What to Know About Older Champagne
This story, in one form or another, has been told countless times over the last 18 years, and the memory of it makes it seem as if it...
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Melissa L. Smith
5 min read
Valuing Wine Collections
The infinite complexity that goes into assigning valuations and appraising wine collections. DURING THE PANDEMIC I developed in-house...
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Melissa L. Smith
9 min read
Dream Cellars: Heidi Barrett
Collector: Heidi Barrett Location: Calistoga Number of Cellars: 1 Date: December 2020 Okay, wow. Heidi Barrett. There has never been a...
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Melissa L. Smith
6 min read
Heitz: A timeless winery on the eve of its 60th year
Having just evacuated the property of the livestock and personnel the week before because of the encroaching fires, we were among the first
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Melissa L. Smith
8 min read
Dream Cellars: Eric LeVine of Cellar Tracker
Collector: Eric LeVine Date: July 2020 Location: Seattle Number of Bottles: 9942 have been entered into inventory since 2003; currently...
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Melissa L. Smith
10 min read
Dream Cellars: Steve and Betsy Moulds of Oak Knoll
...when the earthquake hit, the racks peeled off of the wall, destroying 2000 of their 3000 bottle collection.
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Melissa L. Smith
3 min read
The Man Behind the Most Awe Inspiring Wine Cellars in the Country
His wine cellars are like museums. Incredible details, utilizing the finest materials, and preserving and presenting bottles of wine as...
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Melissa L. Smith
3 min read
Is your Wine Collection Insured?
“Insurance is designed to protect against random, unpredictable events. Inventory management and understanding insurance are key to...
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Melissa L. Smith
2 min read
"The Marie Kondo of Wine Cellars"
One of my favorite concepts of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is the idea that if it does not bring you joy, remove it
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Melissa L. Smith
2 min read
Are you a Wine Hoarder?
“The average wine collector buys 20 bottles for every 1 consumed.” Wine clubs backing up, bottles placed errantly in empty slots, wines...
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Melissa L. Smith
1 min read
A Total Loss
A burst pipe resulted in a wine collection that was a complete loss. The subterranean space where the wine was being kept was completely...
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Melissa L. Smith
9 min read
Dream Cellars: Joel Weiss of Napa
Joel Weiss built a three story tall wine cellar in the Oak Knoll district of Napa Valley...
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Melissa L. Smith
4 min read
New Year, New Cellar Goals! 🍷
Drink better wine, travel to new wine regions, hone your knowledge, and organize the wine cellar!
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