I thought wines got better with age...?

Question

How am I supposed to start a collection when most Wine Advisor and Wine Spectator reports say that bottles should be consumed within 1 to 3 years?

Answer 1

I read a recent book by Peter D. Meltzer called, "Keys to the Cellar: Strategies and Secrets of Wine Collecting," which may give you some valuable tips on how to start your collection.

He describes different styles of collecting. Some reward immediate gratification with wines that are all ready to drink, and so the size of the collection is small. For example, if you keep a cellar with only 50 to 100 bottles of wines that are ready to be enjoyed within a year or two, and just keep replenishing the cellars regularly, then you would still have a collection on hand, but the wine would be consumed before getting too old.

On the other hand, you could do what most collectors do, which is to build a balanced cellar. Some of your wines will be meant for long term cellaring, like good quality Bordeaux, Burgundy, Port, Brunellos, Barolos, Sauternes, etc. Then you can have another part of your collection consisting of whites, new world fruit forward reds, etc that you can enjoy sooner while waiting for the big boys to age.

Over time, you will be able to tell just by tasting a wine whether it has the stuffing to allow for long term aging or not. Then, you will be able to judge for yourself rather than trust the wine critics. Essentially, it has to have the right balance of tannin, fruit, alcohol, and acidity.

Answer 2

The vast majority of wines are meant to be consumed on release - when the winery ships the wine to the retailer.

The very small percentage that improve with age improve in the bottle, if the proper cellaring conditions are provided (ignore Sam I Am, he may know about Green Eggs and Ham, but he does not know about wine).

Aging wine for long periods requires a wine cellar (any environment that supplies the conditions below), since there are 4 components of cellaring that wine requires:

Consistent temperatures of around 55 F

Consistent humidity of around 70%

Vibration free environment

Darkness

The wine refrigerators sold almost everywhere simply chill the wine; they don't provide the other required conditions.

Many retailers offer proper cellaring - ask your wine retailer.

Start collecting slowly. Taste a few highly rated wines from various publications to see how your palate matches the reviewer's.

Choose wines that will age for 5 to 10 years. Take notes on how the wine tastes now. Buy a case, then cellar it. After two years, try a bottle. Make notes, and compare them with your original notes. Wait two years, and do it again. Then two more, and so on, until the wine reaches its peak. Now it is time to drink the remainder.

Cheers!

Answer 3

Not all wines are meant to age - it is really rather dependant on what the wine maker decides to do with that particular set of grapes when they are picked. If you want one's that will age for 10 years or more, you'll need to look at the higher priced wines. Since the Wine Advisor and the Wine Spectator tend to "advertise" the wines that are drinking good now, I would suggest talking to a sommelier at a high end restaurant in your area or talk to the winemakers at your favourite wineries. They will be able to advise which of their products have good age ability versus those that should be drunk now. The sommelier will be able to give you general information and guidelines as to what to look for and may be able to give specific recommendations based on what he or she has already tried.

Answer 4

It depends on the wine. Wines with a lot of structure, like Cabernets and Bordeaux will age much longer than "lighter" wines. Wine magazines will usually give you a sense in their ratings whether a particular vintage should be cellared for a significant amount of time. Also, in recent years, as wine has gained in popularity, more wines that are ready to consume immediately are being produced...it's the american way! :-)

Answer 5

Well, this is true to a degree but it depending on vineyard and fermentation process, I drank a bottle from Tommassi Vineyards from 1999, it was extremely good, but the soil within the country is different then in the US.

You need to explore, the type of grape that the wine comes from, the region/country, the climate, the fermentation process, the type or wine (amorone, malbec, table red, cab sauv, pinot noir, merlot etc...)
You need to really explore your palate first before you start collecting.

Answer 6

It depends on the type of wine and the type of grape. Bordeaux and Burgundies often can be good for many years-you should go to a local wine-lovers wine shop and ask the experts there. I suggest also asking the people at www.totalwine.com they are very knowledgeable.

Answer 7

See some info in http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7557.asp

Answer 8

they get better with age when stored in the barrel...not the bottle in your kitchen

Answer 9

reds and ports do, whites turn to vinegar