When to drink wine?

The answer to this question is now. Well not literally of course. I usually wait for dinner to enjoy the first sip of the day.

Rather the question relates to aging. And again the answer usually is, now. The economies and dynamics of the wine world compel producers to create wines that are ready to drink when they arrive on the shelves of your favorite wine shop.

Unfortunately, not all wine stores can be counted on to remove wines that are past their prime. And keeping a wine too long before opening can lead to disapointment as well.

I had an experience like that today.

Tonight I opened a bottle of La Viarte 2003 Pinot Grigo that I had purchased last spring. I waited too long. The remnants of a very delicious wine were there, but the overall taste was bad, a strange kind of overly fermented flavor.

Pinot Grigios like many white wines are meant to be drunk young. Red's tend to lend themselves to more aging but this is not always true.

If I am looking at a particular wine I check the quality of the age before I buy. For example I was looking for a Foradori Teroldego, a wine that I liked but was not that familiar with, when I found a 1999 in New Jersey at a great price, I Googled "Aging Teroldego" and found that it should be drunk young, not more than three years of bottle age. So I passed.

There are exceptions to the rule. Some whites and many reds are made for aging. I was at Peter Luger Steak House last fall and they had a Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino on their wine list. I have had this wine before and knew it was good. 1999 was a great year. But when the wine was opened and I tasted I was disappointed. Why? The wine needed more time to age. It will be great later this year and beyond. Wine Spectator.

The Internet is an invaluable tool when searching for good wine. But there is nothing better than having a relationship with a good wine merchant that knows your taste. And around Montclair I think there is none better than the people at Amanti Vino.

Comments

[Alcohol Awareness]

With all of the stories in the news of people who have received multiple DUIs, the increased crack downs on drunk drivers, and the horror stories of alcohol-related fatalities it seems to me that you and other wine lovers need to get your message out to more people. Let people know that drinking wine in moderation has been shown to have many health benefits. Spread the news about the fun and good times you have experienced with wine :-)

[SH]

Peter,
Great site. Keep up the posts!

You're right to stress that most wines are made for early consumption, but lots of good wines will improve with age (as opposed to those that will just last for a while in the bottle but not improve). Lots of entry-level Bordeaux will age well--a decade or two. I would not have expected a 2003 Pinot Grigio to be over the hill, for instance, unless it was left on a retailer's warm shelf for too long. And any wine by Elizabetta Foradori, including her entry-level Toreldego, will age well for a decade. Her top end wine, the Granato, can improve with age for 20 years. I don't know where you found the info on it being an early-drinking grape, but it ain't so!

Drinking windows in general are among the most subjective aspects of this whole obsession. The WS usually gives narrow, and early drinking windows. I find them way too conservative. On the other hand, the WA gives long aging windows to many Aussie wines that I don't think will age well for that long.

I'd hate for your readers to be turned off to some great wines if they think they need to focus on the most recent vintages. But, that said, your caution about paying attention to storage conditions in the stores you buy from is right on target. If the store isn't cool in the summer, be careful about buying anything older from them.