Dreaming of being a wine collector with a killer cellar but don’t know how to turn your fantasy into reality? I understand. The whole prospect of assembling the wines can be a shopping hassle requiring time-consuming research and way too many picky decisions. But you’re in luck.
In June, Sotheby’s began offering an answer to this dilemma in New York and Hong Kong with its “instant cellars.”
Between answering emails, you can simply click on your iPhone or computer, and within 24 hours, one of four wine collections curated by Sotheby’s experts arrives at your home. Cost? $5,000 to $25,000. Bottom line: This is the easiest, fastest way to satisfy your collector craving, spend a big bonus, celebrate making partner, or give a lavish present.
The idea is part of the international auction house’s goal to be a full-service, integrated wine business, explains Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby’s worldwide head of wine.
First came its brightly lit retail store and online wine business in Manhattan, opened in 2010 in a space right off the auction house’s lobby. Four years later, Sotheby’s added one in Hong Kong. “The obvious next step was the collection management and advisory service we launched in June,” says Ritchie. “We put in the time, and the clients do the enjoyable part.”
In tandem with those services, the retail shop unveiled instant cellars. “We realized there was a need,” says Julia Gilbert, vice president and senior wine adviser.
She cites the customer who’d asked the shop to put together a starter cellar for a college graduation present. Another client, who was moving to the West Coast for a six-month project, wanted a basic cellar of bottles shipped to his temporary apartment so he could entertain easily while there.
Of course, before you click make your purchase, you need to figure out where you’re going to store your instant stash and how to keep track of the 50 to 168 bottles. They need a cool, humid environment, ideally at 55F with 75 percent humidity. (Fingerprint security and chilled elevators, optional.) Sotheby’s is already on the case, working on a storage facility partnership, and since buying an instant cellar includes a consultation with a member of the advisory team, you can ask about the best temperature-controlled units. They’re also developing an inventory management system that buyers of cellars can use.
Breaking It Down
So how do these instant cellars stack up? Are they worth it?
Mostly yes. People usually start collecting by squirreling away a random bottle or case at a time and end up with a hodgepodge.