Summit Wine Cellar Q & A
Welcome back everyone. If you have been reading our blog, you know that we recently had the pleasure of working with Dan A. from Summit NJ. The homeowner was very detail oriented, with African mahogany wood raised panel and coffer ceilings throughout the entire basement. We decided the wine cellar needed to blend with the overall look yet have its own unique footprint in the space. We decided to build the racking out of 100% Malaysian mahogany (which is a lighter species of mahogany than African) to really contrast the other woodwork in the basement...as well the custom bar.
Once the cellar was finished we decided to bring Dan into Italian Wine Merchants for a night in their "vintage room"...It's a night of sensational food and wine pairings. Dan has also been back with his wife and even tried the tripe (which he loved). Dan was very impressed with IWM'S philosophy and attention to detail and even decided to sign up for their cellar management software.
Since we were in Summit catching up with Dan about his wine cellar and taking some pictures, we decided to ask Dan about his new cellar and to learn a bit about his favorite wines.
Q: How is the cellar?
A: We love it. We do alot of entertaining in the basement and of course the wine cellar. My father has always made his own wine so I have always had an interest in wine. I love the fact you can share it with so many people as well as the chance for the wines to increase in value.
Q: How many bottles do you currently have?
A: about 600
Q: What is your favorite part of the wine cellar?
A: Besides all the wine...the mural. It was hand painted into a niche in the
custom wine racks that was from a photo of my families villa in Gallinaro, Italy. I also like the granite which ties in the granite from the bar. We also decided to turn the sump pump closet into a storage area in the wine cellar rather than closing up the area with a door. Joseph and Curtis were able to design racks that fit the space and tied both rooms together. We currently have some large format displays in the niche area.
Q: What wines have you been drinking lately?
A: Alot of Sangiovese and northern Italian wines...Barolo, Nebbiolo etc.
I have always loved super-tuscans but after working with IWM we have been able to try some fantastic wines from not only Italy but France as well.
Q: What are your favorite everyday wines?
A: Movia,Tenuta San Guido 2005 Guidalberto
Q: How about special occasions?
A: Barolo or Amarone
Q: You get locked in the wine cellar..you can choose only 1 bottle to open...which is it?
A: Sassicia 2004
Q: How is the Italian Wine Merchants cellar management software?
A: Love it. Very easy to use...I go to it very often. It gives you the ability to leave tasting notes...as well as organizing your cellar to the exact bottle count. It has charts, graphs, and will even show your percentages of the regions or countries your wine is from. I also love the write ups about the producers and will take you to their websites.
Dan, thanks for sharing your passion for wine with our readers. It was a pleasure creating your wine cellar and we are very pleased you and your wife are enjoying it. We wish you many years of enjoyment!
Cheers!