Don’t wait too long to open that special bottle of wine!
January 22, 2010
Don’t wait too long to open that special bottle of wine - it may be past it’s prime.
Something I learnt with a heavy heart last night - a wine I have been eyeing out for years in my little rack of treasures was finally dusted off and consumed last night (well only half the bottle).
It was 10 years old and sadly past it’s prime - the only reason we managed to drink half the bottle was because I just couldn’t come to terms with the fact that it was a gonner!
So what then is the rule of thumb for South African wines - how long from date of vintage should you wait to drink a treasured bottle?
How long is a piece of string is probably the right answer - but I do think that there are some guidelines:
- Everyday plonk - immediately to max 3 years
- In general most South African wines will keep for 5 years or so.
- Exceptionally well made wines from top estates will probably peak anywhere between 5 and10 years - with 10 years being about the max.
There are of course exceptions to the case but I think this is a fairly reasonable guideline - what do you think?
Posted in SA Wine Industry
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I enjoyed a 1979 Alto Rouge Dry Red last year for my 30th birthday and I must say it was delicious. It was a bit brown in colour, but the palate was smooth and it went down like a dream.
The only fault that we could find with the wine was the cork. It did not break, it just went straight through when we tried to open it.
The winemaker at Annadale where I bought the wine from gave me some useful hints. Firstly, where you store the wine is very important and also to keep the wine at a horizontal level, even when you carry it from on place to the next. This will help the cork stay moist and prevents it from breaking.
They have some vintages dating back to the 60’s at Annadale. I’ve also tasted the 1986 on a visit to the farm and it was also perfectly drinkable.
Maybe they just don’t make them as they use to back in the days.
January 23rd, 2010 at 9:49 am
Problem is: most people don’t mature their wines properly. Assuming you do, our best wines can age quite a bit. I found some 2002 Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling this week in a bottle store. It has been lying there for seven years without being sold (so: badly stored) and I made the owner an offer he accepted. Opened the first bottle last night - YUMMM!! This badly stored wine from a bad vintage proves exceptions are also out there. Good area, great cultivar, solid pruducer and eventual price is what made me take the chance on it.
In the last year I had some really superb older white wines, including a sublime 1997 Klein Constantia Semillon that looked and tasted years younger and still has legs to go. Then again, I had a 2009 Du Toitskloof Sauvignon Blanc at the end of last year and it was already on a downward curve (the younger, the better for those). As far as reds go, some ’74’s and 76’s are drinking better than many late 90’s, due mostly to changes in wine-making styles.
Generally, for me the following plays a role in longevity, though there are many exceptions (I’m not even going into bottle variation and infections):
1. Maturation facilities
2. Cultivar (eg. Riesling better than Crouchen Blanc)
3. Vintage (in our climate, cooler vintages generally age better)
4. Grape origin/terroir (cooler often better, but mostly about matching the cultivar to the specific area)
5. Age of vines (the older, the better - but tell that to the 1986 Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc)
6. Balance (low natural pH, tannin and good fruit are all important, but balance in the vineyard and in the wine is more important - too many high-alcohol, extracted wines nowadays)
7. Style (obviously, the winemaker’s hand plays a big role)
8. Added sulphur (it’s a preservative, so self-explanatory)
9. History (you won’t miss the mark by too far if you age your Cape Point Vineyards whites and Kanonkop reds, for instance).
That’s all I can think of now, but there’s more. Even if you try and take all factors into account you will, time after time, be surprised by the underdog shining and the icon folding. Isn’t that one of the reasons we love tha magic of wine?
January 23rd, 2010 at 7:29 pm
I am sitting on several bottles of well aged California Cab and Bordeaux. Given what I am waiting to open, I don’t have too much fear that it will have evolved past their primes, but you just don’t know.
Enjoying a properly aged/cellared wine is truly magical. I guess you just have to take the risk sometime to get the reward you seek.
Cheers
January 24th, 2010 at 8:45 am
O also check out this gadget which will indicate the wine’s aging potential http://wyn.cc/gt8v1
January 25th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Had some 1999 Cloof Cabernet Sauvignon and 1996 Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir this weekend. They’re both great now, but there’s no indication that they are getting too old. In fact, they might still improve.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
hi everyone thanks so much for the insightful comments.
it seems that many of your south african wines have lasted quite a bit longer than i suggested they might.
Although as you rightfully point out Kwispedoor it’s a far more complex question isn’t it - so many factors to consider - the most important for me being the cellaring conditions, varietal and winemakers style.
appreciate all the comments - hope to chat to you all again soon!
February 16th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Yes, in my experience few South African wines are happy when they get much beyond seven or eight years old. On the other hand Sauvignon (from cool climate regions) - especially under screwcap - is delicious at two or three years old. In the mid-90s the rule was to drink them before the next vintage was released.
And, yes, the cupboard in the spare bedroom may well be dark, but the temperature is not appropriate for long-term storage.
When it comes to special bottles, my view is that there truly is no time like the present:
http://oscarspleasure.com/no-time-like-the-present
Cheers!
February 16th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Cellaring conditions count a lot. How many people are able to keep their wines at a decent temperature consistently? This variation plays a big part in how quickly wines age. Cheers
February 18th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
great article oscar - couldnt agree more. its such a hit and miss. lately every bottle ive been waiting patiently to open has been a let down. but the one bottle was bloody marvelous and well worth the wait.
its like that scene from sideways - you never know where it is in its evolution.