My father in law used to say: “always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Sometimes you will have a special occasion and will be glad to have a bottle ready to open. Other times, you will stumble upon your bottle in the fridge and that becomes a special occasion.”
Great video as always! One of the first "mistakes" I made in building up my wine collection is buying a lot of serious, age-needing wine. Mostly out of FOMO and knowing prices would be rising in the future. I'm happy to have stored a decent amount of worthy wine, but that left me a bit crippled regarding money and space. Now I sometimes have trouble drinking wine, especially in the hot season, because I don't have a vast amount of ready wine that can go well with multitude of food. My advice to all the people wanting to build a cellar is this: you've already missed out a lot from the wine world in the past decades, you're going to miss out some more but will also hop on the "hot wine" in the future. Accept this, start low, explore a lot and build from there.
For me it's the same. It made sense to get age-needing wine ASAP because I didn't wan't to be super old when enjoying these wines. But like you said my cellar was full pretty quickly. Luckily I was able to expand my cellar space so now I try to diversify more
On the other hand, I bought lots of age worthy wine and now I can enjoy great, aged, 30-40 year old wines that I could never afford to buy now. For example 1983 JL Chavez Hermitage rouge bought for $12, now would be $600+. And I have mature wine to enjoy. 1982 Leoville las Cases was $25, now $500+. Drinking well now with more to go.
@@robertfrank5203 Chave, surely, not Chavez. But well done. I too have bought wines since the mid-90s that i could now never afford. That included Chave 1983 Hermitage at £69 in the mid 90s.
@@BobrinskyDamn autocorrect, of course, as you likely realize. In 1983 vintage I tasted 3 different importers bottlings. At that time importers selected specific barrels from Chave. I paid $13/bottle for 83 Chave Hermitage in about 85-86.
It’s amazing that we can get quality information like this video at no cost. I loved dido, ended up sharing half a case with my friends and I certainly look forever trying more wines that you recommended here. Bravo!
I think for sweet wines I would recommend trying Sauterenes or some of it's neigbours like Barsac. They can be aged for a long time and have an insanely complex and multi layered flavour
Sauternes are fine, but there are far better sweet wines for less money from Burgenland in Austria, from producers like Kracher - though admittedly their prices have gone up of late..
Enjoyed this video very much. My wife and I were given a 1976 Niepoort Colheita for our 25th wedding anniversary. We opened it 20+ years later and shared with friends. It was divine.
Hi Konstantin. I've been following you for a while and I must say you're quite the inspiration to me. I've been in the wine industry for almost a decade now and people like you remind me to stay humble and keep on studying. Thanks for your work and your attitude.
I love your channel but as a westfalian expat in Chile I feel slightly left aside. I was no wine drinker when I came here but started to work as a tour guide and wine promoter for the Maule Valley in 2006, I read a lot, got some great classes from a sommelier, talked to many wine makers of the region and tasted many wines I really love. As a wine country with a history of table wine production there is not much wine coming from outside but for the last 20 years there have been a lot of variety and quality added to the market. I would be happy to see you talk about Carignan and Carmenere and perhaps put my knowledge in a new perspective so it might be easier to follow you on this great adventure of taste and culture.
@@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine As Seb says, there is fine stuff coming out of Chile, both red (they even have original French pre-phylloxera Carignan vines which produce amazing wine) and white but Argentina is also interesting, to research their Malbecs is a good thing. Also ageworthy are many Australian (where I live) reds, Barossa Shiraz, Rutherglen Durif and the like. You must come for a trip Konstantin. Of course my favourite secrets in Germany are Kaiserstuhl (please don't tell anyone) and the southern Pfalz region.
Agree with all your points! Lovely selections- Au Bon Climat chardonnay was very nice. Their tasting room/library is a must visit when stopping by Santa Barbara. Jim was an amazing wine maker!
A compilation of the classic collection, you cannot go wrong at all with these suggestions everyone will be pleased but i definitely am partial to snatching up weird vintage champagne that pop up sometimes regardless of condition just to see how they held up, although some look like they've been to hell and back that's part of the fun and mystery, collecting wine is just an enjoyable thing to do. Thankyou for another great video Konstantin
Another great video Konstantin Baum, it covered all of the classics and was fund to watch. I particularly enjoyed the Karl Schaefer Pinot Blanc Sekt Brut introduction, as German Winzersekt doesn't get much attention. As a possible follow up video, you could introduce 15 up and coming or recently re-discovered wines/wine regions. Such as Tokaj Furmint (sweet & dry) and Hungarian Kekfrankos/Blaufrankish, Austrian Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankish, Greek wines, cool climate wines from North & South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. As all of these countries are starting to move away from over extracted, alcoholic and oaky fruit bombs. And are producing more elegant, balanced wines with more acidity and freshness.
Great videos… just an idea it would be really interesting to see a video on you looking at a menu from a high end Michelin restaurant’s wine menu and walking through how you might consider selecting a wine given their current menu offerings 😀
If you know all about fine wine, ordering in a restaurant is difficult, because you know what all the wines should cost. In London, where there are a multitude of fabulous restaurants, it is standard practice to multiply the retail price of the wine by at least 3, so an £80 bottle of wine will cost at least £240. I love eating out in London and I love good wine, but I would always order from the cheapest end of the wine list or use places where you can bring your own wine for corkage.
That Maillart Platine is terrific! So dry and crisp and clean. My wife and I first had it on the beach in Nice, FR on vacation, drinking out of some paper cups, and is one of our fondest travel memories.
Love this! If i could make a suggestion it would be to make this the kick-off for a series with a follow-up per wine-type with recommended alternatives in different price categories! Anf you could go deeper into how long to age, etc. Would be so valuable. As a Swede i usually also cannot expect to find all the wines but with a few alternatives chances are higher. Many thanks for all the videos, much appriciated!
