It’s a good rule of thumb to have tasted a wine before you decide to save a bottle for later.IL21/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Most wines are made to be enjoyed straight away. Their fruity and approachable character is meant to be enjoyed within a year or so of purchase. Only a small percentage of red, white and sparkling wines are crafted with the potential to improve with age.
But each age-worthy wine comes with a question mark: How long should you wait before opening?
If you are collecting bottles for a special occasion, the first thing to know is there no single right time to open a bottle of wine. In my wine reviews, I always suggest a drinking window based on my impression of its character at the time of tasting and my knowledge of how similar styles of wine from that producer, region and/or grape variety typically develop over time.
It’s an informed opinion suggesting a time frame to consider cellaring that vintage – time frame being the operative word. It’s not a best-before date. Whenever you opt to open that bottle is the right time in my estimation.
You’ll experience that bottle at that moment in its development and assess how your own taste in wine has evolved. You might love how it tastes and experience a wave of nostalgia that brings you back where and when you collected that bottle. Or, perhaps, you’ll question your life choices, as you wonder what inspired your purchase back then.
My own cellar is a time capsule that reflects past and presents tastes. There’s an abundance of chardonnays, pinot noirs and other bottles from Canadian producers, which have been a focus since 1988. There is also a dusty cache of zinfandels from Amador and Sonoma counties that don’t inspire the same thirst as they once did.
It’s a good rule of thumb to have tasted a wine before you decide to save a bottle for later. If you don’t like the taste of a wine in its youth, there’s little sense in keeping a bottle, but that’s not always possible. It’s my experience that wine racks often collect strays: bottles received as gifts or left over after hosting a party.
In an ideal situation, you’d buy a desired wine in multiples – three bottles lots is the oft quoted guiding principle for cellar management – to allow the enjoyment of bottles at different stages of development. Based on your appreciation, you can decide how much longer to wait before you open the next one.
As a bottle of wine ages, different aromas and flavours emerge and evolve. Fresh fruit flavours mature to dried or candied fruit notes. The colour of a red wine fades from purple to ruby to garnet. White wines deepen from yellow-green hues to golden tones. An array of so-called tertiary flavours develop over time, suggesting honeyed character in older white wines, or leather, earthy or savoury notes in aged reds.
In the most romantic light, mature wines offer a taste of history that stimulates our mouths and minds. In the harsh light of reality, not everyone appreciates, say, the boot-polish scent of an older Barossa shiraz or the petrol-y funk of an aged Mosel riesling. Older isn’t always better.
If you are the fortunate caretaker of a wine cellar of any size or scale, I wouldn’t worry about missing out on what could have been. Open and enjoy your collection sooner than later. Aging wine shouldn’t be an extreme sport.
Furthermore, special bottles always risk waiting in vain for the right special occasion or the right people – the perfect setting that never materializes. That’s why wine columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter promoted the first Open That Bottle Night in 1999. The column was inspired by how often they heard from readers wondering when to open a keepsake from their wedding or special bottle bought at winery or auction.
“Make a great meal, open the bottle and talk about the memories surrounding the wine,” the former Wall Street Journal columnists advised. (The only thing I would add is to have a back-up bottle, lest you find the older wine not to your taste.)
The idea was embraced by wine lovers around the world. The last Saturday in February each year is an opportunity to pull the cork (or twist off the cap) of a bottle that has been languishing in their collection and reflect on its evolution and the memories it sparks.
If you’re not sure which bottle to pluck from its slumber, a quick online search should provide useful information about any of the labels in your collection. Websites such as CellarTracker.com, Delectable.com and Vivino.com feature posts from wine lovers around the world about the wines they are opening and drinking. You can see if someone has sampled a bottle recently. You might not agree with their assessment, but it’s an opinion to consider.
Serious connoisseurs opt for software apps, such as InVintory or VinoCell, which can track the placement and value of each bottle while offering other support such as tasting notes and food pairing suggestions. Online cellar management isn’t something I have done, or am likely to do (life’s too short to catalogue my wine inventory), but many collectors appreciate the support in knowing what they have and when to drink it.
I would rather visit the producer’s website and see if they have any information about drinking windows for past releases. If there’s nothing posted, why not write to the winery and ask their opinion? They are sure to have a suggestion and would love to connect with a consumer.
My guess is they would tell you to open and enjoy. After all, they have more wine to sell.