Dear Dr. Wine:
I've read that certain wines should be consumed soon, say within a year or two. Other sources discuss how age increases the value of wine, both in taste and cost. When I'm wine shopping, what criteria should be followed to classify my purchases, i.e. how do I determine how long a particular wine can or should be stored before being opened?
— B. H., Elmhurst
Dear B. H.:
In some cases, aging a wine can actually diminish its taste and value. Most white and rose wines ought to be consumed within the year after they're made. The idea there is to retain the freshness and fruitiness that makes white and rose wines appealing in the first place.
Some whites—sweet, late-harvest wines, say, or some white Burgundies—can hold up for several years and even improve, but they are a small minority of white wines.
Hard as it is to believe, did you know that between 95 percent and 98 percent of all wine made in a given harvest is consumed before the next harvest? ( These figures come from the Office International de la Vigne et Vin in Paris, keepers of such statistics on wine. )
The idea of putting a cork in a bottle of wine—white or red—and then keeping it for more than 12 months is simply foreign to most people on earth.
So, you are asking about a very small percentage of wines, mostly red wines, that benefit in both value and taste from some time in the cellar.
But your question is a tricky one: how to determine which of those to purchase without benefit of tasting them first?
In broad sweeps, you're safe with such wines as mid-range Bordeaux ( you're very safe with expensive Bordeaux, of which there is an increasing amount ) , Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, red super Tuscans ( Solaia, for example ) or Cote Rotie. There are dozens more examples, but all have proven, in general, to stand the test of time and to improve because of it.
The 'improvement'' comes in the form of increased complexity and an integration of the wine's several parts ( its tannin, for instance, fruit and acidity ) .
When a fine red wine is young, you can discern these elements singularly, like swallowing the points of a star. When a wine ages and integrates, it appears seamless and round, its various elements reassembled, as it were, into a harmony.
Many, but not all, of the world's best cellaring wines are expensive and that is one criterion you can use when purchasing wines to age.
However, wines aren't like tailored suits or cars, where you get what you pay for. There are hundreds of fantastic wines at low prices. Indeed, many $10 and $15 bottles of red wine—from Spain, say, or lesser known regions of Italy—are far better than dozens of $50 Napa cabernets or Bordeaux petit chateaux.
They're better in taste and in value because they're simply better made wines.
Wine writers can help lead you to these sorts of wines ( and there are plenty of us around ) . You can join or start a tasting group to sample such wines before you buy them in serious quantities. Or you can simply begin poking around a well-stocked wine store, trying as you go.
What to look for inside the bottle?
Let me quote Kermit Lynch, a man who has introduced the U.S. to dozens of delicious, well-made, good value wines, especially from France. This comes from his book, Adventures Along the Wine Route.
'Great wine is about nuance, surprise, subtlety, expression, qualities that keep you coming back for another taste. Rejecting a wine because it is not 'big' enough is like rejecting a book because it is not long enough, or a piece of music because it is not loud enough.''
Happy hunting.