@@mikewhite9179 not all wineshops ship to Sweden, e.g. Konstantine’s own. But yes, in principle you’re right but then you end up trying to find enough interesting wines to motivate the shipping cost. Rarely makes sense to buy 1-3 bottles just to ”try out something”, and perhaps not willing to buy a full case without ny reference points. But not duty free, you need to pay Swedish tax when online shopping and importing (because you ”recieve the goods in Swden”, so does not apply when traveling and buying abroad). But getting much better by the day! Lots more options coming every year.
Just discovered your channel and I'm watching all the videos I can. It's always nice to see people get excited and passionate when talking about wine. Having lived in Italy for the past 19 years I must be a little biased and say that I would add a Primitivo di Manduria to the list along with an Amarone. That being said, I wouldn't alter your list at all. Keep the videos coming!
Great content as always : Suggestion: essencial part 2 : Malbec , tannat , pinotage, touriga nacional , Sauternes, tokajy, and banyuls! Cheers ! And almost forgot : carmenere!
I can't think of narrowing this topic down to 15 bottles. Everytime something else comes to my mind which would fit the list. But I think you did a great job!
I looooove European wines but it was nice to see Santa Barbara get some love. My favorite region in the USA and maybe the world. Great choices on Piedrasassi and ABC. I opened an older ABC ‘peerless’ Nuits Blanched au Bouge Chardonnay a few months ago and it was SINGING!!! Love the Dido, Biondi Santi, and R Lopez de Heredia too (although I’m always torn if I like the white Tondonia more than the red or not).
This was a superior video - fun and useful! You’ve earned your many subscribers and ink. I’m in North America, so can’t get away without at least one Napa cab to keep the crowds pleased.
Love your channel! I think The wines from Argentina and Chile are missing - Don Melcor, Purple Angel, Catena Zepata and many more are definitely cellar worth.
It was great to watch it and I can perfectly understand the struggle which wine to choose! For me especially the choice of only one sweet wine would be the most difficult... but I would go with aszu Tokaj. I love how it can develop over the years and I really treat it as something for special occasions ;) and yeah, Port would be my second choice 😁
@@looming_if you buy wine to keep for a later date (especially for long term) then you need someplace to store it. It doesn’t need a lot of room, but needs to be away from direct sunlight, cool (experts say 55 degrees F is perfect) with limited temperature change and with steady humidity (65 to 70%). So a small rack holding a couple dozen bottles in a basement away from sunlight could be a “cellar”. Or a wine fridge is another way to have a “cellar”.
sorry to jump in on this one late. I really love your list. One curve ball I’d like to add: Orange Wine. It almost doesn’t matter which grape variety, and that’s sort of the point. It shows how wine making technique, rather than varietal or terroir, can have a monumental impact on wine.
Love your list. I have to say that Lynch Bages needs to be opened the day before consuming. It needs lots of air to reveal its layers of flavor. Even 25year old bottles benefit.
excellent selection, esp the champagne, bdm and the riesling. if it were me, i would have replaced the ABC chard with an affordable napa cab like the stonehedge napa 17 ($40) and the loire/tondonia with similarly priced chablis and a rhone. thanks for the great vid! 😆
Very good video with explanations on each of your selections. A note on Sangiovese, I love this as a single grape wine and have had some examples I can not describe properly in polite company. Need to go find more.
Amazing content. Im glad that my cellar meets the standards of your video. Im based in Germany and have a case of Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Sekt that should last 10+ years. Sparkling Riesling is so distinct and I hope that it gets more attention as in many cases it can be as age worth as still Rieslings. Proves that Riesling is really a noble grape (as Chardonnay is) however in most cases it doesn't need all the winemakers touch. Riesling is king!
thank you so much for a video that isn't sponsored when my brother was building his cocktail bar almost all the content on TH-cam was sponsored and had really weird bottles that you could only order online, when at the end we found out, that almost everything for great classic cocktails can be found at a bigger grocery store. thank you so much for the comprehensive list, will definitely share with friends who like to have stuff at the ready. I'm more of the emotionally driven person so I'd buy a bottle i wanna drink at a certain occasion, so this isn't for me, even though wine number 4 seems like a wine to have at home to be able to pop open a bottle for ever thirsty staying guests!
I agree so much with this. So many channels overly cash in with sponsors once they hit a certain size. They lose integrity. Some sponsoring/adds is og course fine, and I really hope Konstantin continues to keep a good balance so we can trust his opinions.
Great content Konstantin as always. It is almost impossible to limit to 15 but I would have added Tokaji to the essentials. It is just divine in my book: the best instances have an incredible amount of acidity and freshness perfectly balanced with sweetness; unreal and complex aromas. It is a must in any wine collection. Btw: Dry furmint is also delicious albeit simpler and can be much much cheaper than its sweet brethren.
Great video! Really classic wines! Here in South America my collection is a little regional... With Vale dos Vinhedos Espumante, Limari Sauvignon Blanc, Mendoza Chardonnay, Casablanca Pinot Noir, Valle de Uco Malbec and a Canelones Tannat! Also i always sneak a good Mosel riesling, 10 years Vouvray and good Saint Emilion Gran Cru in my collection!
Love champ with sushi! I mainly go for Blanc de Noir (100% Pinot Noir) or a mix, not fan of BdB. I could live all life with no Italian wines in the cellar - I will not say no to super Tuscans, BiondiSanti or Val/Ama from Quin/Dal but that's it for Italy for me. I'll stock up on lots red Bx, white dry Bx, a few Gevrey-C, a few Chablis/Puligny, some DE/Alsace Ries, some Champ, some Spanish (Corpinat & Temp quali reds). Could skip on US, Italy, if need be, but might include Rhone and Spain for good dailies. LOVE Zind-H btw! Had that Rangen back in 2004, excellent!
