A few nights ago, I was sitting at a dinner with a couple of FOV directors. Someone asked me how to tell what wines would age and which would not. Being on the spot, I answered with the usual answers of balance, fruit, tannins and acid, etc. I have since been thinking about this question for two days and I think it deserves a more well thought out answer.
I believe wines, like us human, are alive and will change as time goes. First maturing, reach a peak and eventually slowly die of old age. All wines will age, and the question should be: will a particular wine ages into something you like. And like us, their life spans will vary. Like some of us will die young and some will reach a ripe old age.
Young wines are like young ladies at 16 or 17. They are fresh, pure, pleasant like a ray of sunshine and usually likeable and approachable. Some may have some rough edges. Most have not yet developed a personality. Wait a few years, they will develop their own personality, complexity, round out their rough spots and some may even retain and improve on their beauty. But it is like our own relationship with other people, you may take to some personality better than others. Some people you like to be friends with and some you may not be able to handle them, and you will avoid having any dealings with them. Your relationship with maturing or matured wines are similar. Some you may enjoy and treasure, others you may learn to avoid.
Part of the question that night was: why even bother to age them and set up your own cellar for aging? I think it is acceptable to not have a cellar if you think you will forever enjoy drinking young wines. But if you at some point, were offered to share a nicely aged and matured wine which you found you enjoy tremendously; it may be too late at that point to go back and start your cellar! Basically, I am saying: you may not know what you are missing if you don’t do it.
All our lives we meet and develop relationship with other people: friendship, working relationships, even our marriage. Think back now, I am sure you have your share of surprises that some people important in your life might not have impressed you as much originally and vise versa.
Wine is the same way. They are all capable of aging. The question is: will they age into something you enjoy down the road. But if you don’t let them age around you, you will never find out. There are published guidelines as to what to look for as signs of agebility, what grapes will age well, and how long you should age which grapes. Ultimately you will have to experiment and be patient to find out whether the end results are enjoyable in your own book.
And I think that is the fun part of wine appreciation!
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