When Not to Age a Wine
Courtesy of
30 Second Wine Advisor
By Robin Garr
One of the more enduring myths that surround wine
appreciation is the notion that wine always improves (and gains
value!) as it ages. In answering E-mail questions about wine,
I all too often have to gently disappoint people who have been
holding as a family treasure a bottle of German Liebfraumilch, a
Beaujolais or a modest New World
Chardonnay, thinking that their thrift has earned them a rare and
expensive item that will pay the children's college tuition.
Alas, it's not so. Only a tiny fraction of all the world's wines
are meant to be set aside for long-term aging, gaining aroma and
flavor complexity - and value - as they mature under carefully
controlled "cellar" conditions, lying down at a constant 55F (13C).
Most of these wines are expensive, and most of them are red.
But probably 99 percent of all the world's wine is made to be
enjoyed soon after it's produced, bottled and sold. This doesn't
mean that you can't hang on to your everyday wines for months or
even a year or two. But just as with fruit and most other foods,
freshness is a virtue.
This point has come to my attention in connection with several
white wines of the 2001 vintage that I've tasted recently, including
the HUGUES BEAULIEU COTEAUX DU LANGUEDOC PICPOUL DE PINET and
the DOMAINE DE POUY VIN DE PAYS DES COTES DE GASCOGNE that I
reported in last Wednesday's edition, and today's tasting, a
PETER ZEMMER PINOT GRIGIO from Northern Italy's Dolomites.
What distinguishes these modest but appealing whites isn't
elegance or complexity but simply crisp and snappy freshness, a
characteristic that unites good table wines with fresh fruit juice.
It's not a characteristic that lasts long, though, so when you're
shopping for affordable whites, "Drink the youngest available" is
good advice.
One day soon I'll follow up on this theory with a 2002 New
Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that's in line for tasting. Stay tuned!
PETER ZEMMER 2001 VIGNETI DELLE DOLOMITI PINOT GRIGIO ($9.99)
This clear, pale straw-color wine boasts inviting aromas, citric
and fresh, with a springlike white-flower note that adds pleasant
complexity to the scent. Its crisp and pleasantly tangy flavor
focuses on dry and snappy lemon-lime, light-bodied and bone-dry.
U.S. importer: Vin DiVino Ltd., Chicago. (Jan. 12, 2003)
FOOD MATCH: It was fine with veggie fare, a rich but meatless
dish of vegetables in a cheese sauce over a crisp spaghetti
"pancake." I can just as easily see it as a summer sipper with
shrimp on the barbie.
VALUE: A good buy for this price.
WEB LINK: The winery Website is published in Italian, German and
English. You'll find the English version at
http://www.zemmer.com/page1gb.htm
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