Quite a few of my favourite wine types here. Of course Sauvignon Blanc, but also in a small selection Gewurtstraminer should be there, for the aromatics. Tempranillo Rioja is indeed the grilled meat sidekick of first easy choice, but that saurat (hope I spelt correctly) with a rack of lamb could never fail to tempt the tastebuds.. Port with Stilton & rough Scottish oatcakes is the PERFECT way to finish up. Nice one Konstantin! 👍
I reached out my 100 bottles cellar in Frankfurt but always happy to get inspiration from you Konstantin - if you will ever be in Frankfurt I will be happy to share a glass or two
Lovely choices. No mourvèdre (brilliant from Bandol esp Tempier or you could have had it in a Châteauneuf du Pape esp Beaucastel). And you could have plugged chenin blanc harder - the Huët Vouvrays are varied, world beating and immortal, and wonderful affordable stuff from SA.
Love your channel. I feel like you could do a a great deep dive on grower champagnes... or on the micro climates of champagne (avize, les mesnil, ambonnay, etc,.)
Awesome, will have to check out these suggestions. I have the Dido on my list of to-buy from another one of your videos. I really like Stefano Amerighi Syrah from Cortona, Italy. You should check that one out if you haven’t already
Ein echt gutes Video! Danke sehr für alles was du machst. Von diesem Kanal habe viel gelernt. Nun will ich mehr Riesling kaufen. Ich liebe Riesling aber in den USA haben die Leute die meinung nach Riesling nur einen billigen süßen Wein. Ich versuche oft zum erklären dass Reisling wirklich kompliziert und ja interessant ist. Ich liebe auch Nebbiolo, Barbara, und Zinfandel. Nochmal, Tausenddank!
Great selection indeed! I miss some sherry wines, they can be a great alternative as meditation wines if you don't like sweet wines and also quite gastronomic!
I really liked your approach here - mainly different varieties; but also some specific terroir. What I might be missing from your list are GSM-blends. Sure, you got the Syrah and Grenache. But I’m more thinking of the southern French style that includes Provence, Southern Rhone and Languedoc/Roussillon. And even if you did mention floral wines such as Gewurztraminer - I would personally like to add Grüner Veltliner as a very good QPR option that does well with some age; but don’t need to wait too long. And last, but not least, I would add some quality rosé! I’m a huge sucker for Tibouren from Clos Cibonne - which I find to be a perfect example of how a quality rosé can develop with age. And as an underdog I also would like to mention Muscat that I do think is quite underrated the days. Maybe not as much for the ”classical” style - but rather for a lot of great orange wine (can’t get enough of that nose you get from that). All and all I think you did a great job - and it did feel nice to tick all 15 boxes ☺️ Once again‚ thanks for a great video! 🥂
Great selection! I missed a bit at least one Jerez wine, but I admit they are very different from other whites. And even among them, a manzanilla is pretty far from a Oloroso or palo cortado. They are a class of their own.
Excellent video! I don’t think you missed any super important categories (well, maybe Malbec or just a general “South American Red” category that might include Malbec, Carménère, and Tannat). Many of the comments talk about other less famous or less “serious” grapes. I think before these, it would be better to expand on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc, instead of lumping them all into one (albeit beautiful) bottle of Lynch Bages. Bordeaux produces such a huge volume of great wine, some Cab S dominated, some Merlot dominated, and of course Cab S and Merlot have so many great examples from around the world-Washington, California, Tuscany, South America, Australia, South Africa, and Languedoc (even my home state of Michigan does a decent job with Cab Franc and Merlot). Great examples of Cabernet and Merlot can be found at nearly every price point. I know experienced wine drinkers often get “bored” with Cab S and Merlot, probably because they are so ubiquitous. Yet I think those two varieties especially deserve more emphasis in this video which seems to be aimed at newer collectors.
Really nice suggestions! I love Zind Hubrecht Gewürz, somehow it's on another level than the rest. I also love Tondonia because it's still classical and elegant and never went into the parker bomb style. Dido, I will try again at a tasting in 3days looking forward. The rest of the suggestions I have to get soon and taste (well maybe not the very expensive ones ;-)). Again a very nice and diverse selection, thx!
@@account4402 That is what Zind Humbrecht said. He said that only great terroirs can dominate such an aromatic grape like Gewurztraminer and that it was not that easy to realize that his wine is actually a Gewurz
@@account4402 Yes, though we are talking about his Rangen de Than Gewurztraminer. He explains the terroir th-cam.com/video/lnDgGRfQsfM/w-d-xo.html here very clearly and says that the wine is mainly dominated by smoked notes (which you get very often in volcanic wines) and there is a bit of rose and jasmin which you have to sniff quite attentively to smell them. The video is in french though. Humbrecht is also a Master of Wine.
@@account4402 I must say I usually do not like Gewurz, I like it only when it is more restrained and doesn't have its smell jumping directly to my face 😂
Great video as always. I do think you missed Tokaji/Sauternes/Beerenauslese. I'd just make it a 16 wine list, and include one of the great white dessert wines.
Hello Konstantin, l haven’t seen in your videos anything about Greek varietals which deserve some attention l believe. What do you think about assyrtiko, xinomavro, agiorgitiko and malagouzia for example? I think some of those make some pretty big ones alone or in blends that could compete with big french wines for example.
When it comes to Chard I have become a big fan Oregon wines. I love great Burgs but just can't afford or find them here in NC. My favorites are Bethel, Evening Land, and Arterberry Maresh.
