Once an interest in wine has developed into a passion, buying habits change. Starting from purchasing a bottle to drink in the near future, the wine lover progresses towards creating a personal library of special bottles, some of which will not be opened for years, perhaps decades.

One has become a collector. The question is how to make the most of this new avocation?

First decide what you really like, and therefore want to collect. To build a collection that delights you requires focus. It may be the wines of a particular estate or region, or a single category – vintage port or Champagne, for example.

Whatever you decide to specialise in, research the subject thoroughly, and make sure that the wines you buy to hold have ageing potential. Not all red wines, even good ones, improve over time. More whites do than many people imagine.

You may want to buy a case or two every year of a particular Bordeaux or Burgundy, to accumulate a “vertical” of consecutive vintages that one day you can taste side by side.

Unless you already have a personal connection to the relevant estates, this will mean developing a relationship with a reputable wine merchant who can secure the wines for you at a good price – possibly “en primeur” (before bottling) – and guarantee their provenance.

Collectors need to be certain that the wines they invest in are genuine, and have been properly stored and cared for in transit as they go from one place to another.

Your wines should be kept either in a professional storage facility, or, if the collection is intended ultimately for your own consumption, in good quality temperature and humidity-controlled wine cabinets at home.

If you are thinking of eventually disposing of all or some of your wines on the secondary market, however, a record of professional storage will protect its value more effectively. Keep all documentation safe. Any properly prepared future buyer will want it.

Always remember, though, that the value of wine, like any other investment, can go down as well as up. If you collect, it should be for the love of it.

Collecting wine can be a very satisfying pursuit. The key to enjoying it is to buy good quality wines that you genuinely like rather than merely to build a portfolio of prestigious names. Let your collection reflect your taste.