My father’s basement holds the same items you would find in any other basement: mementos from college, unused dumbbells, wholesale packs of detergent and a few work-in-progress furniture projects. Amid the dust and fabric softener lies an anomaly—a growing collection of unopened wine bottles.
“I have 62 bottles, if I count the sparkling and the Bordeaux,” said my dad, Darren Watson.
For many approaching retirement, a dream purchase might be a guitar or a sailboat. My father’s current goal, however, is to buy a second temperature-regulated fridge to place next to his fully stocked one.
What makes this hobby enriching is his concentration on preserving the value of wine over a longer period of time. Whereas I may crack open a freshly bought bottle shortly after bringing it home, my father keeps his in pristine condition for months or years.
In On Collecting, Susan Pierce breaks down the psychological effects of collecting objects of personal value, exploring the freeing sensation the action brings. She writes that this practice strengthens both “individual identity” and relationships “between the individual and others.”
One staple of the relationship between my dad and I is our shared love of wine-tasting. We are an unstoppable duo when we venture into the North Fork of Long Island. Living about two hours from wine country makes these adventures possible on a sunny summer weekend or a cloudy holiday. The drive never feels long, filled with my incessant questions about high-occupancy vehicle lanes, cheesecake preferences, and ultimately, which vineyards we have on our agenda for the weekend.
My father’s wine-tasting journey began with my mother in the early 1990s (the author’s parents have since divorced), before my brother and I were born. Then, around 1998, he began seriously collecting bottles of great value.
“I stopped collecting once you were born. It’s a very expensive hobby,” he said, laughing.
‘There are proven psychological impulses that motivate individuals like my dad to find joy and fulfillment in collecting.’
He resumed this precious practice in recent years, with special attention to aging certain bottles for longer periods of time.
“The oldest wine I’ve had in my collection was a 1994 Opus One, but I opened that in 2014,” he said.
There are proven psychological impulses that motivate individuals like my dad to find joy and fulfillment in collecting. According to “Collectors and Collecting” by William McIntosh and Brandon Schmeichel, a major benefit is personal development through “setting up goals that are tangible, attainable, and provide the collector with concrete feedback of progress.”
I have certainly watched my father’s collection progress over time. He takes thorough notes on our wine-tasting trips, recording details about flavor, climate and location. This dedicated routine makes organizing bottles later a breeze.
“One of the things I like about going to wineries is that different regions of the world and country better produce certain wines. It has to do with the soil and climate. New York State is known for its Rieslings. I think it’s the best outside of Germany,” he said recently.
His rating scale and notes determine whether we will return to a vineyard a few months later or strike it from the list entirely. For the winners we return to, it’s always rewarding when the sommeliers remember us—especially as I often persuade my dad to wear matching outfits with me on our trips.
Another goal in his collecting and tasting journey is to find a wine similar to the unique taste of Opus One from Napa Valley. Although he hasn’t found that familiar taste yet, he still enjoys wines that bring back the same feelings he associates with that prized bottle.
Nostalgia is a sentiment that many older adults strive to capture in recreating memories of the past. As McIntosh and Schmeichel write, “collectibles also can serve as a link to the collectors’ past,” and while the desire for a past taste still exists, my father now welcomes the chance to add new flavors to his collection with my brother and me by his side.
“I like being able to go wine tasting with both of my kids now because they are both adults,” he said. “I like finding a wine we all three can enjoy, which isn’t easy because we all have different palates.”
The moments when we open a special bottle of Port or Chardonnay and savor it together as a family are our most cherished.
Nia Watson is an MFA student at New York University.
Photo caption: Nia Watson with her father and brother, winetasting.
Photo credit: Courtesy Nia Watson
