The adventure of a lifetime to buy Stalin's secret multimillion dollar wine cellar located in Georgia; it is the Raiders of the Lost Ark of wine. In the late 1990s, John Baker was known as a purveyor of quality rare and old wines. He was the perfect person for an occasional business partner to approach with a mysterious wine list that was different to anything John, or his second-in-command, Kevin Hopko, had ever come across. The list was discovered to be a comprehensive catalogue of the wine collection of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. The wine had become the property of the state after the Russian Revolution of 1918, during which Nicholas and his entire family were executed. Now owned by Stalin, the wine was discreetly removed to a remote Georgian winery when Stalin was concerned the advancing Nazi army might overrun Russia. Half a century later, the wine was rumoured to be hidden underground and off any known map. John and Kevin embarked on an audacious, colourful and potentially dangerous journey to Georgia to discover if the wines actually existed; if the bottles were authentic and whether the entire collection could be bought and transported to a major London auction house for sale. Stalin's Wine Cellar is a wild, sometimes rough ride through the glamorous world of high-end wine.

Enjoy the rich and complex flavors of wine that’s been matured to its peak. In this comprehensive guide, Jeff Cox provides everything you need to know to build and maintain your own wine cellar. Whether you’re thinking of storing a few extra bottles in a spare closet or are looking to properly age a garage full of wine, you’ll find straightforward advice and helpful hints on successful cellaring techniques. Build and delight in your collection of wine while learning how to bring out the full potential of every bottle.

This popular classic, which is based on the author's personal experiences of building a wine cellar in his home and collecting wines for fun and investment, is now completely updated for the modern wine collector. All of the essential construction specifications to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity conditions for long-term storage of wine are provided for the home craftsman or professional contractor. Insulation, refrigeration, and passive systems are detailed and the construction of racks and storage bins is also explained with helpful illustrations. A practical guide to selecting, recording, tracking, and enjoying your wines at their peak performance is included.

Wine lovers can keep their cellar records in order with this smart, indispensable guide designed by award-winning author Hugh Johnson and laid out in the way he finds most useful. It begins with an illustrated essay on storing, opening, and enjoying wine, and then offers tips on how to plan a cellar and set up a system for intelligent wine storing and record keeping.

A handsome volume that is both a traditional cellar book and an indispensableguide to developing and maintaining the home wine collection.