply outstanding. It’s right in my wheelhouse for mature Claret.

1988 Gaja Barbaresco: imagine smoked Burgundy; mature red fruit, beautifully mature, light on the palate with a touch of heat. Just dead on.

2002 Maya : Too young to drink now; great nose, dark and brooding, too tannic to fully appreciate the wine now, but there’s a beast in hiding. Talk to me in 2025.

The challenge that I’ve found with taking notes lies mostly in actually putting pen to paper and learning how to do it without completely checking out from dinner conversation. Ultimately, though, I feel it only makes me a more attentive taster. My approach to the tasting note, still a work in progress, is an amalgamation of all of my experiences. Do you approach a glass of wine with pen and paper, or do you rely on memory? Share your process in the comments.

Marie Keep and Michael Moser of the Skinner Fine Wines department hosting the BEPC’s Women’s Initiative Committee Fall Networking Reception at the Skinner Boston Gallery

Samuel Adams Utopias 2007, To be auctioned online October 31 – November 8 (Lot 540: Estimate $175-$275)

When a two-bottle lot of 2007 Samuel Adams Utopias goes up for auction on November 8, 2012, Skinner will become the first brick-and-mortar auction house in the US to offer beer at auction. With craft beer on the rise and aging beer a verifiable trend, we are confident that this category will certainly grow.

I have been following the rise of the craft beer world closely for the past five years ever since purchasing, for six dollars, a twelve ounce bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout. At the time, I thought I was either a sucker or that the bottle would have to be pretty darn good at fifty cents an ounce. It turned out the latter was the truth and the former was yet to be determined. On further inspection, I noticed that the bottle was vintage dated and the small print revealed that the brewer believed the beer would develop in the bottle for up to five years. So I bought a few more and tucked them away in my cellar with my Zind Humbrecht and Tignanello, hoping to forget them for a few years.

That was 2007. Last year I revisited that bottle in a vertical tasting of Bourbon County Brand Stout spanning 2006 through 2010. At separate tastings, I have sampled beers from 1972, 1977, 1989, several from the 1990s and several more from the 21^st century. What I have learned is that certain styles of beer certainly do benefit from age while many others should be enjoyed fresh, not unlike wine where the vast majority of wine produced annually should be consumed within the first few years after bottling.

Of course there are major differences between beer and wine. Where the quality of wine is linked to the trinity of vintage, terroir and the skill of the winemaker, beer is almost exclusively linked to the skill of the brewer. Rather than a great vintage of a particular beer, there are great batches, as the brewer is not limited to a single crop of grains in a given year. And batches are small. Where Domaine de la Romanee Conti will produce about 500 cases of Romanee Conti each year, some of the most sought-after beers will release just a few hundred bottles, ever. Hill Farmstead’s Ann, for example, is regarded as one of the finest examples of saison ever made and only 160 bottles were released.

A close up of Samuel Adams on the side of the bottle

The beer we’re offering at auction represents a pioneer in the craft beer world, much as Samuel Adams the patriot was a pioneer in his time. With just 12,000 bottles released bi-annually, production is roughly equivalent to that of the absurdly rare Chateau Le Pin, which releases 500-600 cases each year. With an alcohol content of approximately 24% by volume for its inaugural release in 2002, Utopias was the highest alcohol beer produced. Notably, this was achieved exclusively through fermentation using a blend of Champagne yeast and a proprietary yeast strain – without the use of freeze-distilling. The ale is extracted from a mash of four malts and brewed with noble hops, then aged in a variety of previously-used bourbon, rum, muscatel, sherry, brandy and Cognac casks before being blended into the final product. Each batch released has distinct characteristics as the casks develop. The 2007 batch, offered here, is the highest-alcohol batch to date, weighing in at 27%, an ale to be sipped, considered, discussed and shared rather than tipped back without thought.

With this lot, Skinner is proud to confirm that fine ales, lagers and lambics are welcome to be auctioned alongside fine wines and spirits. We look forward to offering more lots in 2013 and beyond. Contact us at finewines@skinnerinc.com or 508-970-3133 for more information or to discuss your collection of fine ales, lagers and lambics.

Leflaive Batard Montrachet 2002 and Ramonet Batard Montrachet 2005

When Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood muse on “Summer Wine” they sing of “Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring.” It sounds to me like they were enjoying some fine red Burgundy!