That's a strong collection starter!, though maybe a bit ambitious for some 😏.....but those categories are a great start. There are more affordable bottles in each category (ie:Bordeaux) that are very respectable. I brought that 2007 López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva to a Spanish varietal blind tasting. It was gorgeous and drinking nicely right now. It came in 2nd, only beat out by a 2015 Vall Llach Porrera de Vi de Vila Priorat. I paid more though, $55 earlier this year 🤷♂
Rewatching this excellent video. For someone with a smaller budget who still loves excellent wine, I would suggest to replace the Pinot noir burgundy with a high quality moulin a vent Beaujolais, very structured and age worthy, and really approaches Pinot noir when aged 10 yrs
Great selection. Looks like all but two are available in Norway (not necessarily the same vintages, mind). Won't say you "missed" any varieties, but I've personally been obsessed with Jura in recent years, and have had some amazing experiences with Savagnin, both as Vin Jaune but especially in the more conventional white wine style (ouille). Dom. des Marnes Blanches Savagning Aux Bois might be my very fave. A stunning white wine, IMO.
Really surprised to see a Gewurztraminer on your list. I've enjoyed this wine for several decades and rarely hear anyone discuss or rate it. Thanks for bringing it to the attention of your viewers!
I just pointed out on a video I just watched I've had some really good wines for free luckily me,, but my favourite is leiberfumich sorry forgot how to spell it 😁🍷
I am going to pick up one of those Gewürztraminer's. I see it available at one of the wine shops around here. I like to pair Gewürztraminer with spicy Chinese and Indian cuisine, the sweetness cuts the heat quite nicely. I paired Champagne with Nashville hot chicken the other night, and that worked surprisingly well. Other than the Chenin Blanc which I may have a bottle of I do have at least two of each of those wine varieties.
I would still go for Pouilly-Fumé with Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre is very good but Pouilly-Fumé just is the best. As for the sweets, one bottle of Beerenauslese (and its relatives) survives like forever and the taste is absolutely great. Just take glass and "meditate". And nothing beats foie gras and Sauternes (semillon).
I really like Chateau Canon, it's almost like a budget Opus. Probably my favorite white would be Louis Latour Montrachet, lots of toasty honey notes and a real wine experience. Got question though - why do you have them wrapped in cling wrap?
Thanks for another great video. Just one point. I think it's important to point out that not all Burgundies are light, elegant with round tannins. Pommard certainly packs a punch flavour wise as does Aloxe-Corton.
Really great video, as always Konstantin. Of course everyone here has her / his comments and views as to what you should have included, and by picking only 15 you will inevitably miss many. For what it's worth, I would have skipped Gewurtztraminer (very hard to match with food) and Riesling (the only wine that gives me headaches). I was surprised to see no Italian whites: how about Carricante (Sicily, grown at high altitude), Friulano (Northeast), or Fiano (Campania)?
Always glad to see a new vid from you. Konstantin, if you could add 3 more types of wine to add to this collection for more advanced/experienced wine lovers, what would you recommend?
In my experience S.B. is grassy only on every 7th bottle. Most often it is more tropical fruit or cassis driven. I think the grassy specimen come from NZ.
No Sauternes? I get that d' Yquem is often out of reach, but Climens and so many others? Well, I suppose you had to draw the line somewhere :) Love your channel!
Konstantin, this was a really good video. I have a bottle of Au Bon Climat chardonnay in my wine rack. It is really good, though I prefer Ramey (Rocholi or Richie vineyards), and I still haven't tasted a chardonnay that I like better than a Grand Cru Chablis. Even some Premiere Crus are great. Chablis offers the only great chardonnays in Burgundy that are even remotely affordable. Here's an idea: Pick one of these wine types and do a tasting of three or four bottles from different regions and producers.
Yes, Chablis wines have very good quality for its price. Specially the premier crus which can be found between 25 and 35 euros in Europe. They are anyways not what most people expect from a Chardonnay and one could argue that its taste profile is closer to Champagne than Burgundy. There are also interesting things in Cote Chalonaise (Rully/Montagny) and in the Maconnais, and their prices are not crazy like the wines from Cote de Beaune.
My father in law used to say: “always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Sometimes you will have a special occasion and will be glad to have a bottle ready to open. Other times, you will stumble upon your bottle in the fridge and that becomes a special occasion.”
I absolutely love this approach :)
Sounds like me
Great video as always! One of the first "mistakes" I made in building up my wine collection is buying a lot of serious, age-needing wine. Mostly out of FOMO and knowing prices would be rising in the future. I'm happy to have stored a decent amount of worthy wine, but that left me a bit crippled regarding money and space. Now I sometimes have trouble drinking wine, especially in the hot season, because I don't have a vast amount of ready wine that can go well with multitude of food.
My advice to all the people wanting to build a cellar is this: you've already missed out a lot from the wine world in the past decades, you're going to miss out some more but will also hop on the "hot wine" in the future. Accept this, start low, explore a lot and build from there.
Well said, I made the same mistake
For me it's the same. It made sense to get age-needing wine ASAP because I didn't wan't to be super old when enjoying these wines. But like you said my cellar was full pretty quickly.
Luckily I was able to expand my cellar space so now I try to diversify more
On the other hand, I bought lots of age worthy wine and now I can enjoy great, aged, 30-40 year old wines that I could never afford to buy now. For example 1983 JL Chavez Hermitage rouge bought for $12, now would be $600+. And I have mature wine to enjoy. 1982 Leoville las Cases was $25, now $500+. Drinking well now with more to go.
@@robertfrank5203 Chave, surely, not Chavez. But well done. I too have bought wines since the mid-90s that i could now never afford. That included Chave 1983 Hermitage at £69 in the mid 90s.
@@BobrinskyDamn autocorrect, of course, as you likely realize. In 1983 vintage I tasted 3 different importers bottlings. At that time importers selected specific barrels from Chave. I paid $13/bottle for 83 Chave Hermitage in about 85-86.
It’s amazing that we can get quality information like this video at no cost. I loved dido, ended up sharing half a case with my friends and I certainly look forever trying more wines that you recommended here. Bravo!
That is awesome!
Nice line up Konstantin! You had us right from the beginning with RM Champagne and Riesling!
I think for sweet wines I would recommend trying Sauterenes or some of it's neigbours like Barsac. They can be aged for a long time and have an insanely complex and multi layered flavour
Sauternes are fine, but there are far better sweet wines for less money from Burgenland in Austria, from producers like Kracher - though admittedly their prices have gone up of late..
