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+--- Thread: red wine & storage (/thread-17842.html)
- y-me - 12-09-2003
I'm looking for a couple cases of really good red wine, not too dry, to buy and store
for about 25 years and will be used as a special gift. Please recommend a few brands ($15-$40) and also is it advisable to store red wine for that long of a period?
- Innkeeper - 12-09-2003
Hi Y-me and welcome to the Wine Board. The first thing you need is proper storage conditions. For a twenty five year haul, they have to be perfect. You will need an active or a passive system that will keep temperatures at 50 to 60 degress F, and 60 to 70% humidity. If you move during the twenty five years you have replicate the storage conditions immediately.
You say you do want a wine that is "not too dry." Do you know what "dry" means in wine? It means that all the sugar in the wine has been fermented into alcohol. It does not mean that it dries out your mouth when you drink it.
If you want a wine that actually contains sugar, you choices are Port and Port. Port will also give you the best chance of surviving twenty five years. For a dry wine you might try a 2000 Bordeaux that are still on the market. This is supposed to be the vintage of the century. Since it was the first one, this claim could hold up for a while. Another option is Brunello di Montalcino. All these wines will cost you closer to or more than the $40 than the $15.
- sedhead - 12-14-2003
Innkeeper
What if Y-me mixed in some Italian Reciotos? I've had some that have the characteristics of port be not nearly as sweet or as heavy. I believe some of the top producers of the Amarone Reciotos produce wines that are age worhty. The problem may be availabilty or price, however.
- winoweenie - 12-14-2003
Welcome to the board Y-me. I don't know a living person on the planet who has enough Chutzpah on wines to say a wine will go that kind of distance. From experience you can give a guesstimate on the age-worthiness of particular bottlings. I'd make a large wager that all 5 of the 1st growths from the outstanding 2000 vintage would make it without breaking a sweat, BUT them dudes cost a whale of a lot more than your price. The 2nd wines of the big guns mite make it IF the storage is pristine. Look at Carrudes de Lafite, Clos du Marquis, and Pavillion Rouge de Margaux. They are close to the top of your price range. Vintage ports will go the distance but cost more than the 40 top end. Good Luck. WW