When it comes to collecting red Burgundy the outstanding vintages of 1999, 2002 and 2005 are what you’ll find resting in collectors’ cellars, and there they shall sit for many more years, joined soon by the 2009s. But Burgundy is known to be fickle; the Pinot Noir variety is notoriously prone to rot and has difficulty achieving optimum ripeness. As such, you’ll hear an awful lot about “drinking vintages” in the Cote d’Or filling the gaps between “classic” vintages. 2004 and 2007 are some such vintages, drinking beautifully in their youth as the 02s and 05s mature.

Of course, summer is also the season to indulge in white wines. Rias Biaxas in Spain has, of late, been churning out fantastically complex, elegant and downright delightful whites, full of citrus zest and sprinkled with peachy sweetness. I can think of no better wine for summer. White Burgundy and California Chardonnay are also wonderful, albeit a richer option.

After catching the Chablis tasting at Lower Falls Wine Co. the other night, featuring a portfolio of Dauvissat wines, oysters and shellfish are at the top of the summer menu — the 2009 La Forest, with its brine and limestone with a light kick at the end, drops you right in the ocean. Really, where else would you rather be?

While the finest Burgundies can cost you much more than “silver spurs, a dollar and a dime,” that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the pleasures of summer wine – there are plenty of options at wine auctions priced for drinking.

This post was co-authored by Michael Moser, Fine Wines Specialist, and Marie Keep, Director of Fine Wines.

I thought I’d spend a few minutes this Wine Wednesday picking out a few lots I’m particularly excited about in the online wine auction. There are almost 600 lots to choose from, and if you have a favorite that’s not listed here, let us know in the comments.

La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d’Or 1985

Lot 574: La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d’Or 1985

Lot 574 – View Online Auction Listing

My favorite lot in the entire sale, live or online, is this one, 6 bottles of 1985 Clos de la Bousse d’Or. The consignor was kind enough to provide us with a bottle of this wine to demonstrate the quality of his storage. Simply put, the bottle was right in the sweet spot for Burgundy; smoke and earth, nuanced fruit, fully mature yet the acidity suggests some years ahead. And that was from a bottle with a four centimeter ullage, so imagine what is in store for the winner of this lot.

Estimate: $450-750

Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina 2005

Lot 706 – View Online Auction Listing

This 100-pointer is a combination of old and new styles in the Southern Rhone: a blend of 60% Grenache aged in the traditional 4500-liter foudre barrels and 40% Mouvedre aged in the more modern style barriques. This is one of two new cuvees produced since winemaker Philippe Gambie took the reins in 2003. Yields for this cuvee are a jaw-droppingly low 20 hectoliters/hectare. This is a wine with staying power to last the better part of a century, but so deftly crafted that it can be enjoyed immediately.

Estimate: $900-1,300

Chateau Pavie 2004

Lot 523 – View Online Auction Listing

My favorite right-bank Chateau in a difficult year for the region, the 2004 is everything you’d expect from modern-style Bordeaux: densely concentrated, approachable in its youth and full of potential for decades worth of development in bottle. You have the sense that by 2004 proprietor Gerard Perse had hit his stride with the estate that he took over in 1998. It seems that the mysteries of the varied soils on the vineyard’s south-facing slopes have been tamed at the hands of their master and no matter what challenges the vintage may provide, you can be confident that an outstanding wine will beproduced.

Estimate: $200-300

Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee

Lots 922-930 – View Online Auction Listing

Representing every vintage from the debut 1995 through 2004, these lots offer a vertical of a standout Napa Valley wine that was sold almost exclusively to members of its mailing list. Raised by the eponymous winemaking legend John Daniel, who crafted the historic Inglenooks of the 1940s, Robin Lail was a partner with Christian Moueix at Dominus before starting her own operation with winemaker Philippe Melka. The J. Daniel Cuvee is the premier wine produced by the estate, a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet and Merlot from properties in Yountville, Vine Hill Road and Howell Mountain until 2001, when it became a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee.

Estimates range from $150 to $350

Jerome Bressy Rasteau, Gourt de Martens 2000, to be sold in the May 3, 2012 Fine Wines Auction (Lot 161, Est. $300-500)

The internet has changed commerce on all levels. From eBay to Amazon to etsy, the online marketplace is becoming the shopping mall of the 21st century. Little surprise, then, that fine wines have made the transition to online venues.

Many brick-and-mortar auction houses use internet sales models as an additional channel for their businesses. Skinner was an innovator and one of the first, offering internet sales as an adjunct to live sales starting in the late 1990s. Our upcoming May Fine Wines auction in Boston features 379 lots on Thursday, May 3, and stays true to this tradition. But, in a new twist of the internet theme, Skinner is happy to announce that over 500 additional lots will be available in an online, timed auction, starting at midnight on May 4th for ten days.

