ideal55.com

What’s a Mathusalem? Find out here – Bottle size name chart

Ideal 55 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:18:39 +0000

¼ Quarter Bottle = 200 ml

½ Half Bottle = 375 ml

Bottle = 750 ml

Magnum = 1.5 L (2 bottles)

Jeroboam = 3 L (4 bottles)

Rehoboam = 4.5 L (6 bottles)

Mathusalem = 6 L (8 bottles)

Salmanazar = 9 L (12 bottles)

Balthazar = 12 L (16 bottles)

Nabuchodonosor = 15 L (20 bottles)

Why Proper Wine Storage Is Important

Ideal 55 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:15:47 +0000

The world of wine collecting is a strange one. From an outsider’s perspective, spending egregious amounts of money on what many will argue is just grape juice seems inane. Whether it’s drinking bottles of wine that cost $45 at a local retail store, or consuming a magnum of 1979 Krug Collection Champagne currently listed at an auction in Hong Kong for between $1545-$2,445 (as I’ve seen a group do before lunch), many will argue that investing in wine is a waste of resources.

However, wine is a liquid asset to many people and an enjoyable hobby. There is value in the cache of a label and the pure enjoyment of uncorking a favorite bottle. Whatever the occasion, the label, the quality, or the price, it’s important to keep in mind that wine collecting is what you make of it.

If you buy into the idea that wine is in fact an important part of your life to the extent that you consider it an investment or are otherwise concerned with keeping it in its best possible drinking condition, then you are likely to understand the value of properly storing your wine.

Ideal 55′s business is based on the concept that your liquid assets are kept in a properly maintained environment at 55°F and 70% humidity. As wine collectors, we understand the value in having peace of mind when it comes to knowing that our bottles are being kept under ideal conditions.

While many wine enthusiasts understand the value in this, you would be surprise to know how many wine fanatics and people who consider themselves “collectors” don’t completely understand the reasons behind proper wine storage. There are a number of components that factor into the equation.

Here’s a little lesson:

Wine stored between 50°F – 55°F, in constant 70% humidity, and low light tend to age better than those stored in what is considered “improper” conditions. It’s extremely important to keep the temperature consistent and to avoid any fluctuations in humidity and to ensure that the wines are stored in an area with no, or very low vibration.

Now the reasons:

Even after bottling, wine is developing and changing, and harnessing the positive attributes of these changes is enhanced by one’s ability to properly store the wine.

Wines kept at lower temperatures age more slowly and steadily. Avoiding fluctuations (as in the ever-popular kitchen storage area) is vital in keeping the characteristics of the wine enjoyable for a longer period of time. The combination of temperature fluctuations and improper humidity levels affect the moisture level in the cork and its ability to keep the evolving liquid away from premature exposure to oxygen and the outside world. Depressed and dried corks as directly related to improper storage are a big no-no.

Avoiding prolonged exposure to light and vibrations will only help, as both degrade the longevity of a wine and it’s ability to age.

Whether it’s for drinking or investing purposes (or both), the value, both in taste and monetary terms, is influenced by a wine’s provenance. Knowing where and how it was stored are always the first question among serious collectors and auction houses.

At Ideal 55, it’s our mission to make sure that your liquid assets are protected. Not only do we monitor all of the aforementioned factors, but, rest assured, our facilities are incredibly safe and secure.

What’s better than knowing that your precious bottles of wine will be resting safely at Ideal 55 whenever you choose to enjoy them?

Cheers!

An Interview with Ideal 55 Wine Lockers’ client Jason Milner

Ideal 55 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:27:02 +0000

By Matthew Goldfarb, Owner
The Cellar Manager
A Wine Advisory Co., LLC

Ideal 55 Wine Lockers’ client Jason Milner leads a hectic life, touring the globe with one of the music industry’s biggest stars. On the road for nearly 45 weeks a year, I got a chance to catch up with the globe trotter while he was traversing Europe for his client’s new tour.

Matthew: When did you first catch the wine bug?

Jason: “I was living in Birmingham, AL, enjoying the food scene, and my palate began to develop. My first interest in wine was in…1998. Before that it was mainly beer and some Port. This is when I began my transition into a collector.”

Matthew: Do you remember the first bottle of wine that inspired you to collect?

