Old Wine

[dananne]

IMHO = "in my humble opinion"

As far as aging is concerned, it really is a variable thing, dependent on things like producer, varietal, vintage, etc. Most wines today are made to be ready upon release, and I've heard most wines are consumed within 24 hours of purchase. As a general rule of thumb, most whites are best within 3-4 years of vintage, though some can age for quite a while (some white Burgundy, some Riesling, some Chenin Blanc, etc.) Reds in the $15 and below range, for the most part (and there are exceptions to all of this), are made to be consumed early, like within 5 years of vintage. Every once and awhile you'll find one that can go longer, but those are probably exceptions as opposed to expectations. I'm not saying pricier wine is always better, mind you, but that that price range is generally ready upon release.

There are many wines that do typically age well, such as Bordeaux, Cali Cabernet, Rioja, etc. Some are best at 5 years, some 10, some can last decades. Again, however, it always will be dependent on those variables I mentioned above. It makes for a bit of trial and error for the drinker, but that's the fun part for us [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

In short, there's only one way to know if a wine has gone over the hill, and that's to pop the cork. My suggestion, however, would be for you to have some back-ups ready in case the wines listed above are no longer good.