Wine Library and Vinotec

My first stop for the UBC Alumni Weekend 2012.
This was established in 1999 and is headed by Dr. Hennie J.J. van Vuuren, who lead the wine library tour today. This guy likes his wine!
It is located in the basement of the building out at UBC and they opened this library for tours this weekend.
The library is divided into two parts. A tasting room and the actual cellar. The cellar was dark, humidity and temperature controlled.
When you first enter, you see the tasting room. There is a bar full of glasses and a cupboard, of which the inside panel that has autographs of various Nobel laureates that have visited the tasting room.
The cellar is locked by a heavy oak door. Inside the cellar, there is a secondary gate for more wines. Funny thing is, the most expensive wine they have (~$ 12,000 for a Château Cheval Blanc magnum) is located outside this secondary gate! I didn’t ask whether they had any first growths, but I did ask about a Château Petrus, to which he chuckled and said that they drank it! It was worth about $ 10,000.
They do buy some wines as well as accept donations for the library. In addition, they also store wines that are made by the faculty and students.
I did learn a few things about cellaring. I never knew that the choice of wood used in the cellar was important, because it can affect the wine. Corks breathe, so it can acquire the scent of the wood.
This is not open to the public, generally speaking, but they offer tours every now and then. If you’re like me and a bit of a wine enthusiast, this is one place to visit!