Jason: “It was a Rhone, but I can’t remember the title. Anyway, the dollar was strong back then and before I had the means to purchase expensive collectible wine, I bought Australian and Chilean wines. My first big purchase was a bottle of 1996 Penfolds Grange. In 2001, I drove to Birmingham and drank the bottle with some friends at a delicious meal. It was a tremendous wine.”

Matthew: How many bottles are in your collection?

Jason: “I have about 220 bottles in my collection, but I’m looking to drink my drinkable wines and hone my collection.”

Matthew: Do you have a buying strategy?

Jason: “I don’t have a formal buying strategy yet, but I’m beginning to formulate one. I have some Italian, French, CA cult wines, Australian, and New Zealand wines…it’s currently all over the place. About 200 of my bottles are collectible. I’d like to get into the Bordeaux futures market. I see the strategy developing as:
1. Buy interesting wines
2. Buy and sell wine as an investment
The worst that can happen is I get stuck with lots of really good wine.”

Matthew: How do you effectively keep track of your inventory?

Jason: “I use CellarTracker. It’s the only way I can keep it organized while I make purchases during my travels.”

Matthew: Do you have a specific purchase you most proud of?

Jason: “A magnum of 1977 Dow’s Vintage Port. I held it for a long time and when Alabama played in the Rose Bowl, I opened it with a group of good friends. It’s the longest I’ve held a really special bottle.

I was also given a bottle of Penfolds Grange on my 40th birthday from Peter Gago, of Penfolds. He’s a friend of mine and I knew that the bottle had only had one owner. I’m really proud of that one.”

Matthew: What’s your favorite wine pairing?

Jason: “Port and chocolate. Like a molten chocolate cake with a 20 year old tawny.
I also love Sauternes and foie gras. My favorite pairing so far has been a 1959 Chateau Caillou “Crème de Tete” with foie gras from Le Comptoir du Terroir in Paris.”

Matthew: Anything else you’d like to share about your collection or wine in general?

Jason: “I see, I buy, and I figure out as I go. My collection is an education in itself.”

Wine 101: Off-Site Storage

Ideal 55 — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:39:25 +0000

by Leah Greenstein of K&L Wine Merchants

Ideal 55, a locally-owned company founded by George Fansmith initially to house his own wine collection, currently has four locations in the greater Los Angeles area (and one coming near LAX), offering top-notch storage and security for your wine whether you want to build a small collection, like me, or are on your way to amassing a large one. (They even have full-sized rooms perfect for restaurants, bars, hotels and people who have more money than Steve Jobs.) Their newest facility, which is just blocks from K&L Hollywood and opened back in March, is state-of-the-art, with biometric security, steel construction and on-site WiFi. And like all Ideal 55 wine locker facilities it offers 24/7 access to your wine, which is kept at a cool 55 degrees with 70% humidity, using multiple, extra-reliable refrigeration units to maintain temperature.

Not only are wines in Ideal’s lockers kept in optimal conditions, they’re unbelievably safe. One of the things that makes Ideal extra secure (besides their larger rooms being wired for retina and palm scanners) are the keys. Each locker is keyed separately, says founder George Fansmith and, “we own the license for the patent on this key. What that means to you, as a user, is this little key cut…world-wide that key cut belongs to Ideal 55 so no one can make a copy of it.” They also have electronic key fobs that require you to swipe upon entering and exiting, biometric fingerprint scanners that ensure even if your key and your fob are stolen that your wine is secure, and no signage on the street advertising where your wine is kept.

On a recent tour of the Hollywood facility George stops at a small locker stuffed, literally, with brown cardboard boxes, some on their sides. “Our basic unit that we build, we call a 12-case locker,” “we design it to be one, two, three cases across, two cases deep and then two cases tall. But we build our lockers tall and we give a lot of finger room…and one of the reasons I bring clients here is because he has 14 cases in a 12-case locker. That’s a great example, at least to new clients, of the use they can make of the space.” Lockers come bare, so you can also set up your own racking, if you’d prefer to take your wine out of boxes.

March 2011

Ideal 55 — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:16:51 +0000

A Special Invitation and Offer
from Ian Blackburn and Learn About Wine
to the Friends of Ideal 55 Wine Lockers

About the Wine Tasting:
One of Learn About Wine’s flagship wine tasting events of the year: STARS OF NAPA VALLEY, featuring more than 40 of the world’s leading wineries from the world-renowned wine region. Now you can share in the excitement and celebrate with your friends as well as some of the top vintners in the area—possibly North America’s best-known appellation. The STARS of Wine, the winemakers and the owners will be showing off and teaching wine by pouring over 100 different wines at the “5th Annual Stars of Napa Valley Wine” event.

