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+--- Thread: Wine Age? (/thread-19835.html)
- Oregonia - 11-24-2001
HI, Me again.
I was reading one of the other messages and there was discussion on age of wine... eg. that you should drink white wine within a few years of year made... is this true? I always thought that they got better with age...
When looking for wines to buy... is there a certain year to look for? How should I store these to keep them longer? Does storage have anything to do with the taste?
I'd love to have any suggestions I can get!
Thanks,
Oregonia
- Innkeeper - 11-24-2001
Upwards of 90% of the wine made in the world is made to be consumed upon release. Very few that should be given some age are white. Wine needs to have at least on two things to age well, tannin and/or sugar.
Very few white wines contain tannin, since it comes from skins and seeds which are usually immediately removed from white wine. One of the exceptions is a handful of White Burgundys from the Cote d'Or. The other category is sweet white wine, which represents a fraction of the sea of white wine. These include the heavier grades of German Riesling, the Sauternes of Bordeaux, and white dessert wines from other places that can, but don't have to be aged. The other 99% of white wine in the world is short lived. It is almost impossible to get White Italian wine over to the States before it starts fading. For this reason it is rarely a good idea to buy a white wine from a clearance basket in a liquor store. There are exceptions too lengthly to list, but these are general guidelines.
Red wine is another story. All red wine has some tannin in it. The general rule of thumb is you go by amount of body or weight. The lighter reds such as Beaujolais, Bardolino, dolcetto, and others rarely have much aging potential. Heavier wines such as cabernet, merlot, syrah, zinfandel that are in balance (acid, alcohol, tannin, etc) could have aging potential. You will frequently see on a bottle this message from the producer: "Drink it now, or let it rest for a few years." When you see this, always let it rest awhile. If all this is getting you confused, don't be surprised. The best teacher is experiance. The more you read, either here on the Board, elsewhere on the net, or best bet a good book, the more guidelines you will pick up. The best source of experiance is in the glass. The more wine you try the more experiance you will gain.
Before you even think about aging wine, be sure you have proper storage facilities. It must be dark, have temps that don't go much about 70 degrees F, or much below 40 degrees F ever. Humidity must be high too, because low humidity dries out the corks. If you don't have these conditions, and/or can't afford to buy such facilities, forget about aging wine.
[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 11-25-2001).]
- Oregonia - 11-24-2001
That is very good info! Confusing at times.. but I appreciate it. I just bought some wines that are from 1998 and 1999... I didn't know that age was so important. Will these sour with age? What happens to wine that sits for a couple years?
Thanks again!
- Innkeeper - 11-24-2001
Some wines finish out, and others go over the hill. When you ask questions like this, always give the complete description of the wine and the vintage. We received a question from a very nice person today, I'm sure, that asked a question about a wine had several years ago, and didn't even tell us if it was red or white.
- skogkatt - 11-25-2001
Oregonia, thanks neighbor for the follow up question. Innkeeper, we appreciate the detail answer for us novices.
- Oregonia - 11-25-2001
The wines that I bought were an Albertoni Pinot Grigio and a Shafer Vineyards Cellars Chardonnay. The first is a '98 and the latter a '99. I have no idea if they are any good... but was curious about the ages upon reading a question about ages on one of the boards. I've never had Pinot Grigio before.
Thanks for helping out an idiot like me [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Oregonia
[This message has been edited by Oregonia (edited 11-25-2001).]
- Innkeeper - 11-25-2001
Drink the PG immediately if not sooner. The chardonnay is an excellent one if you don't mind a good shot of oak. It will hold two or three more years, but won't improve much. So you can drink it anytime during that period.
- Oregonia - 11-25-2001
What is Pinot Grigio? Does it have a meaning? (dumb question... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img])
Oregonia
- Innkeeper - 11-25-2001
Pinot Grigio is an ever increasing popular Italian version of pinot gris such as you make out there in Oregon, and is made best in the Alsace. It is the middle sister in the pinot family which includes pinot noir the red grape used to make Red Burgundy wine, and is also made in your neck of the woods. Little sister is pinot blanc or Pinot Bianco in Italy. It is done best in Alsace too (we recently posted TNs on one on the German/Alsace thread), although there are some excellent California bottlings.
Pinot gris is a greenish/brownish grape that makes a white wine because the skin is removed, like most other white wines, before it is crushed. It does make a more yellow wine than pinot blanc.
- Drew - 11-25-2001
It makes a friendly dry white wine with fresh citrus and herb flavors, easy to drink, similar to Sauvignon Blanc, but softer and not as grassy.
Drew
- winoweenie - 11-26-2001
IK. The skins on all grapes are left on when they're crushed. Would be an extremely expensive and laborous process to, as the old song goes, " Peel me a Grape." WW
- Innkeeper - 11-26-2001
That's correct. Meant to say, "Before fermenting."
- Thomas - 11-26-2001
The answer to the question, "What is Pinot Grigio?" is that it is the name of a grape.
The skins of white grapes are neither removed before nor after fermentation; white grapes are first crushed to facilitate pressing for juice; the grapes are pressed and then the juice is fermented. Red grapes are crushed and then fermented; they are pressed for juice after the red color has been extracted and fermentation has ceased.
- Innkeeper - 11-26-2001
Spliting hairs here Foodie. All right, the skins of white wine grapes are removed before the juice is fermented.
- Oregonia - 11-26-2001
A friend of mine has a bottle of 1996 Pinot Noir that is made here in the Willamette Valley. It was given to her by the owners of the vinyard. I don't know the name of it though. Should I tell her to drink it soon? Or can she hold on to it? Another age question I suppose. I told her about my needing to drink my PG soon... and I wasn't sure if this was true with her particular wine or not. It sounds dumb... I know... but I told her that I would ask the "experts". [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
OR
- Innkeeper - 11-26-2001
Pinots (i.e. pinot noir) from Oregon come in versions that cross the whole spectrum. Most '96s should be ready to drink now though.
- Tink - 11-26-2001
I have just received a bottle of Maxus California Sparkling Wine dated 1991. Is this a wine that improves (or even keeps) with age? What about champagnes in general -- do they keep with age or should they be consumed within a short amount of time?
- Innkeeper - 11-27-2001
Sparkling wine does not improve with age, but will deteriorate over time. This is why some of the top Champagne houses use wine from several vintages and label it "non-vintage." Your '91 is probably still good. Am not familiar with the producer. When you pour it, be sure the effervescence is active. If it isn't your wine may be dead or at least on the down side.
- Bucko - 11-27-2001
IK, that is the convention, however I like older Champagnes. I personally believe that they improve a bit with time.
- winoweenie - 11-27-2001
Add me to that list Buckskin. I LIKES bubbly like my wimmen, wif' some age and smarts on 'em . WW