6 ways to categorise your wine collection
Each wine collection is as unique as the person behind it, so how it is organised ultimately comes down to personal preference, (which is why we have made our Wineolog bottle neck labels fully customisable!)
However, if you have a collection and you are stuck on ideas on how categorise it, here are some thought-starters:
1. Categorise by region:
If you have a large and diverse collection, you may like to organise your wine by its region of origin. Some regions are renowned for specific types of wine, so the characteristics fields on your labels can help you drill into the qualities that typify wine from those regions. (Palate, Aroma, Tanins etc).
2. Categorise by grape:
If you are in to many wine varietals and know when you’re in the mood for a Chardonnay versus a Pinot Gris; this is a nice straightforward way to classify your collection. Again, your characteristics fields are there to take you right to the wine you want within the varietal.
3. Categorise by occasion:
This is how I use the Wineolog system, as it's ultimately how I go about choosing my wine. The "occasion" category can be as flexible or as fun as you like; you may decide to create a category that is purely dedicated to bottles you will give as gifts, another for bottles you will cellar; another for bottles you will take to dinner parties or restaurants, or one for your easy drinking / casual wine. I personally sub-divide my occasion categories, which allows me to be even more precise with my wine choices. (For example: "My mid-week quaffing reds!").
4. Categorise by vintage:
If you have been collecting for quite some time and have some oldies in your stash, you may choose to organise your collection by vintage, making a visit to your cellar feel more like a trip down memory lane!
5. Categorise by food pairing:
This is the wine classification system for the ultimate foodie! If you believe that wine does not exist without a good meal beside it, or are constantly hosting or going to dinner parties or restaurants, this might be the dream way for you to pick the perfect drop to go with that juicy sirloin. There are various ways you could structure food-driven categories. You could categorise by core ingredient: (for example: chicken, seafood, red meat, cheese, mushroom etc). Another method would be to segment by cuisine; splitting your wine that pairs best with a Thai dish from those that go with an Italian pizza or pasta. Final ‘food for thought’ on this method is to seperate by the flavour profiles of the meal; (for example; creamy dishes, tomato-based, spicy, sweet, salty, bitter, etc.) Whatever form of categorisation you choose, don’t forget that you can utilise your characteristics fields to provide more detail on what that ideal pairing dish might be!
6. Categorise by person:
This is a recent addition to our list, as we have seen a few orders recently where people living under the same roof have different taste in wine, and so they have chosen to seperate out their favourites.
Not a bad idea!
These are just a few ways you can use Wineolog labels to create high level, colour coded categories for your wine collection. How do you most often decide which wine you will open? The answer to that question is most likely the perfect way to organise your collection!
Cheers!