Enjoyed this video very much. My wife and I were given a 1976 Niepoort Colheita for our 25th wedding anniversary. We opened it 20+ years later and shared with friends. It was divine.
Hi Konstantin. I've been following you for a while and I must say you're quite the inspiration to me. I've been in the wine industry for almost a decade now and people like you remind me to stay humble and keep on studying. Thanks for your work and your attitude.
I love your channel but as a westfalian expat in Chile I feel slightly left aside. I was no wine drinker when I came here but started to work as a tour guide and wine promoter for the Maule Valley in 2006, I read a lot, got some great classes from a sommelier, talked to many wine makers of the region and tasted many wines I really love. As a wine country with a history of table wine production there is not much wine coming from outside but for the last 20 years there have been a lot of variety and quality added to the market. I would be happy to see you talk about Carignan and Carmenere and perhaps put my knowledge in a new perspective so it might be easier to follow you on this great adventure of taste and culture.
Yes, it is a shame to not even be able to get into South America ..
@@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine As Seb says, there is fine stuff coming out of Chile, both red (they even have original French pre-phylloxera Carignan vines which produce amazing wine) and white but Argentina is also interesting, to research their Malbecs is a good thing. Also ageworthy are many Australian (where I live) reds, Barossa Shiraz, Rutherglen Durif and the like. You must come for a trip Konstantin. Of course my favourite secrets in Germany are Kaiserstuhl (please don't tell anyone) and the southern Pfalz region.
Agree with all your points! Lovely selections- Au Bon Climat chardonnay was very nice. Their tasting room/library is a must visit when stopping by Santa Barbara. Jim was an amazing wine maker!
A compilation of the classic collection, you cannot go wrong at all with these suggestions everyone will be pleased but i definitely am partial to snatching up weird vintage champagne that pop up sometimes regardless of condition just to see how they held up, although some look like they've been to hell and back that's part of the fun and mystery, collecting wine is just an enjoyable thing to do. Thankyou for another great video Konstantin
Another great video Konstantin Baum, it covered all of the classics and was fund to watch. I particularly enjoyed the Karl Schaefer Pinot Blanc Sekt Brut introduction, as German Winzersekt doesn't get much attention. As a possible follow up video, you could introduce 15 up and coming or recently re-discovered wines/wine regions. Such as Tokaj Furmint (sweet & dry) and Hungarian Kekfrankos/Blaufrankish, Austrian Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankish, Greek wines, cool climate wines from North & South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. As all of these countries are starting to move away from over extracted, alcoholic and oaky fruit bombs. And are producing more elegant, balanced wines with more acidity and freshness.
Great videos… just an idea it would be really interesting to see a video on you looking at a menu from a high end Michelin restaurant’s wine menu and walking through how you might consider selecting a wine given their current menu offerings 😀
If you know all about fine wine, ordering in a restaurant is difficult, because you know what all the wines should cost. In London, where there are a multitude of fabulous restaurants, it is standard practice to multiply the retail price of the wine by at least 3, so an £80 bottle of wine will cost at least £240. I love eating out in London and I love good wine, but I would always order from the cheapest end of the wine list or use places where you can bring your own wine for corkage.
Just got my wine fridge today so this is certainly amazing timing!
That Maillart Platine is terrific! So dry and crisp and clean. My wife and I first had it on the beach in Nice, FR on vacation, drinking out of some paper cups, and is one of our fondest travel memories.
Love this! If i could make a suggestion it would be to make this the kick-off for a series with a follow-up per wine-type with recommended alternatives in different price categories! Anf you could go deeper into how long to age, etc. Would be so valuable. As a Swede i usually also cannot expect to find all the wines but with a few alternatives chances are higher.
Many thanks for all the videos, much appriciated!
So isn't Sweden part of the EU? So you should be able to buy any wine online duty free?
@@mikewhite9179 not all wineshops ship to Sweden, e.g. Konstantine’s own.
But yes, in principle you’re right but then you end up trying to find enough interesting wines to motivate the shipping cost. Rarely makes sense to buy 1-3 bottles just to ”try out something”, and perhaps not willing to buy a full case without ny reference points. But not duty free, you need to pay Swedish tax when online shopping and importing (because you ”recieve the goods in Swden”, so does not apply when traveling and buying abroad).
But getting much better by the day! Lots more options coming every year.
Just discovered your channel and I'm watching all the videos I can. It's always nice to see people get excited and passionate when talking about wine. Having lived in Italy for the past 19 years I must be a little biased and say that I would add a Primitivo di Manduria to the list along with an Amarone. That being said, I wouldn't alter your list at all. Keep the videos coming!
Great content as always : Suggestion: essencial part 2 : Malbec , tannat , pinotage, touriga nacional , Sauternes, tokajy, and banyuls! Cheers ! And almost forgot : carmenere!
No portuguese reds or whites ... come on. A collection without PT wine ....
I can't think of narrowing this topic down to 15 bottles. Everytime something else comes to my mind which would fit the list. But I think you did a great job!
I looooove European wines but it was nice to see Santa Barbara get some love. My favorite region in the USA and maybe the world. Great choices on Piedrasassi and ABC. I opened an older ABC ‘peerless’ Nuits Blanched au Bouge Chardonnay a few months ago and it was SINGING!!! Love the Dido, Biondi Santi, and R Lopez de Heredia too (although I’m always torn if I like the white Tondonia more than the red or not).
This was a superior video - fun and useful! You’ve earned your many subscribers and ink. I’m in North America, so can’t get away without at least one Napa cab to keep the crowds pleased.
Love your channel! I think The wines from Argentina and Chile are missing - Don Melcor, Purple Angel, Catena Zepata and many more are definitely cellar worth.
