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+--- Thread: Where to start? (/thread-18712.html)
- kuyabe - 07-09-2001
I have recently turned 21 and I would like to start a wine collection. I have a good place to store it, but I just don't know what wine to buy. I would like to purchase some wine that will not peak for around 10 years or more. I don't like anything really dry, but other than that I like everything. Can anyone give me some suggestions on what to get?
- winoweenie - 07-10-2001
Hi Kayube and welcome to the board. If you go to the Cabernet, Bordeaux, and Rhone boards, read the posts for the last 100 days, you will find information on a bunch of fine producers that should help you get started. The vintages you should look for are as follows; California Cabernets, 1997 and the soon to be released 1999s'. Bordeaux vintages are the 1995 & 96 and if you can afford it buy some of the 2000 futures. Rhone vintages are the current 1998 and the soon to be released 1999. Have Fun. WW
- Innkeeper - 07-10-2001
Hi Kuyabe, and welcome to the Wine Board. There are wines that meet your requirements, but lets go over a few things first.
Chances are that if you don't like a wine today, you won't ten years from now, and that would quite a disappointment. Even though they morph into something hopefully better over time, the basic characteristics of the wine stay the same. So try several kinds of wine, particularly those that will age, to see what you like.
You say you don't like "anything really dry." Dry is dry, just like dead is dead, pregnant is.....well you get my drift. Dry is the absence of sweetness. When a wine is dry it got that way by having all the sugar in the grapes fermented into alcohol. The overwhelming number of wines made are dry. Only a few, are not, and those that have age potential are very expensive.
Red wines that have the potential to age up to ten years are some from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Upper Rhone, the three Bs from Italy (Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello), and some varietal reds from California and Australia made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah/shiraz, and petite sirah, and blends of these. They are all dry, but you should try lighter versions of these wines to see if the "really dry" thing is just a head thing.
White wines that age up to ten years are mostly very sweet and very expensive. They include Sauternes from Bordeaux, Beerenausleses and Trokenbeerenausleses from Germany, certain late harvest whites from Alsace and Loire, certain late harvest whites from American and Australia, and the Ice Wines from Germany and North America. All of these wines are considered dessert wines viz a viz table wines. Table wines are what you eat with food before dessert.
So there you have it. If you want to age a wine for ten years that you want to have with dinner, or afternoon cheese, you need to have a dry red. If you want to age a sweet white wine for ten years, you need to have it with dessert. Exceptions to all this? Sure but not many that will ever cross your path or mine.
[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 07-10-2001).]