The Good Doctor’s Grape Cellar
August - September 2010
The Hawaiian Wine Cellar is far from a ubiquitous home accoutrement. Sure, we don’t benefit from the basements that root the majority of Mainland homes to terra firma. Yet after a short stroll to our closest sandy beach … you don’t hear a lot of complaining.
When we came across a note from a devoted reader who claimed to have a cellar worthy of a look, we jumped at the chance. And while this established Honolulu couple asked we withhold their names and location (for obvious reasons), it still made for a lovely photo shoot, conversation and, yes, a bit of imbibing.
The “good doctor,” as we shall refer to him, started collecting wines back in the early 1970s, after he realized all his leisure travels were based around food.
“It was just the next practical move,” says the doc. “I took a class on wines and was hooked.”
Admittedly, it was a penchant for Old World wines (from the long haul wine-producing countries like France, Italy and Spain) that opened the door to a three-decade (and counting) collection that now boasts more than 1,000 bottles. Or, as his wife smugly puts it, “Way too much.”
The cellar itself began as an outdoor patio to which the good doctor enclosed and added temperature control. When that was filled up, he converted a wall that formerly contained a fireplace into a towering display. This section took a bit of experimentation; the original design kept fogging up and collecting condensation, which was remedied with the addition of double-paned glass.
Although tracking down his own wines had become a steady hobby, it’s been one that he’s lessened his commitment to as of late.
“My wife keeps telling me I won’t be alive long enough to drink all these bottles, so … I’ve slowed,” says the doc.
What lines these oak-shelved walls, you ask? While you’d be hard-pressed to find a single American-harvested wine at this residence, the selection is vast.
“I like to have something around for all the kinds of different foods that I eat,” says the good doctor. He leans toward Bordeaux of France, Barolo in Italy and Madeira, all of which he counts as his favorites.
Of course, we paused as long as possible before asking about the oldest bottle in the cellar. The answer was well worth the wait.
“I have some that go back to the 1800s. And I’m not the kind of guy to watch the dust gather. I enjoy bringing out my prized bottles on special occasions,” he adds, procuring a specimen from the mid-19th century with the smirk of a mischievous teenager on his face – the bottle is empty. In fact, there’s an entire section with wines from the 1940s.
Lately, he’s brought to the table a 1961 Gaja Barbaresco (of which he keeps a few bottles) from Italy’s Piedmont region. This Nebbiolo grape varietal literally bursts with dried-cherry flavor. He’s also a fan of the same grape from 1989 and 1990, which evolved to have more flower-forward notes.
Admittedly, he’s a sucker for a good Burgundy, although they seem to be getting harder and harder to find. Instead, he tries to enjoy those wines during jaunts to Europe, and doesn’t usually like to travel home with cases in tow.
Yet the travel bug can’t keep this oenophile and collector at bay: A recent trip to Cape Town, South Africa, turned him on to Glenelly, an African vineyard that was recently bought by May Eliane de Lencquesaing of Chateau Pichon Lalande.
A “New World” wine for this doctor of all things classic?
“I still keep an open mind,” he concludes.
