SONOMA, Calif.—Someday, when California’s persistent drought is finally over, wine lovers may lift a glass to its memory, toasting the extraordinary 2014 vintage it made possible.

For centuries, wine cellars have been dark, windowless spaces with bottles stuffed into cubbies, more function than form. But that doesn’t suit a new generation, for whom wine collecting is as much a social hobby as an investment strategy.

Is the sommelier’s pretasting your bottle an expert service or an excuse for a sip of your very expensive wine? Here, the pros and cons.

The bottles of bubbly coming from California offer an appealing midway point of both price and complexity between prestigious Champagne and fun but forgettable Prosecco.

ONE OF THE MOST satisfying achievements of any oenophile is an ability to recognize a wine whose identity is concealed.

MY NOSE STARTED to quiver as my eyes, already bloodshot, screwed up in reflex in preparation for an almighty, juddering sneeze.

CHAMPAGNE LOVERS are legion. Prosecco enthusiasts are even more numerous (albeit perhaps not quite as discerning). But who are the fans of California sparkling wine?

When the Chinese government announced a crackdown on lavish gift-giving in its effort to root out corruption in 2012, the wine industry braced for a slowdown in corporate entertainment spending. But John Watkins, the chief executive of ASC Fine Wines, never thought the restrictive policies would last.

ALTHOUGH JUST ABOUT every wine in the world is created to be consumed within a year or two of its release, one of the most frequent questions that wine merchants field is “When should I drink this?”

McDonald’s plans to offer customers in its largest markets a choice of side salad, fruit or vegetable in place of French fries in its value meals and to push healthier beverages for its Happy Meals.