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- Dogwalker - 01-18-2001

I know that this could be like which came first the chicken or the egg, but here goes. How does one, if one can, determine how long a wine is good for - maturity age? Sometimes you will see it listed somewhere or other. But if there is no info can you figure it out some way or go someplace to find out?
Thanks, Chuck


- Bucko - 01-18-2001

DW, don't even go there my friend. No one, I repeat, NO ONE can reliably predict ageability of wine IMHO. I have seen many "experts" predict over the years and fall flat on their face. I've drank highly rated wines that were dead after 15 years and drank lowly wines that were still kicking after 40 years (an example being the 1955 Martini drank in 1995). Yes, many wines have known track records for aging -- you are pretty safe with those, but you can even get burned with them on occasion.

Bucko


- winoweenie - 01-19-2001

DW, The Buck-Man has tolt you like it be. Track record is the most reliable. To bolster Buckos` point, I found and orphan bottle of Zin in my cellar two or 3 months ago. It was a Cavedale, 1940/1961 Blend. We opened it at Sportsman and it was a kick-patootie bottle. Oh, I paid 1.19 for it in 70. winoweenie


- Blue - 01-19-2001

Although no one can say definatively how long a particular wine will age, there are broad clues that help us to determine when to drink our wines.

There are two things that have a high impact on maturing ability Grape Variety (Cepages) and Quality of the wine (By quality I mean vine density, quality of soil, weather that year -lots of rain right at then end of the season is BAD etc. Note this applies more to Old world than new world). So outside of the obvious answers you can get from the Grape Varieties (e.g. Gamay hmmmm, can't keep that for 30 yrs) you should try to determine the overall quality of the wine. Granted this is not a completely objective process. I would look at things such as Yield, drainage of vines, amount of sun that year (and when) etc.

One of the challenges is that in the past New world wines' keepability have been very much understimated by wine critics especially wines from California. The new world's use of technologies and different climate conditions have meant that traditional methods of measuring quality are less reliable...The French have severly underestimated the quality of the wine produced in quantity in the new world and have had to adjust their own production to compete (mostly in the middle of the spectrum).

As WW said though easiest thing to look at, how has this wine (and similar wines) matured in the past in similar types of years.

Another thing to do is obviously to buy a case and pop open one of these puppies and see how its doing...Year, Wine History and Tasting by pros is how we get those guidelines you find in books. In many cases they're right, and in quite a few cases we get surprised....that's what makes this so much fun, it ain't an exact science!

[This message has been edited by Blue (edited 01-19-2001).]