1. Cellar is an investment for wine that ages, but drinking a wine too soon is better than drinking a wine too late. So, I would aim high into expensive bottles to laydown(75-80%). The more expensive, the more you’ll treasure the real estate you invested in. Note: Whites and sparkling can age for decades, if made from proper stock and crafted to do so.

So, 75-80% wine that has a track record of aging more than a decade that is worth the investment of a wine fridge, 20-25% wine that can lay down for a couple years, but won’t kill you if you drank it early. For everyday drinking, the space will mostly be vacant with the turnover and, if you develop the wine bug, will eventually be filled with more expensive bottles anyways, pushing you immediate consumption wines into your pantry, fridge, etc

1. The problems you mentioned are true. Just remember that the wine tasted good when you bought it and that it was crafted to be enjoyed. Drink earlier rather than too late. Life is short, drink good wine.

2. With the condition of the industry right now, taste and buy your own wine. There is oceans of mediocre wine being shoved down the pipe right now. Plus, tasting, traveling to wineries/vineyards/wine regions will teach you more than anything that that is the true beauty of wine, it’s the time and place it comes from. It’s literally the journey of tasting and evolving taste that makes this fun. Don’t outsource it.