By DailyWorth Team Sent: Wednesday January 25, 2012

Envy your pals who always seem to serve the perfect bottle of wine?

Envy ends here—once you start your own wine cellar, stocked (yes) with bottles for $30 or less.

 

• Pick It
  The trick is picking bottles that are “age-worthy,” says Mark Censits, owner of New Jersey-based Cool Vines.
  
  "Tell your local shopkeeper the types of wines you like—pinot noirs or light-bodied whites, for example—your price point, and that you are looking for “age-worthy” bottles to start your collection,” says Censits.
  
  Wines from Old World regions, such as Bordeaux and Tuscany, generally tend to age well, while the younger New World wines (i.e. South Africa and New Zealand) are meant to be quaffed while they are young.


• Peak it
  The trick is knowing when a bottle you like will peak in flavor. After sampling a few (the fun part!), check out Wineadvocate.com for estimates on when a bottle will taste best.


• Store it
  Sure, a private cave would be nice. But wines really just need good “sleeping conditions”, says Censits: cool, dark, and quiet.
  
  Just make sure that the bottles are on their sides (so the cork doesn’t dry out) and the temperature is fairly even all year round.

Two wines to try:

• Travaglini Gattinara 2005 ($30), a full-bodied red from Piedmont, Italy.


• Chateau de L’Eperonniere Savennieres 2008 ($26), a medium-bodied Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley.

Collective wisdom: What do you own that will improve with age?