Who:
Ian Blackburn, considered to be Southern California’s leading wine educator, brings his unique form of wine knowledge and enjoyment—“LearnAboutWine (LAW)”—to wine experts, the beverage trade and the wine-loving public. Wineries included as of this writing: Amuse Bouche/Coup de Foudre; Beaucanon; Frank Family; Hall; Grassi; Jericho Canyon; Lail; Peju; Pride Mountain; Robert Biale; Round Pond; Signorello Estate; Silverado; T-Vine; Truchard; Veedercrest; Venge; Virage; ZD Wines, and many more!

Location and Address:
Wednesday March 23rd, 7pm to 9:30pm
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
9882 Little Santa Monica Bl. Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Thursday March 24th, 7pm to 9:30pm
Scott’s Restaurant
3300 Bristol St. Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Tickets:
Enter promo code “55” to get your ticket for $55
That’s a $24 savings off the advance ticket purchase price of $79 and a whopping $70 off the at the door ticket price of $125. Your promo code expires March 5th at 5:55 PM! This offer may not be combined with any other offer. For tickets visit: www.learnaboutwine.com or call 310.451.7600

Learn About Wine:
LearnAboutWine hosts more than 100 wine events a year for private collectors, auction houses, the beverage industry, and tens of thousands of enthusiasts wanting to expand their knowledge of wine – one of the world’s most fulfilling social, business and lifestyle pursuits. LAW has taken wine out of dusty cellars and into the light, and popularized wine education and tasting in a way that is exciting, engaging, and…fun! Please register for the event at www.learnaboutwine.com. 100% of the silent auction proceeds benefit the TJ Martell Foundation, and funds children’s cancer and aids research and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: www.tjmartellfoundation.org.

Feel free to forward this e-mail to your friends.

Visit www.ideal55.com for more information, current availability of lockers, or for a tour.

February 2011

Ideal 55 — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:56:58 +0000

We Hope You Enjoyed Pinot Days!

Thank you for entering Ideal 55′s raffle.

Lease a wine locker or room before March 1st and receive one month free, this offer is not transferrable.

Ideal 55 has wine locker locations offering 24/7/365 access in Hollywood, Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey, Hermosa Beach, and coming soon to LAX/El Segundo and we have a facility in San Francisco.

Lockers start at just $26 per month for a locker that holds up to 168 bottles. That’s as little as 15 cents per bottle per month.

Here is the raffle winner:

$150 Gift Basket: Rebecca A.

November 2010

Ideal 55 — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:20:46 +0000

Looking for just the right bottle for your dinner party or event? Like great pricing? I’d like to introduce you to one of Ideal 55 Wine Lockers’ friends that can help you with both:
Sepulveda Wine Co. (www.sepulvedawine.com)
Please accept a certificate for $5 off of a $10 tasting.
Person must present this e-mail newsletter at time of tasting.

Here’s some more information about Sepulveda Wine Co.:
Sepulveda Wine Co. is a retail wine store and tasting bar offering fine and value wines to fit most tastes and budgets. We also offer a selection of well-known and unique spirits along with fine and Vintage Ports, Sherry, Liquors and Beer. Are you just beginning to enjoy wine? Is Robert Parker your best friend? Either way we’re committed to extending helpful advice along with providing the best quality wines at value prices in the store as well as online purchasing and shipping.

What Makes Sepulveda Wine Co. a Better Wine Store?
Prior to selecting a wine we taste and evaluate the wine based upon select criteria; consequently we know our wines. We have a tasting area where you can sample wines and attend winemaker events. We offer friendly, helpful and informative advice about wine and pairing wine with food. We offer a selection of fine and value Wines, Vintage Ports, Sherry, Ice and Dessert Wines, Grappa, unique Spirits and Beers. We offer a monthly wine selection with local free delivery or shipping if out of the area. And, it’s always a good year for our prices. Sepulveda Wine Co. is a regular contributor to local charities, schools and churches.

Also check out Sepulveda Wine Co. “SideBar” (http://www.sepulvedawine.com/tasting-today.asp) for scheduled events, tastings, special pricing and newly arrived wines.

Join the SideBar, a twice monthly publication describing scheduled events, tastings, special pricing and newly arrived wines. Sign up (or remove) your address by clicking on “Join the SideBar”.

