First time for wine

[Innkeeper]

Hi Jgg, and welcome to the Wine Board. Don't think we have enough info on the first one. What you have told us is that it come from Bodega Noron in Mendoza and is a private bottling. The second one is a Bordeaux from Haut-Medoc. If you have a place to age with temps below 70 degrees, it will mature over two or three more years. You could drink it soon, but may do well with decanting (pouring into another vessel) for an hour or so before drinking. The Italian White is a nice refreshing wine, but very overpriced. You should be thankful it was a gift. There are many more Pinot Grigios of same or better quality for much less money.

If I were you, I would not be thinking about collecting wine at this point, if you mean acquiring wine you want to hold for a while. Well over 90% of the wine produced in the world is meant to be consumed on release. Once you have tasted several hundred of these we can talk about getting some long term agers. In the meantime get a rack that holds a case or two of wine, and buy a variety. Then you can choose from many to decide what to have with dinner.

Try to get to tastings at a local retailer that you feel comfortable with. The more you taste, the more comfortable you will get with wine. Andrea Immer's book, "Great Wine Made Simple" will walk you through much of the mystery in a very informal way.

Good luck.