It was great to watch it and I can perfectly understand the struggle which wine to choose! For me especially the choice of only one sweet wine would be the most difficult... but I would go with aszu Tokaj. I love how it can develop over the years and I really treat it as something for special occasions ;) and yeah, Port would be my second choice 😁
Cheers! Skål! Great video 🍷
Missing in the collection: Malbec and some rosé 🥳
Awesome idea. If I may suggest, how about a video on “10 wines off the beaten path” we should have in our cellar? Thank you!
How much you make to have a wine cellar?
@@looming_if you buy wine to keep for a later date (especially for long term) then you need someplace to store it. It doesn’t need a lot of room, but needs to be away from direct sunlight, cool (experts say 55 degrees F is perfect) with limited temperature change and with steady humidity (65 to 70%). So a small rack holding a couple dozen bottles in a basement away from sunlight could be a “cellar”. Or a wine fridge is another way to have a “cellar”.
I make ~$35k US per year and have a large variety of wine collected. No cellar as yet, but they're kept out of the light in a cool place in my house.
Sangiovese/Brunello is one of my favourite grapes/wine it combines the beautiful landscape, the sun and the local lifestyle ❤
sorry to jump in on this one late.
I really love your list.
One curve ball I’d like to add:
Orange Wine.
It almost doesn’t matter which grape variety, and that’s sort of the point. It shows how wine making technique, rather than varietal or terroir, can have a monumental impact on wine.
Love your list. I have to say that Lynch Bages needs to be opened the day before consuming. It needs lots of air to reveal its layers of flavor. Even 25year old bottles benefit.
excellent selection, esp the champagne, bdm and the riesling. if it were me, i would have replaced the ABC chard with an affordable napa cab like the stonehedge napa 17 ($40) and the loire/tondonia with similarly priced chablis and a rhone. thanks for the great vid! 😆
Very good video with explanations on each of your selections. A note on Sangiovese, I love this as a single grape wine and have had some examples I can not describe properly in polite company. Need to go find more.
Amazing content. Im glad that my cellar meets the standards of your video. Im based in Germany and have a case of Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Sekt that should last 10+ years. Sparkling Riesling is so distinct and I hope that it gets more attention as in many cases it can be as age worth as still Rieslings. Proves that Riesling is really a noble grape (as Chardonnay is) however in most cases it doesn't need all the winemakers touch. Riesling is king!
as a resident of the central coast (California) thanks for the shout outs. both great producers
thank you so much for a video that isn't sponsored
when my brother was building his cocktail bar almost all the content on TH-cam was sponsored and had really weird bottles that you could only order online, when at the end we found out, that almost everything for great classic cocktails can be found at a bigger grocery store.
thank you so much for the comprehensive list, will definitely share with friends who like to have stuff at the ready.
I'm more of the emotionally driven person so I'd buy a bottle i wanna drink at a certain occasion, so this isn't for me, even though wine number 4 seems like a wine to have at home to be able to pop open a bottle for ever thirsty staying guests!
I agree so much with this. So many channels overly cash in with sponsors once they hit a certain size. They lose integrity. Some sponsoring/adds is og course fine, and I really hope Konstantin continues to keep a good balance so we can trust his opinions.
Great content Konstantin as always. It is almost impossible to limit to 15 but I would have added Tokaji to the essentials. It is just divine in my book: the best instances have an incredible amount of acidity and freshness perfectly balanced with sweetness; unreal and complex aromas. It is a must in any wine collection. Btw: Dry furmint is also delicious albeit simpler and can be much much cheaper than its sweet brethren.
I agree but in the states from what Ive seen only one out of four wine shops have a bottle on the shelf.
Amen
Great video! Really classic wines! Here in South America my collection is a little regional... With Vale dos Vinhedos Espumante, Limari Sauvignon Blanc, Mendoza Chardonnay, Casablanca Pinot Noir, Valle de Uco Malbec and a Canelones Tannat! Also i always sneak a good Mosel riesling, 10 years Vouvray and good Saint Emilion Gran Cru in my collection!
Well thought out and put together. I have just polished off a Tondonia white 1981 which was as excellent as I knew it would be!
Love champ with sushi! I mainly go for Blanc de Noir (100% Pinot Noir) or a mix, not fan of BdB.
I could live all life with no Italian wines in the cellar - I will not say no to super Tuscans, BiondiSanti or Val/Ama from Quin/Dal but that's it for Italy for me.
I'll stock up on lots red Bx, white dry Bx, a few Gevrey-C, a few Chablis/Puligny, some DE/Alsace Ries, some Champ, some Spanish (Corpinat & Temp quali reds).
Could skip on US, Italy, if need be, but might include Rhone and Spain for good dailies. LOVE Zind-H btw! Had that Rangen back in 2004, excellent!
These are outstanding selections! And you introduced me to several new ideas. Thank you! Cheers 🥂
Thank you konstantin 😊
Quite a few of my favourite wine types here. Of course Sauvignon Blanc, but also in a small selection Gewurtstraminer should be there, for the aromatics. Tempranillo Rioja is indeed the grilled meat sidekick of first easy choice, but that saurat (hope I spelt correctly) with a rack of lamb could never fail to tempt the tastebuds.. Port with Stilton & rough Scottish oatcakes is the PERFECT way to finish up. Nice one Konstantin! 👍
I reached out my 100 bottles cellar in Frankfurt but always happy to get inspiration from you Konstantin - if you will ever be in Frankfurt I will be happy to share a glass or two
Lovely choices. No mourvèdre (brilliant from Bandol esp Tempier or you could have had it in a Châteauneuf du Pape esp Beaucastel). And you could have plugged chenin blanc harder - the Huët Vouvrays are varied, world beating and immortal, and wonderful affordable stuff from SA.
That is fabulous, thanks Konstantin
Great selection! Visiting Venus La Universal this week, one of my favorite winery’s! Also the content has been great recently.