For several years, collectors have been able to offer wines on consignment online through websites like WineBid.com and WineCommune.com. These companies are exclusively built around an online business model for wine auctions, and offer wine for sale in fixed-length auctions. Wines in these auctions run the gamut from $10 bottles to investment-grade Bordeaux. With thousands of lots on offer at any given time, there is certainly something for everyone… if you can find it. Without the benefit of a physical catalogue, you have to know what you’re looking for or spend hours browsing the online inventory.

Dominus Napanook 1997, Napa, 12 bottles, featured in the May 4-13, 2012 Fine Wines - Online auction (Lot 879, Est. $150-250)

The Skinner approach makes the most of the benefits of both the live, saleroom auction and the online-only approach. With the May 3rd live auction event, there will be all the hallmark drama of a competitive auction: a lavishly illustrated catalogue, and a unique event to attend and enjoy. Starting at midnight on the May 4th, the online sale will begin and you can continue to participate while enjoying the convenience and privacy of bidding from home with a carefully curated wine catalogue by your side.

Unlike those online-only wine auctions, Skinner provides a beautifully illustrated, print catalogue detailing all lots offered in both auctions, allowing you the opportunity to research wines prior to the auction’s actual start. A digital version of the same catalogue is available to view online.

How did we determine which wines to place in which sale? We carefully examined, analyzed, and catalogued each consignment to determine the best sales venue for each wine. We considered auction history, bidder tendencies, current market valuations, trends, and other factors when determining which wines would achieve the best results online or on the block.

I have sold and bought wine in both types of auctions, and understand the merits of each. I doubt the market will ever settle on just one type of auction; as with most things in life and especially with wine, balance is the key. One thing is certain: when your lot is up, whether you’re at home in front of a computer or in the salesroom with a paddle in hand, your heart will be racing.

If you’re interested in learning more about buying or consigning fine wines at auction, contact us at 508-970-3296, or finewines@skinnerinc.com.

Great works of art, historical items, and finely crafted objects leave a lasting impression on those who encounter them. At Skinner Auction House, we are thankful for the privilege and responsibility of caring for these objects.

Here are our picks, and the reasons why we feel these items are important and worthy of recognition.

Folk Art Portrait

This stunning picture of Abigail Rose broke the record for the sale of a folk art portrait at auction – Karen Keane, CEO

Extra accoutrement in portraits is always alluring. Abigail Rose sat in a Queen Anne chair holding a rose, next to a table with four books and a Battersea patchbox. The compelling complementary colors of green and red and the asymmetrical composition create an at once vibrant and peaceful scene. The painting, from 1786, is well-preserved, in original condition, and broke the record for the sale of a folk art portrait at auction.

Art Deco Bracelet

The fire-breathing dragon is such an unusual and delightful motif – Victoria Bratberg, Director of Fine Jewelry

Skinner sold so many beautiful things this year, but my favorite had to be this figural bracelet.  I loved the fire-breathing dragons—made of diamonds and calibre-cut rubies—and the fact that it was a piece of American art deco jewelry. Most of the fine art deco jewelry we see is made in France, but this was an exception and a fantastic example. The bracelet descended in a prominent New York family, and was originally retailed by Thomas Kirkpatrick, & Co., New York.

1961 Petrus Wine

It was a thrill watching this major vintage sell so well - Don Kelly, CFO

Even though 1961 is a major vintage, it’s still amazing that one bottle of wine can sell so strongly. I’ve gotten more interested in wine over the past 6 or 7 years, and I now have a small collection of 30 or so bottles. I’m starting to be able to tell the difference between a good bottle and a great bottle, and I wish I could try a glass of this 1961 Petrus.

As quoted in the auction catalogue, “The 1961 Petrus was pure perfection,” and, “The wine is crammed with viscous, thick, over-ripe black-cherry, mocha-tinged fruit flavors. Extremely full-bodied, with huge amounts of glycerin and alcohol, this unctuously-textured, thick wine makes for an awesome mouthful. Imagine a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup laced with layers of coffee and cherry, and encased in a shell of Valrhona chocolate!” (R. Parker, 100 pts. 02/96)

Favorite Auction Highlights of 2011, Part II

Watch for the next post about a rock crystal bowl, remarkable dwarf clock, rare turning lathe, and antique diamond necklace.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, Auctioned for over $55,000 in spring 2011

The holidays: they can be filled with the love, light, and laughter of families and friends; or fraught with navigating the sometimes precarious shoals of time spent with those families and friends. For me, it’s always a little bit of both.

