Starting a collection

Octavian editor, Michael Karam, asked six wine professionals what they would buy to lay down with £1,000

First, white Bordeaux. No one drinks enough white Bordeaux. It is so good. I actually love to drink this style bracingly young, while it’s in its infancy of baked lemon and vituperative acidity, but I do also have an appreciation for the flavours that come later: the beeswax, the baked grapefruit, the mushroom that makes your spine all jittery. So I would buy good white Bordeaux, perhaps Domaine de Chevalier or perhaps Château Olivier, and drink half of it straight away and keep the other half for later. Second, Barolo because in my book, always Barolo.

Victoria Moore: Wine Editor at the Daily Telegraph

Magnums. That’s the way forward. Why stock one’s cellar with meagre half magnums when one can do it properly?
We all know wine tastes better in magnums and looks a darn sight more impressive too. So, I would start with 3 magnums of Henri Chauvet Brut Réserve Champagne. From one of the finest of all artisanal producers, it’s a sublime fizz, all toasty and citrusy and makes the perfect start to any party. I adore white Rhône so I would also lay down three magnums of 2023 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. Still young of course, but already peachily, creamily approachable and something to look forward to. Three magnums of 2019 Château Musar would be a tasty addition, with a double magnum of Ramos Pinto 10 Year Old Tawny as the icing on an already delectably rich cake.

Jonathan Ray: Wine Editor at The Spectator

I’m afraid my collection is perhaps less-curated and more “spur of the moment” purchases, collated like a magpie, with things that randomly caught my eye. I certainly thought about value, £1000 doesn’t go far on fine wine nowadays, especially from classic regions. For that reason, I have a few select parcels of Bordeaux and then I focused my attention away to the fine wine regions that often fall under the radar. I also have a recently acquired passion for Syrah, so a lot of 2021 Northern Rhône, beautifully age-worthy and not crazily-priced, plus select producers from South Africa that have stunning examples of that grape variety. That led me down the rabbit hole of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot from South Africa. Then a sprinkling of whites from Santorini because even if the prices have sky-rocketed, Assrytiko ages beautifully, plus some select Loire Chenin producers for the same reason. These are wines that make my heart sing.

Emma Dawson MW: Head of Buying at Berkmann Wine Cellars

With £1,000 to spend on starting a collection, the temptation is to blow it all on six bottles of fancy claret or Burgundy. Tempting, but I want some things I can drink sooner rather than later. So I’d definitely have some Rioja in there, Viña Ardanza from La Rioja Alta ages beautifully but it’s good on release too. Then some Bordeaux to keep for a few years: the 2025s are just sensational; I’d be very tempted by a case of Château Meyney St. Estèphe to put away. I’ve got to have some port, but I don’t want to wait twenty years, so I’d plump for Taylor’s Vargellas 2015. For fizz, I’d get some of Dermot Sugrue’s Trouble with Dreams 2021, and if there’s any money left over, six bottles of Tyrrell’s Sémillon Vat 1, nothing ages quite like Hunter Valley Semillon.

Henry Jeffreys: Author of Vines in a Cold Climate

I’m a classic collector. With my budget (give or take a bit), I’m going for three bottles of Château Talbot 2019, a particularly brilliant Saint-Julien with considerable ageing potential. Then I’m buying a case of 12 Château Giscours, an elegant Margaux, full of cassis and dark fruit and a long, savoury finish. Then it’s over to Italy where I’ll buy two bottles of Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2023 – balanced, rich and powerful. A classic. Finally, I must have some of my wines, so I’m going to finish off with a case of six Château Ksara 2019. As my friend Michael Karam says, “it’s a Medoc with Mediterranean muscle”. He’s right.

George Sara: Owner Château Ksara, Lebanon

I’d probably be looking for wines that I believe represent great value for money, rather than a few bottles of ‘big hitters’, and I’d probably aim to buy three bottles of each wine rather than singles or six-bottle cases. I’d start with Bordeaux – but dry whites rather than reds. The unsung heroes of the region, these wines have both gravitas and freshness, and are incredibly food friendly. I love good Chenin Blanc, too, and I’d probably seek out a pair of wines, one set from Vouvray, Montlouis or Savennieres, the other from South Africa’s Swartland. Accessible now, but also delicious when aged for a few years.

I love Burgundy, but on this budget it’s out of my price range. Instead I’m going to seek out a smart New World Chardonnay from Tasmania or somewhere in Victoria, and a Martinborough Pinot Noir. If I struggle to tell the difference between these and Burgundies at three or four times the price, these sophisticated wines have earned a place in my collection. I’ve got to buy some Beaujolais too – the question is, which cru should I opt for? Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon and Chiroubles can all stake a claim on my wallet. I have a huge weakness for peppery, sinewy cool-climate Syrah too. If my budget runs to some Côte Rôtie that’s the first place I’ll look, but if I’m running out of money I might well opt for a trio of Hawke’s Bay Syrahs instead. I’d need some fizz as well, and I’m going to look for a Blanc de Blancs from one of Champagne’s rising stars – a grower’s Champagne rather than a grand marque, I think. If I’ve got any money left over, I might split whatever’s left between some aged Palo Cortado and a bottle or two of Tokaji.

Natasha Hughes MW: Author of The Wines of Beaujolais