Peak Age

[Innkeeper]

Hi Tom,and welcome to the Wine Board. Your question is not as difficult today as it would have been a few decades ago. The overwhelming majority of wines made in the world today are made to be consumed upon release. Those that must be aged before drinking are highly tannic reds such as some from Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, the Barolos, Barbarescos, and Brunellos of Italy, and many of the reds from California that you pay more than $25.00 or $30.00 for.

There are a few ways to estimate when these wine mature. The easiest is to know approximately how long based on the variety of grape or style of wine. You can almost bet that a well crafted Brunello di Montalcino will take fifteen years from harvest to maturity. Secondly, you can buy a case (or less) and a try one every so often. When you do this you should know that aging wines travel through a bell curve, meaning that they get worse before they get better. This is because the ripe fruit, that is there at the beginning, fades; and then the wine slowly develops its complexity over time. A third way is to read. Many publications advise you when to drink a wine when it is released. You can also ask any reputable dealer when you buy the wine. There are books and web sites that advise you by vintage and region whether to hold or drink your wine. There are other systems to use, but these are a few easy ones to get you started.