Cellar Stories
Wine is About Making Memories for this Red Tail Couple
Tim Opsitnick and Janet Gosche have been Red Tail residents on Saint Maron Boulevard
for over 26 years. Tim is an attorney who built a successful technology company, which he sold
five years ago. Most recently, he has taken on the role of executive director of a non-profit. His
wife, Janet, is a business adviser who leads management teams to define and implement new
business strategies. The two of them partnered together on the design and build of their wine
Cellar.
Tim and Janet’s wine cellar is about half full with over 900 bottles. They have the capacity
to store almost 2,000 bottles. Most of the bottles in their cellar are reds, as Tim says that reds
generally age better with the exception of certain white varietals. “Our cellar is probably 95%
red, but we always have some favorite white varietals on hand. For example, we became
intrigued with Rieslings on a recent wine tasting trip to the Rhine and Mosel regions in
Germany.”
Tim and Janet frequently buy wine when they travel. Recent trips have taken them to
Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Germany. “Our last trip found us in Florence, where we fell in love with
Super Tuscans,” said Tim. “We returned home with some new favorites.”
When asked about their best-loved vintages, Tim said it is less about vintages and more
about memories and wineries. “We often collect as we travel, and some bottles have great
stories,” explained Tim. “If we like a winery, we keep buying from them.”
Tim says that if they particularly enjoy certain wines, they often drink some when aged
and ready and then buy new vintages as released by the winery so that they have verticals --
different vintages or years of a single wine from the same winery -- for their favorite wines.
Tim and Janet spend time in Florida during the winter months. When they travel south
and pack their car for the trip, they are certain to pack 12-24 bottles to take along. “We always
stop halfway to visit my son and his family in North Carolina,” says Tim. “I like to take
something special to treat him, as he shares our passion for wine.”
Tim and Janet’s wine cellar features a Vinotemp HVAC system to control temperature
and humidity. They typically keep the cellar at 58 degrees. Their cellar room was built like a
giant refrigerator with thick, insulated walls.