Let's see... we had a similar discussion and I think my cellaring resembles Tom's in some regards:
Sections of racks, with each row numbered and each column numbered. One difference is that I have a front row and a back row (LRShelves.2R.5 = Lower Right Shelves, second row in the Rear, fifth slot from the left). This makes it easy to also add boxes as they fall into the "mixed stuff" with the box-name becoming the row number (TaylorBox) and then the next available column number is assigned (Mixed.TaylorBox.5 is just somewhere in that box).
This is all very timely, btw, as I JUST installed more shelves last night. And then filled them entirely from the mixed boxes and bins.
As for organization, I try to keep a house together, with the last two decades in the back and the 70's and 80's in the front -- cellar defenders Most of the 70's, and a few special bottles (even from 00 and 03) have a place in a wine fridge.
Cellar fluctuates a bit over the course of the year, I've seen it as high as 62 on a really warm day, and as low as 50 in the middle of an arctic blast. The fridge is more stable. Humidity in both is pretty high, perhaps even too high in the main wooden racks section.
All data is stored in a spreadsheet (which I've improved upon recently). Bottles have tags, but no "ID #s" I was very tempted to put unique id numbers on everything this time around, but resisted. My largest single-bottle stash is the GC80's, of which I have 22 (and 6 more due to TPFers). They came from three batches, so sayeth the labels, and are noted as such in the spreadsheet.
Organising Your Port
- SushiNorth
- Martinez 1985
- Posts: 1341
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- Location: NJ & NY
Re: Organising Your Port
I keep toying with the idea of recording the Selo numbers in CellarTracker, but somehow I don't think that would actually be worth the effort.SushiNorth wrote:I was very tempted to put unique id numbers on everything this time around, but resisted.
Glenn Elliott
- SushiNorth
- Martinez 1985
- Posts: 1341
- Joined: 07:45 Mon 18 Feb 2008
- Location: NJ & NY
Re: Organising Your Port
In some regards, only. In quantity, at only about 200 VP bottles, it pales.SushiNorth wrote:Let's see... we had a similar discussion and I think my cellaring resembles Tom's in some regards:
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- Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
- Posts: 542
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- Location: Three Bridges
Re: Organising Your Port
I'm rebooting this thread as I've started to lose track of what I have and I only have ~20 bottles of Port. Any new methods being used?
Slightly separate to this, I'm going to have to buy more storage - looking around the ~£1000 mark - suggestions?
Slightly separate to this, I'm going to have to buy more storage - looking around the ~£1000 mark - suggestions?
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- Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: Organising Your Port
Cellartracker.com is still the best IMO.
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14908
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: Organising Your Port
Cellartracker's not bad, but I never really got on with it and abandoned my efforts to use it after a few months. Like Tom and probably everyone here, I use a spreadsheet. I like the spreadsheet since it allows me to track whatever I want and to cut and dice the data in whatever way I fancy.
In physical terms each bottle has a "bin" location - which could be that it's stored in Seckfords (Bin 001) or on the death row rack in the garage (020). Larger storage spaces like the wine cabinet get bin numbers for each shelf and whether the front or the back of the shelf. Each bottle is tagged with a small sticker on the cork and on the base so its identity can be easily seen when it is lying down. That way I know when I want a particular bottle I have to go to the front of the second shelf in the wine cabinet in the garage and look until I find the bottle with Cr63 stuck on its base.
I have a Eurocave wine storage cabinet and previously used a Liebherr, which lasted 20 years before needed to be serviced or replaced.
In physical terms each bottle has a "bin" location - which could be that it's stored in Seckfords (Bin 001) or on the death row rack in the garage (020). Larger storage spaces like the wine cabinet get bin numbers for each shelf and whether the front or the back of the shelf. Each bottle is tagged with a small sticker on the cork and on the base so its identity can be easily seen when it is lying down. That way I know when I want a particular bottle I have to go to the front of the second shelf in the wine cabinet in the garage and look until I find the bottle with Cr63 stuck on its base.
I have a Eurocave wine storage cabinet and previously used a Liebherr, which lasted 20 years before needed to be serviced or replaced.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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- Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
- Posts: 542
- Joined: 21:42 Tue 13 Nov 2018
- Location: Three Bridges
Re: Organising Your Port
I'll try both methods - see what I prefer and report back in some time. I had a look a vivino which had a photo scanning feature which worked nicely, but apart from that, was lacking severely.
Stickers! Why didn't I think of that? ThanksAHB wrote: ↑09:32 Wed 23 Oct 2019 In physical terms each bottle has a "bin" location - which could be that it's stored in Seckfords (Bin 001) or on the death row rack in the garage (020). Larger storage spaces like the wine cabinet get bin numbers for each shelf and whether the front or the back of the shelf. Each bottle is tagged with a small sticker on the cork and on the base so its identity can be easily seen when it is lying down. That way I know when I want a particular bottle I have to go to the front of the second shelf in the wine cabinet in the garage and look until I find the bottle with Cr63 stuck on its base.
Cheers - I'll keep them in mind.
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14908
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: Organising Your Port
I should have said to keep an eye on the provincial auctions and on eBay (other websites are available) as people occasionally sell off used wine storage cabinets for quite keen prices.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.