Love your channel. I feel like you could do a a great deep dive on grower champagnes... or on the micro climates of champagne (avize, les mesnil, ambonnay, etc,.)
This is the video I've been waiting for! Amazing
Awesome, will have to check out these suggestions. I have the Dido on my list of to-buy from another one of your videos. I really like Stefano Amerighi Syrah from Cortona, Italy. You should check that one out if you haven’t already
Wine dreams are made of this! Thanks for putting this list together Konstantin. Cheers!
Ein echt gutes Video! Danke sehr für alles was du machst. Von diesem Kanal habe viel gelernt.
Nun will ich mehr Riesling kaufen.
Ich liebe Riesling aber in den USA haben die Leute die meinung nach Riesling nur einen billigen süßen Wein.
Ich versuche oft zum erklären dass Reisling wirklich kompliziert und ja interessant ist.
Ich liebe auch Nebbiolo, Barbara, und Zinfandel.
Nochmal, Tausenddank!
Great selection indeed! I miss some sherry wines, they can be a great alternative as meditation wines if you don't like sweet wines and also quite gastronomic!
For me i love Gavi, Albariño and white Rioja. For the reds, Carménère is a must. Love the selection
Great video and useful information. I would also agree to add Tokaj and possibly add a Pinot Grigio due to its versatility, and a Malbec.
I really liked your approach here - mainly different varieties; but also some specific terroir.
What I might be missing from your list are GSM-blends. Sure, you got the Syrah and Grenache. But I’m more thinking of the southern French style that includes Provence, Southern Rhone and Languedoc/Roussillon.
And even if you did mention floral wines such as Gewurztraminer - I would personally like to add Grüner Veltliner as a very good QPR option that does well with some age; but don’t need to wait too long.
And last, but not least, I would add some quality rosé! I’m a huge sucker for Tibouren from Clos Cibonne - which I find to be a perfect example of how a quality rosé can develop with age.
And as an underdog I also would like to mention Muscat that I do think is quite underrated the days. Maybe not as much for the ”classical” style - but rather for a lot of great orange wine (can’t get enough of that nose you get from that).
All and all I think you did a great job - and it did feel nice to tick all 15 boxes ☺️
Once again‚ thanks for a great video! 🥂
Thank you Konstantin for your effort and knowledge you share with us 🙂
Always a big fan of your videos
I think a Guigal Viognier should be in this collection! amazing video, thank you for the ideas!
Great selection! I missed a bit at least one Jerez wine, but I admit they are very different from other whites. And even among them, a manzanilla is pretty far from a Oloroso or palo cortado. They are a class of their own.
Just a beautiful video. Thanks!
Great video.. .Chablis and a good Australian shiraz either from mclaren,Barossa or heathcote..
So very thoughtful. I couldn't disagree with any selection. Chapeau.
Thanks for the great video! This list focuses mostly on old world wines, maybe you could do a video on essential new world wines to collect?
Excellent video! I don’t think you missed any super important categories (well, maybe Malbec or just a general “South American Red” category that might include Malbec, Carménère, and Tannat). Many of the comments talk about other less famous or less “serious” grapes. I think before these, it would be better to expand on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc, instead of lumping them all into one (albeit beautiful) bottle of Lynch Bages. Bordeaux produces such a huge volume of great wine, some Cab S dominated, some Merlot dominated, and of course Cab S and Merlot have so many great examples from around the world-Washington, California, Tuscany, South America, Australia, South Africa, and Languedoc (even my home state of Michigan does a decent job with Cab Franc and Merlot). Great examples of Cabernet and Merlot can be found at nearly every price point. I know experienced wine drinkers often get “bored” with Cab S and Merlot, probably because they are so ubiquitous. Yet I think those two varieties especially deserve more emphasis in this video which seems to be aimed at newer collectors.
Really nice suggestions! I love Zind Hubrecht Gewürz, somehow it's on another level than the rest. I also love Tondonia because it's still classical and elegant and never went into the parker bomb style. Dido, I will try again at a tasting in 3days looking forward. The rest of the suggestions I have to get soon and taste (well maybe not the very expensive ones ;-)). Again a very nice and diverse selection, thx!
@@account4402 That is what Zind Humbrecht said. He said that only great terroirs can dominate such an aromatic grape like Gewurztraminer and that it was not that easy to realize that his wine is actually a Gewurz
@@account4402 Yes, though we are talking about his Rangen de Than Gewurztraminer. He explains the terroir th-cam.com/video/lnDgGRfQsfM/w-d-xo.html here very clearly and says that the wine is mainly dominated by smoked notes (which you get very often in volcanic wines) and there is a bit of rose and jasmin which you have to sniff quite attentively to smell them. The video is in french though. Humbrecht is also a Master of Wine.
@@account4402 I must say I usually do not like Gewurz, I like it only when it is more restrained and doesn't have its smell jumping directly to my face 😂
Great video!, congrats I only missed some strong red wines from Chile and Argentina
Great video as always. I do think you missed Tokaji/Sauternes/Beerenauslese. I'd just make it a 16 wine list, and include one of the great white dessert wines.
Amazing selection! Au Bon Climat and Piedrasassi above all!
Alsace Pinot Gris will always be in my collection!
Yes, great stuff! This is exactly the type of content a newbie like me needs 😊
Everybody’s gotta have a very fragrant and mineral Albariño in their collection!
Hello Konstantin, l haven’t seen in your videos anything about Greek varietals which deserve some attention l believe. What do you think about assyrtiko, xinomavro, agiorgitiko and malagouzia for example? I think some of those make some pretty big ones alone or in blends that could compete with big french wines for example.
Great video! What about Zinfandel, Pinotage, Tannat and Malbec?😊
When it comes to Chard I have become a big fan Oregon wines. I love great Burgs but just can't afford or find them here in NC. My favorites are Bethel, Evening Land, and Arterberry Maresh.