As a fine wine appraiser with Skinner and general all-around wine enthusiast, I’m always pondering the question I know many of you debate with renewed vigor at this time of year: “Which wines should we pour?” This question is usually chased at the heels by the inevitable “how do I gauge the audience and not miss the mark?” When you’re passionate about wine, it’s easy to forget that not everyone out there appreciates it to the same extent.

After all, wine is a personal experience that doesn’t necessarily translate to circumscribed events or particular group dynamics. When the wine you pour isn’t understood or enjoyed by the friends or family you’re entertaining, the best thing to do is to go Zen and chalk it up to experience.

You may find yourself nodding in agreement as you think back to the time that one of your guests mixed the kids’ fruit punch with a prized red to make their own sangria. Or perhaps you filled a good friend’s glass with a great vintage first growth Bordeaux, and in return he asked, not missing a beat, “do you have any beer?”

What I’ve learned is that in the midst of the social swirl of holidays and special occasions, you can’t manufacture a wine epiphany, no matter how badly you want to. You may wish to boldly declaim the deepened aromas and tastes of a vintage Champagne, when all your guests want is to enjoy something with bubbles that zing out of the glass. My advice is let them! The best hosts and hostesses learn to take a cue from their guests: they lighten up and let others experience great wine on their own terms.

If you still feel the need to educate your audience, remember that these people are your guests, not your students, so skip the speech and rethink your strategy. I recently spoke with someone who liked brown bagging his selections at the holiday table in a blind tasting so everyone could discuss. What he found was that when his guests approached the wine without preconceived expectations, their lack of label knowledge heightened their critical capacity and generally landed them upon the finer wines, which then dovetailed nicely into a deeper discussion.

I am truly fortunate in that most of my friends, relatives and in-laws have a fine appreciation for wine and I feel lucky to be in their company. In the midst of the holiday season, I find I like to look back over the year to some of the simpler yet still enchanting wines I’ve really enjoyed. Then, I lay in a stock and try not to worry about the ice cubes being dropped in that prized glass of Montrachet. Of course, I still plan to open a treasured bottle or two, but in smaller gatherings, when the pressure is off, the circle is intimate, and the passion for wine equals mine.

You’ve heard my wine confessions – now commit yours to posterity by leaving a comment, or send it to me at finewines@skinnerinc.com and please, let us know if we have your nod to post it.

At Auction November 8, 2011 in Boston: Lot 622: Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Richebourg 1988, 9 bottles, Est. $6,000-8,000

There are few moments in the hectic tide of everyday life when a hush falls, you focus fully on one thing, and the world seems to stop. Drinking a mature wine as it is blooming in the glass can be one of those unexpected moments of transcendence. Granted, it is, after all, just a sip of a beverage, but the unexpected nature of the experience makes it that much more delightful.

In a mature wine, even the bottle presentation is different. Instead of a pristine bottle sporting a clear label, it may be a crusty, bin-soiled wreck of a bottle, with a stained, glue-striped deteriorating label, distinctly revealing layers of time spent in the depths of a cellar.

Before drinking, you will want to stand the bottle upright for at least a day to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom and keep it out of your glass, at least until the last glorious glass when it begins to creep into the pour.

The removal of the cork from a bottle of mature wine may require forethought and applied strategy. You may run through your collection of corkscrews as you try to pull out the older cork, saturated with wine from its long horizontal rest. The older corks are longer and skinnier and so even more difficult to deliver in one clean pull. Sometimes a mess is unavoidable.

Once the wine is in your glass, you will experience the surge of the familiar, but even then, it is all different.

For a red wine, the deep red/burgundy/violet colors of the wine have shifted a spot or two to the left on the color spectrum, becoming tinged with rust and deeper browning, particularly on the edges. The sediment has been filtering slowly as the tannins bind and drop out, leaving a more translucent, lighter-appearing wine.

Older wines may require some patience and a delay of judgment. Be prepared to spend some time with each glass. Capturing the essence of these wines in descriptions and adjectives is an exercise almost better left undone, and could obscure the sensation and immediacy of drinking it – an experience almost on the molecular level. However blunt and imperfect, tasting notes do provide that necessary recall.

