The passions of my family —from ballooning to collecting, motorcycling to politics—are legendary. A lesser known passion is our love of wine. My grandfather, Malcolm Forbes, had enormous enthusiasm for living life to its fullest, and that included building a wine collection that merged his love of history and his fondness for the perfect glass. Scouring renowned auction houses and obscure private cellars, he built an extraordinary collection that included iconic vintages such as an 1848 Château Lafite, a 1919 Haut-Brion, and a case of 1906 Châteaux Margaux.

Part of the collection was housed in the wine cellar at the Forbes townhouse in New York City. There, my father, grandfather, and uncles would host former presidents, statesmen, business leaders and others, commemorating the visits with a silver stirrup stag cup engraved with the guest’s name and date of visit. Dad enchanted us children, leading us down to the wine cellar with stories of the presidents, pulling out bottles “older than Queen Victoria,” and showing us vintages from the years of his and our births. It is only now that we realize these included a 1947 Chateaux Margaux and a 1979 Chateaux Latour.

My grandfather was a traditionalist; Bordeaux was his favorite. In our house, my parents were a bit more adventurous, embracing wines from California, South Africa, and Chile quite early, despite my mother’s upbringing in Europe.

Warm summer evenings were spent savoring bottles of Silver Oak, Opus, Nelson Creek, and Fox Creek. When my sister married in the fall of 2000, my father and I looked all over Napa Valley to discover the perfect case of wine, a 1997 Silver Oak, which

we served at the rehearsal dinner. That night, my father’s toast was a testament to the joy, magic, closeness, respect, and love that encompasses my family.

The following summer, for my parent’s 30th anniversary, we toasted them with a 1971 Penfolds Grange Shiraz commemorating the year they married, a remarkable 1947 Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux honoring the year they were born, and a 1997 Silver Oak winking at the next generation.

We value not only the great iconic vineyards whose wines distinguish any wine collection, but also the discovery of a $20 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from a small, unknown vineyard in Adelaide, Australia. More than anything, though, we appreciate the opportunity to join together with friends and family, sharing in life’s special occasions and toasting wonderful memories and times ahead.

 

Moira Forbes is a powerful force in the legendary Forbes business dynasty Her newest publication is ForbesLife Executive Woman, a luxury lifestyle quarterly designed for “professional women at the top of their game,” providing them with everything from the best hotels for business to the latest clothes for the corner office. She also serves as associate publisher of ForbesLife, the irreverent lifestyle supplement to Forbes magazine.