“Here’s to the maiden of bashful fifteen; Here’s to the widow of fifty; Here’s to the flaunting, extravagant quean, And here’s to the house wife that’s thrifty.
Let the toast pass-
Drink to the lass;
I’ll warrant she’ll prove an excuse for the glass,” Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1751-1816, The School for Scandal, III, iii.
In combing through mental notes gleaned through my short life, I’d like to pass along some salient thoughts on wine-related subjects. This one will dwell on aging red wine, and my next one will discuss Champagne/sparkling wine.
In most red wines, tannins and naturally occurring acids, both natural components of grape skins and seeds, act as natural, chemical-free preservatives that form a tender wall around deeply fruity notes of a young wine, allowing it to gracefully age (like many of us, with luck) into a marvelously intricate and nuanced beauty, replete with complexity and intrigue – truly one of the joys of our short lives on earth. Two candidates readily come to my mind, in addition to some hefty French Bordeaux, California Cabernets and French Burgundies – Groom’s Shiraz from Australia (previously reviewed here) and its next door neighbor, Penfold’s Grange, which for years was made by Daryl Groom and earned rave reviews. I also couldn’t neglect to mention a few other East Coast goodies like Rochoili and Dehlinger Pinot Noir, as well as the perennially favorite Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and Chateau Montelena Cabernet, among a gaggle of others.
So, how does one maximize a wine’s potential for aging gracefully? Here are my tips:
– Wine likes being stored in a cool, dark space, close to 55 degrees. A space in your basement against two outside walls will be dandy. Wine does NOT like being stored in a sunny corner where the light can destroy its inner beauty. Some people prefer temperature-controlled coolers available from a variety of sources.
– Many wines cannot thrive with excessive vibration, which is why some elegant Parisian restaurants will go to great pains to locate their cellars properly and away from rattling subways.
– Store your wine on its side, to keep the cork moist and sealed against the bottle. Storing it upright can tend to dry out the cork, allowing air into contact with the wine and increasing its chance of oxidation. Bummer…
– Be patient, unlike with your stock portfolio. Well-stored wine will hedonistically and handsomely reward you!
