A QUESTION many people wonder is just when a wine is ready to drink, well Jean-Marc offers some advice.
And remember if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section at the end of the article.
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Below is a translation of the show:
Apogée
Dear wine lovers,
One of the most frequent questions I am asked when I talk about wine is :
When do I know when my wine reaches maturity ?
Well, since wine is often an unpredictable subject (and hopefully it will remain as the last thing we want is to drink an industrial and regular “product”), the answer is not easy…
The big picture answer is : The quicker the wine reaches its “apogée”, the quicker it will decline. An easy example is with a Beaujolais Nouveau that is at its best in November and almost dead in June. On the other hand, a 1961 Bordeaux which is mature now will remain beautiful another 20 years and start declining after.
If you want to know at which stage a wine of your cellar is, open a bottle, drink 90% of it in a laps of two hours and try to see how it evolves during this time.
Then, do not protect it from oxidation and retry it the next day.
– If it has improved in the first two hours and even got better the next day, let it sleep at least another 5 years and try it then.
– If it has improved in the first two hours and declined the next day, drink it in the next 10 years with other tries in order to know how it actually evolves.
– If it declines within the first two hours, drink it quick.
Of course and as I said earlier, wine can be unpredictable. It has phases when it opens up and closes down. Some traditionalist winemakers* will also tell you not to taste a wine at its anniversary since it has the memory of harvest and that it gets a little crazy at this time period.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
**Winemakers = Maîtres de chais
Jean-Marc Espinasse is involved in the wine making of Domaine du Banneret and distributes a portfolio of French wines in the US and provides wine education courses.
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Comments
3 responses to “When a wine reaches maturity”
I’ve recently received a bottle of Dom Perginon Vintage 1996 as a gift. Should I give it a few years in the cellar, or is this bottle ready for consumption now? (I have a big event coming up soon, so if it’s ready now, I’d love to break it out).
Hi Dan
I’m afraid your question goes beyond my meagre knowledge of French wine.
I would suggest you drop in on the website of wine writer Jamie Goode, please see:
http://www.wineanorak.com/blog/index.htm
All the best, Craig
Dan!
Bit late I’m afraid! Maybe useful for the future! In essence, all Champagne or other sparkling wines, bottled, with the capsules undamaged are always “ready for consumption”.
The question of whether you should “lay them down” is relative to your requirements,your wallet,your available space etc., but in general, if you can lay down for a while, then do so.
If you can lay down for a long time, then do so from an “investment” point of view, but only the well known brands and producers, and only if you really have good conditions of stockage.
(iwmpop)