The Drink Business had a fat headline the other day: “Natural wines can be aged for 50 years.” Said by Isabelle Legeron, a French wine expert and a big advocate for this type of wines. 50 years, that’s fantastic.
Most “normal” wines cannot be aged that long. So if you want to make wine for long ageing, just don’t pour sulphur in the wine…
But joking aside, few wines can be drunk with pleasure after 50 years. In fact, most wines should be drunk within, say, five years. But we also sometimes notice that some relatively simple wines that have been “forgotten” in our cellar evolve unexpectedly well. The other day, for example, we had a white Beaujolais from 1999, purchased for 65 FFr (~10 euro) and it tasted like the best Meursault.
So yes, you can sometimes – perhaps even often – get happy surprises.
On the other hand, there is an exaggerated reverence in the wine world for “age”. Often it is as if some wine enthusiasts think that age in itself has value. Some say that a wine had to be aged, or must have the capacity to be aged, for it to be considered as a great wine. That is preposterous.
I remember that I once saw a curious tasting protocol used to evaluate and score wines. One of the parameters for giving points was to assess the wine’s aging potential. A wine that was estimated to need 15 years before becoming pleasurable got a high score. Was it already good as young it got less points.
Then you have fallen into the trap to appreciate wine for what it says on the label instead of appreciating what is inside the bottle. In fact, age in itself has no value.
Of course, some wines need to be aged in order to develop more character. Then there is good reason to cellar them. But the wine is not better – by definition – just because it needs age to mature.
If you age wine you also need to be aware that the wine can significantly change character. Many “inexperienced” wine lovers would perhaps not appreciate an old wine. The taste is too different from what one is used to. It may well be that this is the reason for many a bottle having been poured out in the sink as “too old” and undrinkable. No, they were not too old, just different and naturally aged.
Often travellers on our wine tours ask the winemaker how long he thinks his wine should be aged. It happens not infrequently that they then get a question in reply: “Do you think the wine is delicious to drink now?” With the subsequent comment: “It you think it’s good now, drink it now!”
A good principle really.
Finally: Take a look at the autumn wine tours: Bordeaux (only a few places left) and the Douro Valley. Don’t delay booking your trip if you want to come with us in the fall!
Similarly for long-ish winter tours: both South America and South Africa are on the program. Both are fantastic wine destinations! And it is time to book now.
Happy reading.
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief!
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