1997

[Innkeeper]

This whole business of starting collections has to be repeated from time to time. Here is a quote from Andrea Immer's "Wine Buying Guide for Everyone": "Ninety-five percent of the quality wines on the market are meant to be consumed within one to three years of the harvest (the vintage date on the label), while they are young, fresh, and in good condition. Most wines do not get better with age, so why wait?"

Not much to add to that. Only that most wine are released at the time they are ready, e.g. right now cabernet sauvignon from the 1999 harvest is being released. If you pay less than $20 for one, it is very likely to be ready to drink. So, for starting collections, you not only have to pick a type of wine, you also have to pick a quality bottling that will age well, or put another way, will get better with aging.

The grapes that age well can almost be counted on one hand. There is cabernet sauvignon and blends (e.g. Bordeaux); there is nebbiolo from Piedmont; there is a small amount of sangiovese (e.g. Brunello); there is a small amount of syrah (Upper Rhones); and a tiny amount of pinot noir (from tiny Burgundy communes). To start on the second hand, throw in petite sirah. Notice that there are no whites on this list. OK if you pay over $200 for a White Burgundy you might age it a couple of years.

Price does not necessarily determine quality, but it is very difficult to find any of the above wines for less than $20 that are worth aging. OK collectively we could post hundreds of exceptions here, but most are difficult to find. A couple that come to mind are Chateau Les Fiefs de Lagrange, St Julien; and Rosemount Hill of Gold Cabernet Sauvignon. Will also throw any petite sirah that runs more than $15.

Still talking about a very small amount of wine here is the scheme of things. Remember that 95% of all wine is ready to go when you buy it, and "Most wines do not get better with age."