Today's wine collectors are incorporating wine storage into their homes in dramatic ways, combining state-of-the-art technology with artistic presentation. Four owners of breathtaking cellars take us inside their wine sanctuaries. For the other Q&As and more great cellar design ideas, see the full "The Art of the Cellar" cover story.
Designer Joseph & Curtis
Location New Jersey
Number of Bottles 1,800
Focus of Collection California
Highlights Large formats of Harlan, Tusk, Ovid, Au Sommet
How did you become interested in wine?
About 14 years ago, when [we] got together, we decided to build a collection. We spent a lot of time in Napa, getting to meet wonderful people, and formed great relationships over the wines that we bought. We’re friends with Tim Martin [of Tusk], we met Jack Bittner [of Ovid], we went out to Grace Family one year, before Dick [Grace] sold, and got to see the property and do some tasting, so that has always been a special wine for us.
Jacqueline, how do you approach purchasing wine?
There has to be a story, a relationship with the vineyard and the people. Greg enjoys the quest of the California cults. For me, it’s scratching the surface in the French regions. When I travel, I will fall in love with a wine, whether it’s Austria or Germany or Spain. But it never quite tastes the same [at home].
What was the thought process behind designing your cellar?
When we were younger, we had a lot of good times in Vegas, and we’d always go out to these amazing dinners. We saw some great showcases with wine that really enamored us, so that was my vision. Curtis [Dahl] will think out of the box, which I appreciated, and he had a lot of patience. He really made it come true. I didn’t want a traditional wine cellar; I wanted something that was more like art.
How do you use your cellar?
I wanted it to be a social space. We entertain quite a bit. We do wine tastings; we do dinner parties. We recently hosted a dinner for Carbon Wines and Tusk, so we had about 30 people at the house, and it was such a great flow. Everyone was in [the cellar], looking at it, having a glass of wine and hanging out.