Living in the south of Spain I always have to have a good range of sherries, Manzanilla being my favourite. I also always have some Provence rosé in.
I think you missed NZ wines but it is your channel and you pick the wines you want to show. Loved your selection anyways!
Just drank a 2001 Viña Tondonia last night with steak and grilled onions. Marvelous!
Nice video, in particular as I had some of these bottles. Great reds. For the whites, maybe one could have added Sherry, white Rioja, Viognier.
That's a strong collection starter!, though maybe a bit ambitious for some 😏.....but those categories are a great start. There are more affordable bottles in each category (ie:Bordeaux) that are very respectable. I brought that 2007 López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva to a Spanish varietal blind tasting. It was gorgeous and drinking nicely right now. It came in 2nd, only beat out by a 2015 Vall Llach Porrera de Vi de Vila Priorat. I paid more though, $55 earlier this year 🤷♂
Rewatching this excellent video. For someone with a smaller budget who still loves excellent wine, I would suggest to replace the Pinot noir burgundy with a high quality moulin a vent Beaujolais, very structured and age worthy, and really approaches Pinot noir when aged 10 yrs
Great point!
Great selection. Looks like all but two are available in Norway (not necessarily the same vintages, mind). Won't say you "missed" any varieties, but I've personally been obsessed with Jura in recent years, and have had some amazing experiences with Savagnin, both as Vin Jaune but especially in the more conventional white wine style (ouille). Dom. des Marnes Blanches Savagning Aux Bois might be my very fave. A stunning white wine, IMO.
Really surprised to see a Gewurztraminer on your list. I've enjoyed this wine for several decades and rarely hear anyone discuss or rate it. Thanks for bringing it to the attention of your viewers!
Such an underrated varietal. Stunning ones can come extremely cheap.
I just pointed out on a video I just watched I've had some really good wines for free luckily me,, but my favourite is leiberfumich sorry forgot how to spell it 😁🍷
La Ca' Növa, Lovely! just so happends that my father is the only importer of that here in sweden. Great wine
Ciao Kostantine, really enjoyed this video! BTW, don't drink wine with pizza, Italians drink lagers with pizza!!
Au bon climat definitely one of the best chardonnays I've ever tried, although only tried the bien nascido, still Jim was an artist 👌🙏👏
Ein sehr interessanter Überblick!
I am going to pick up one of those Gewürztraminer's. I see it available at one of the wine shops around here. I like to pair Gewürztraminer with spicy Chinese and Indian cuisine, the sweetness cuts the heat quite nicely. I paired Champagne with Nashville hot chicken the other night, and that worked surprisingly well. Other than the Chenin Blanc which I may have a bottle of I do have at least two of each of those wine varieties.
Yooo happy to see “Au bon climat”! I always empty the shelf when I see they’ve stoked up
I would still go for Pouilly-Fumé with Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre is very good but Pouilly-Fumé just is the best. As for the sweets, one bottle of Beerenauslese (and its relatives) survives like forever and the taste is absolutely great. Just take glass and "meditate". And nothing beats foie gras and Sauternes (semillon).
Extremely informative! Thank you for sharing!
I really like Chateau Canon, it's almost like a budget Opus. Probably my favorite white would be Louis Latour Montrachet, lots of toasty honey notes and a real wine experience. Got question though - why do you have them wrapped in cling wrap?
Thanks for another great video. Just one point. I think it's important to point out that not all Burgundies are light, elegant with round tannins. Pommard certainly packs a punch flavour wise as does Aloxe-Corton.
Good point!
Would have liked to see a Napa Cab and also a Rhône red. And would have probably picked Sauternes over Port. Great list though. Got me thinking.
Really great video, as always Konstantin. Of course everyone here has her / his comments and views as to what you should have included, and by picking only 15 you will inevitably miss many. For what it's worth, I would have skipped Gewurtztraminer (very hard to match with food) and Riesling (the only wine that gives me headaches). I was surprised to see no Italian whites: how about Carricante (Sicily, grown at high altitude), Friulano (Northeast), or Fiano (Campania)?
Always glad to see a new vid from you.
Konstantin, if you could add 3 more types of wine to add to this collection for more advanced/experienced wine lovers, what would you recommend?
In my experience S.B. is grassy only on every 7th bottle. Most often it is more tropical fruit or cassis driven. I think the grassy specimen come from NZ.
I was hoping to see a Zin, and a Rose as well. Love your videos!
No Sauternes? I get that d' Yquem is often out of reach, but Climens and so many others? Well, I suppose you had to draw the line somewhere :) Love your channel!
Excellent vid Konstantin, I await new ones with impatience! I would add an Uruguayan or Irouleguy tannat/cab blend to this.
Konstantin, this was a really good video. I have a bottle of Au Bon Climat chardonnay in my wine rack. It is really good, though I prefer Ramey (Rocholi or Richie vineyards), and I still haven't tasted a chardonnay that I like better than a Grand Cru Chablis. Even some Premiere Crus are great. Chablis offers the only great chardonnays in Burgundy that are even remotely affordable.
Here's an idea: Pick one of these wine types and do a tasting of three or four bottles from different regions and producers.
Yes, Chablis wines have very good quality for its price. Specially the premier crus which can be found between 25 and 35 euros in Europe. They are anyways not what most people expect from a Chardonnay and one could argue that its taste profile is closer to Champagne than Burgundy. There are also interesting things in Cote Chalonaise (Rully/Montagny) and in the Maconnais, and their prices are not crazy like the wines from Cote de Beaune.
Great idea ... and I love Ramey's wines
Macon has some great value burgundy as well.
Thank you for the nice selection. I would dare adding a Sauternes for a grand finale …
great vid, really helpful Konstantin!
I don't think you missed anything! This was a perfect outline of how to begin a collection. Well done sir.
Glad you think so!
Great video as always Konstantin! I would be curious to see you mention more non-meaty dishes for pairing with wine.