10/24/07 Collecting Wine

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Yesterday we discussed selecting wine specifically to age. With that the question arises; how long should I age this wine? Today we will briefly address collecting wines. The truth of the matter is that most of the wines made today are ready to drink when they are released. Most white wines can still be fresh for two to three years. And many of today's red wines are going to reach their peak between five and ten years. After this, the wines will develop qualities that are really a matter of personal preference. But the conditions of the cork and storage will play a large role in how well the wine fairs beyond ten years. However, do taste the wines before you purchase them to make sure that they have all of the important components for aging to begin with. Meaning good fruit flavors, a nice touch of acidity and firm tannins. If it is out of whack to begin with it honestly doesn't have much of a chance of improving with age. It's always a dilemma for collectors to decide when to open their favorite wines or wines that received glowing accolades from experts and the media. Drinking older vintages can be fun and nostalgic and that often makes people overlook the fact that the wine is over the hill. Usually if a wine is able to maintain some of its' quality over the course of time that is fortunate, because few actually improve dramatically with lengthy aging. Don't forget that you can always contact the producer and ask for their advise about aging potential. But I ask you - if a wine tastes good to you now, what's wrong with drinking it now? And thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.