With young wines, notes on the wines may declare a wine’s character as brash or volatile. Some younger wines grab you by the shirt collar for attention, and some you can’t seem to keep up with. With mature wines, such as the Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva 1971, or the Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia White 1966, each featured in the November 8, 2011 Wine Auction in Boston, there are layers of aroma issuing from the glass. The Monfortino is textured autumnal layers, one softly falling away to reveal another. My tasting notes include phrases such as: “strikingly fine quality; humectant, woodsmoke, truffles, with a fullness of experience in the bottle.” The Lopez de Heredia has a “startling gravitas and depth, with a graceful tension between its ethereal delicacy and evolving maturity.”

When I open a mature wine, I often decant some of the bottle to track parallel evolutions. Handling older wines may take a little more time, and it may seem as if you’re pulling up another chair for it at the table, as it becomes a focal point at moments, then recedes, then returns with another quality. This, to me, is remarkable.

Even if you pour a wine that is past its prime, there is still enjoyment to be had; it may not be the glory of all it was, but there is a semblance of it. It’s impossible to open every bottle at the perfect moment in the arc of its maturity. But I think it’s the surprise of not knowing exactly what to expect from a mature bottle of wine that keeps us so attuned to what’s in our glass, and keeps us pulling out those soaked, crumbly corks in the first place.

1. Know Yourself

November 8, 2011 Fine Wines Auction, Lots 314 and 315: Domaine des Comtes Lafon 2002, 2005, and 2006

Knowledge is the key to success in the auction world, and it all starts with knowing yourself.

What wines interest you and what are your reasons for buying? Are you interested in collecting varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world; or is it wines from a specific region or maker that intrigue you?  Maybe you are buying wines to complement a festive holiday meal or to celebrate a special occasion. Perhaps you’re a beginning collector, and you’d like to start with one great inspiring bottle; or you could be a seasoned veteran looking to fill out your cellar.

Whatever the case, identifying what you want will help focus your collecting strategy and put you in a good position to make better choices come auction day.

2. Set Your Budget

The savviest auction buyers determine their budgets in advance. This simple discipline will enable you to hone in on the wines that you really desire and prevent you from getting caught up in an auction frenzy (albeit fun to do at least once) and the attendant risk of paying more than you’d planned for one or two lots. Along with your budget, determine the general number of bottles you wish to take home, eliminating the feast or famine result. With this one-two approach, you will be able to harness your buying power and be satisfied with the hammer results.

3. Cultivate a Desire for Learning

Sophisticated wine buyers are the ultimate educated auction consumers and with good reason: knowing about the history, geography, culture, sociology, and the vinification of wine gives context to what you pour into your glass and makes drinking the wine ever more gratifying. There is no need to become a wine scholar, but cultivating a desire for learning will spark a passion which will carry you through a lifetime of collecting. A few good reference books will speed you on your way.  One of my favorites wine resources is The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. Another, which I admire for sheer gorgeousness and voluminous content, is Andre Domine’s Wine.

 4. Find a Space for your Wine

Great wine is dependent upon proper storage – why risk everything that has occurred in the life of the wine by subjecting it to iffy storage?  Before you buy, make sure you have adequate wine storage so your investment is protected. If you don’t have your own climate controlled space or an ideal natural cellar, an off-the-shelf wine cooler is a good alternative. For larger purchases, seek out a licensed, climate-controlled wine storage facility that provides easily accessible storage.

5. Enjoy the Auction Catalogue

For wine lovers, browsing a great wine auction catalogue can be nirvana, so be prepared to spend some time narrowing down the choices. There are the solid “must-haves,” the “very-likely’s,” and the little-known wines that intrigue and pique your interest. Once you have this potential bid list in hand, do some research on the wines with which you are less familiar. Ask friends, consult known critics, read print and online reviews.  Again, here’s where a small but utilitarian set of reference books, such as those mentioned above, will be indispensable.

6. Ask Questions

Whenever possible, attend any pre-auction tastings or events.  And, on auction day plan to attend and watch the bidding for a while on the auction floor if your schedule allows (if not, participating online is a suitable alternate).  But seeing this live marketplace in action is the best way to get a sense of how it all works and thus how you may step into it. I also recommend speaking to the wine specialist or department head prior to the auction. Let these auction experts be your guide through the process.  They’re there to answer questions you might have – either on the wines you’ve selected or on auction mechanics.

As a devotee of both auctions and fine wines, I invite you to join in this exhilarating experience at the Fine Wines auction on November 8, 2011. There’s always room for one more paddle on the auction floor. Make it yours.

Lot 138: Chateau Rauzan Segla 2000, 11 bottles, Est. $750-1,100

Lot 147: Gaja Sori San Lorenzo 1995, 1 doule magnum, Est. $300-500

Lot 239: Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon