for immediate consumption?

[sonny]

Hello! I've seen labels say "for immediate consumption, but may be store well for 2-3 years"

What will happen if I store a wine too long? will it go sour or go taste flat like water?

How do I know if a wine is for "keeping" for that nice occassion "in the future" or if I should drink it a.s.a.p.?

Thanks
Sonny

[redmonk]

you will know for sure if the wine has past its prime as you'll baisically have vinegar in a bottle... certain vines age better than others as do certain years...if you have questions it is best to ask about a certain wine and research the grape and year (etc) to determine the general time when to best enjoy....hope that helps

[Innkeeper]

Welcome to the Wine Board Sonny. Most consumers want a wine they can drink soon after bringing it home. Well over 90% of the wine made in the world meets this criteria.

However, when a winemaker puts a statement just as you quote, I usually take it to mean, "You can drink it right away if tha't what you want, but it will be really ready in two or three years." If you don't have a cool, humid place to store wine, you can cut the recommend hold time in half or more.

[Drew]

Sonny, I find that as a bottle of wine ages beyond it's prime that the wine seems to loose structure and taste disjointed, sometimes flat or the fruit has faded or is fading. Sometimes you'll notice the acidity is lacking which is needed to provide the proper backbone. Unless the bottle is very old you'll rarely have vinegar like flavors. All wines react differently and proper storage will help keep that drinking window open longer.

Drew