When to Drink That Bottle and When (and How Long) to Hold it
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
There are a number of issues to consider when purchasing and opening a bottle of wine.
Foremost is what wine to purchase that is drinkable within my timetable for consumption? There are several decision points I consider. If I’m purchasing for an informal gathering of friends, I’ll select wines that I know they will enjoy – young and full-bodied, which I refer to as quaffing wines.
For dinner parties, I tend to serve wines with a bit of age. They tend to be more complex, more balanced and more adaptable to various foods.
For these aged wines, I reach my next decision point. Do I purchase wines that winemakers have aged at the winery, saving me the time and effort to age the wines myself? Or do I descend to my wine cellar to select a wine I purchased several years or decades ago?
As I’m once again, very cautiously, beginning to share meals with extended family and friends during these tenuous COVID times, I’ve resumed my role as the go-to person for selecting the wine for meals. Of course, there may be an ulterior motive for my friends and family: I have a wine cellar that is approaching the anniversary of its fourth decade.
If red wines are being served from my cellar, I will typically decant the bottles in a broad-bottomed decanter several hours before serving. This allows oxygen to penetrate the wine over a large surface area, accelerating the breathing of the wine and more quickly opening its bouquet and flavors.
When pressed for time, I may revert to a device I purchased that permits me to extract wine from a bottle one glass at a time, without uncorking it. The Coravin product siphons wine from a bottle without introducing oxygen into the now empty space in the bottle. This is ideal for my wife and I or a guest enjoying one of my decades-old wines without finishing the bottle contents.
But my wine cellar can also create its own dilemmas and disappointments. One such situation occurred as I was retrieving one of my favorite 1997 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons (an excellent vintage that warranted aging). Glancing down, I noticed several bottles in the far bottom corner of a shelf that I had overlooked for several years.
Pulling the four bottles, I realized they were a 1990 Chianti Classico Riserva from a highly regarded producer (and one of the finest vintages of the last 30 years). I had set them aside in 1995 for future consumption. To my dismay, I realized these wines, with a shelf life of approximately 10 to 15 years, had likely approached the end of their drinkable life.
With great trepidation, I opened the first bottle, expecting the worst: a brownish color, devoid of any vibrancy, not remotely palatable.
I was correct.
Pouring this once-prized wine down the drain, I was now confronted with my next decision point. Send the remaining bottles to the same fate as the first or sample them? Annoyed at myself for allowing these wines to sit too long, I pulled the cork from the second and third bottles and immediately purged their contents.
As I opened the fourth bottle to meet a similar fate, I hesitated. Should I try one fond farewell sip of the wine I had looked forward to enjoying but missed the window of opportunity? Surely, one can never be unequivocally certain of a wine’s life span, even after sampling it a few minutes earlier?
With the certainty of the outcome ingrained in my mind, I poured myself a few drops.
Surprise of surprises! Wonder of wonders! A refined, balanced wine that still embodied several of its original characteristics. Past its peak, yes, but nevertheless quite enjoyable, with persistent aromatic hints of black fruit and tobacco, traces of acidity and soft tannins.
And likely the last such bottle I will ever own.
Wines are living, breathing organisms. As with humans, some defy expectations as they age. Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst and savor the unexpected.
Nick Antonaccio is a 45-year Pleasantville resident. For over 25 years, he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. Nick is a member and Program Director of the Wine Media Guild of wine journalists. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