After all that shopping and tasting, you’ll need somewhere to age your new treasures. New clients, please contact us to make an appointment for a tour:

San Francisco: http://www.ideal55.com/sanfran.html
Rooms – 35 to 60 square feet
Lockers – 12 to 15 and 24 to 30 case configurations

Hollywood: http://www.ideal55.com/hollywood.html
Rooms – 33 to 450 square feet
Lockers – 12, 27, 39, 45, 51, and 54 case configurations

LAX/El Segundo: http://www.ideal55.com/segundo.html
Coming Soon

Marina del Rey I: http://www.ideal55.com/marina.html
12 to 15 case locker – 6 available
10 case locker with racks – Contact us
24 to 30 case locker – Contact us
36 to 45 case locker – Contact us

Playa del Rey: http://www.ideal55.com/playa.html
12 to 15 case locker – 5 available
18 to 21case locker – 4 available
24 to 30 case locker – 4 available
36 to 45 case locker – Contact us

Marina del Rey II: http://www.ideal55.com/marina.html
4 rooms from 35 to 150 sq feet are available

Referrals
Happy with our convenient locations and 24/7/365 access? Have a friend that is looking for space? Forward this e-mail and if your friend leases space you get a free Riedel Vinum glass and your friend gets their first month free.

Do you own a business with clients that might fit our demographic? Contact me for details about a referral program that rewards your business.

October 2010

Ideal 55 — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:32:44 +0000

Ship Wine to Your Hollywood Wine Locker

Ideal 55 can accept your delivery and place the box in your locker for $7 per box.

Optional: For an additional $15, we can transfer your bottles to a heavy duty storage box.

We accept shipments for all clients (lockers and rooms) in Hollywood and for clients that lease rooms in any other Southern California Ideal 55 facility.

Here is the delivery address:

Ideal 55 / [+YOUR LAST NAME AND FIRST INITIAL HERE]
c/o JLA
13152 Raymer St. #D
North Hollywood, CA 91605

Here is the FINE PRINT:

Deliveries accepted at the above address 10 AM to 4 PM, M-F

Boxes will be placed in your locker once every 30 days

If the box will not fit in your locker, we will first transfer the bottles to a new storage box for $15 and if it still will not fit, we will place the new box in a new locker that we add to your lease.

Let us know if you have any questions.

September 2010

Ideal 55 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:16:14 +0000

Ideal 55 on Merrill Schindler’s Feed Your Face on KABC Radio

We are thrilled to announce that Merrill Schindler, editor of the Los Angeles Zagat Survey, will be talking about Ideal 55 on his KABC Radio show this Saturday. Merrill’s show Feed Your Face airs live Saturdays 4-6 PM before the Dodgers broadcast on 790 KABC.

Even with Merrill’s advice are you not convinced you need to properly store your wine? Check out this information on our web site. Here’s an excerpt:

“…While many wine enthusiasts understand the value in this, you would be surprise to know how many wine fanatics and people who consider themselves “collectors” don’t completely understand the reasons behind proper wine storage. There are a number of components that factor into the equation…”

Continue reading the full article on Proper Wine Storage >>

Coming this Fall
Stay tuned for some great wine shop and restaurant deals coming up in our Fall newsletters.

Do you have Fall shipments coming?
Fall shipments coming? Lease space before those bottles arrive. Check out the availability at each of our locations:

Hollywood
Marina del Rey
Hermosa Beach
Playa del Rey
LAX/El Segundo
San Francisco

Referrals Happy with our convenient locations and 24/7/365 access? Have a friend that is looking for space? Forward this e-mail and if your friend leases space you get a free Riedel Vinum glass and your friend gets their first month free.

Do you own a business with clients that might fit our demographic? Contact me for details about a referral program that rewards your business.

July 2010

Ideal 55 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:23:52 +0000

We Hope You Enjoyed Pinot Days!

Thank you for entering Ideal 55′s raffle.

Lease a wine locker or room before September 1st and receive one month free.

Ideal 55′s first San Francisco location in South Beach/Rincon Hill offers 24/7/365 access and a full service facility offering everything from shipping and receiving to inventory management is coming soon.

Lockers start at just $26 per month for a locker that holds up to 168 bottles. That’s as little as 15 cents per bottle per month.

Feel free to forward this e-mail to your friends.

Here is the raffle winner:

$100 Gift Certificate to the local wine shop of your choice: Aaron D.