I'm quickly learning about wine. Thanks to this great newsletter. And Wine Spectator magazine. But I'm still a novice. I am confused on how to tell if a wine is made for drinking now. Or one that would/should age. Like the answer to this weeks Juice quiz; "These days over 95% of wines are made to drink right now, and don't improve with age." If I wanted to purchase wines that age well (without spending the budget of a small country). What are the standards to go by? Is there any reference material online or a book to recommend? Thanks for your help, Sean
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
I am in complete agreement with the statement you quoted indicating that almost all wines are intended for short term consumption. Even many very impressive New World reds, in my experience, are at their best within several years of release.
The attributes of a wine that ages well are concentraton (of extract) and structure (acidity and tannin in reds, acidity in whites), in balance.
It is difficult to point out one reference devoted specifically to ageworthy wines, unless you simply include all books devoted to classic wines with a long track record of developing in bottle (in suitable, but not all, vintages). The obvious candidates include:
Classified growth red Bordeaux & similar wines from St Emilion & Pomerol
Selected Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from California, Australia &
other countries
Top level (grand & premier cru) red Burgundy
Rhone Valley appellations, particularly Hermitage & Cornas
Barolo & Barbaresco
Top level Tuscan reds - Brunello, Vino Nobile, Chianti Riserva, Super Tuscans
Other selected Italian reds - Amarone, Aglianico del Vulture, etc.
Spanish reds such as Rioja Reserva/Gran Reserva, modern Priorat or
Ribera del Duero
Vintage Port
Botrytis-affected sweet styles - Sauternes, Riesling, etc.
Sadly, all these wines command high prices, in part because of their ability to improve with keeping over a long period (15, 20, 30 years or more). In my own cellar, however, I do have more modest appellations that have developed beautifully over a decade or more such as red Crozes-Hermitage, mid-level red Bordeaux, Chianti Classico, village Burgundies (red and white) and certain Australian Shiraz. So you might start with these and watch how they develop - it's great fun!
