Wine Lovers - Which wines to cellar?

Cafe Society
1

Which wines will benefit from aging in the cellar, and which ones should be drunk young? And how long should they be in the cellar before they are mature?

I know that a very general rule of thumb would be to age reds but not whites. However, I also know that a Beaujolais should be drunk young (Cru Beaujolais excepted), and that some Sauternes can take years or even decades to mature, so there is obviously more to it than that.

So, anyone want to take a stab at which varietals or grapes should be aged? Is it more dependent upon the vintner than the grape? Or are most wines bottled these days for immediate consumption with no intent for them to be cellared?

I know that this is a difficult question with a lot of variables, so don’t think that I’m looking for a definitive answer. I’m just trying to open a discussion.

Thanks,

plynck

2

It’s good that you realize that this question has no answer. Something like 98% of the wine produced in the world is meant to be drunk when you buy it. Only a small percentage will improve very much with bottle aging. My rule of thumb for this is: Ask the person who made it. They will have a pretty good idea about what kind of legs the wine has, if any. Read Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast and note which wines they recommend for cellaring. Don’t bother to store if you can’t provide correct temperature and humidity.