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+--- Thread: OK...what to drink first (before they start going bad) (/thread-16285.html)
- jdee71 - 07-15-2005
Hi everyone,
I've really gotten into wine over the last few years... Doing a lot of reading, tastings, visiting wineries, etc. I have turned my crawlspace of a basement into a nice little cellar and have accumulated maybe a hundred bottles or so. Obviously I purchase much more than I drink (I go through a bottle a week on average...obviously much more when I have people over)
Anyway, I was down there last night thinking I need to really start drinking these...esp. the whites. I have some '00- '02 Chardonnays, Pinot Gris and Savignon Blancs. For reds I have '99-'03- Cabs, Merlots, Syrah, Sangiovese, Zinfindels and Malbecs...off the top of my head.
Which of these do I need to start opening and which should i just take my time with?
As far as types, I have everythnig from some local NY winieries, French, Italian and Argentinian reds, also California, Washington and Oregon...
Also when having with dinner is it best to put out 2 or more of the same bottles or mix it up? For instance can you start with a Cab and then open a Merlot and then a Syrah or should i stick with one varietal?
- hotwine - 07-15-2005
Welcome to the board, jdee. In general, whites should be consumed young, within three years of vintage; reds CAN go longer, but bear in mind over 90% of wines purchased in the U.S. are made to be consumed upon release.... they're not made to age. So all of those you mentioned should be drunk in the near-term.
Suggest you do yourself a favor and check the temperature in your crawl-space cellar over a period of several days. If the temp in there is higher than the ideal range (55-57F), your wines will fade even more quickly. Also, it's probably quite humid in there; if it's 70% or more, you could lose your wine labels, since that kind of RH can loosen the glue so that the labels fall off.
As far as serving the wines with meals: I serve multiple bottles of the same wine, rather than several bottles of different wines. If your pairing is good, you won't need a diversity of offerings.
[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 07-15-2005).]
- jdee71 - 07-15-2005
Thank you for your fast reply!
The temperature goes from 59 (during winter)-63 (during summer). Its always dark, cool and still so I figured it would be ok. The only light or disruptions is once and a while when I go down there. I haven't noticed any lose labels yet. I use those disposible pellet containers for the moisture because I store other stuff do there as well. Its not perfect but I don't have eletrical outlets or any vents for heat or air.
So would you say I should start consuming in this order: Whites, American reds, Spanish reds, European reds?
If 90% of wines on the market should be had young which are the 10% I should be collecting? Seems I have a lot of drinking to do :-)
- tw - 07-15-2005
It really all depends on the wine itself, but yes get those whites down first. There are very few white wines that age well. For the reds yes in general your bordeaux wines will age quite a bit longer than the fruity cali wines. Although a nice Cali cab can put down a few years too. It kinda goes on a per bottle basis. One thing you can do is buy a few bottles and drink one every few months and see how it ages. After a while you will be able to taste a wine and give an estimate as to how much aging potential it has. Hope this helps.
Chris
- hotwine - 07-15-2005
Jdee, the order you listed seems fine to me.
I don't recommend spending big bucks to sock away long-term agers for your storage facility. You might look for some that I've recently noted, such as inexpensive Barolos (Villa Rossa from Costco or Rucas from Sam's Club), or Rioja Gran Reserva such as Vina Albali; those age well, but if your storage isn't kind to them, they won't break the bank. Most Bordeaux, even cheap ones, usually benefit from some aging; look down the thread list for the Bordeaux thread for some examples. Many Cal Cabs also improve over time, but the big ones are very expensive ($100+), and I just wouldn't put such a wine into a crawl-space storage, any more than I would put a Mouton or Lafite in there.