monday 07.23.07

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Did you ever wonder what goes into building an excellent wine collection?

You don't have to be a slave to your local wine store's limited selection of jug wine and the ubiquitous Yellowtail. Unlock the secrets with Keys to the Cellar: Strategies and Secrets of Wine Collecting, the indispensable resource from renowned wine critic and writer Peter D. Meltzer.

Meltzer's book will teach you how to develop a wine collection no matter where you live or how much space you have. Full of helpful advice and winemaking trivia, the book serves as a how-to starter guide for new collectors. The glossary of terms will help any wine enthusiast learn how to sound like a sommelier.

An auction correspondent for Wine Spectator magazine, Meltzer shares his insider's view of national auction houses and offers successful strategies for local and online buying. Whether cozying up to your local shop owner or engaging in a bidding war on the web, you'll learn all the right questions to ask to start the perfect personal wine cellar.

They key to a lasting successful wine collection is the right storage. If you have room to spare, Grotto Custom Wine Cellars & Cabinets is a great source for wine rack kits and custom wine cellars.

For apartment dwellers without the access to their own cellar, a freestanding or built-in wine storage cooler offers convenience and efficiency. The U-Line 43 Bottle Echelon Wine Captain is an under-the-counter solution, with two drawers that each maintain a unique temperature, providing the flexibility to store different types of wines.

If you want to turn your kitchen into a wine showcase, the Marvel 108 Bottle Chateau Collection Wine Cellar is your answer. This unit has two 54-bottle compartments with independent digital temperature controls that can properly regulate temperature and humidity so your wine corks are kept at the perfect level of moisture. The doors are double paned and UV-resistant, so you can display your wine bottles while protecting them from the light.