Relying on quality due to age

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Last week we spent a few programs discussing aging wines. But assuming a wine is going to be very good just because it is older could be risky. 

Many people are under the impression that a wine with a few years on it must be good. This is a common misconception, perpetuated by the fact that although only a fraction of wine’s produced in the world are age-worthy, they seem to be the one’s constantly written about. To most this intimates that all wine benefits from aging and the older it is the better it must be. This is not necessarily the case. In fact, most of the wines produced today are made to be drunk young; white within the first year to three years and reds in the first three to 5 or 6 years. Red wines are not the only wines that are age-worthy, but they do have components helping to preserve them. If you want to lay down, or age a wine, first consider do you have the appropriate place and the right conditions to store it? Be certain the wine is from a reputable producer known for wines that age well? Ask your wine merchant to help you with your selections. If you are just beginning to collect you might want to invest in Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and German Riesling, since they are known to age well. If your budget allows, purchase a case so that you can monitor the progress of the wine and understand the changes a wine goes through as it ages. And self control is the final point that I will make today, because if you aren’t willing to wait, you may never find out if that wine aged well or not. And thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Vine.