When is the right time to drink your wine?
This question has been asked over and over. Normally there are two parts to this question. One is when is it the best time to drink that wine
(Vintage Year) and secondly, is it time now, should I wait. (Wine Life Span)
Most wine publications produce various Wine Vintage Charts that will help you to determine
What year was the best
Should I drink it now
Should I hold the wine till later
This varies between wines, countries, regions and much more.
This is just one example of what a wine vintage chart can look like. Overall it can get very confusing.
Vintage charts summarize the quality and character of the wines from a particular region in a specific year. They are by necessity general in nature, but can help consumers make good choices when faced with unfamiliar wines. They also help collectors determine when their wines will be drinking well.
(from Wine Spectator)
Normal tags associated wine various vintage years are:
Drink Now – Essentially means to drink that vintage year now
Drink or Hold – You can drink it now, but it still will last for more years
Hold – Dont drink it, instead hold on to the wine for later years
Past Peak – Go ahead and drink it now, it wont get any better
Each country, region, wine type will have the Vintage year with one of the recommendations. The higher the number, the better the wines attributes should be. Normally, wine lovers only select wines with a rating over 90.
This is an example of Italian wines from the Piedmont region of Italy.
| 2011 | 93 | Drink or hold | Rich, fleshy Barolos and balanced Barbarescos; the best have vibrant structures for aging. A fine year for Barbera |
| 2010 | 97 | Hold | A cool growing season and ideal weather before harvest; pure, elegant and structured reds, with fine potential for aging |
Two very important things to remember regarding Vintage charts and Wine Ratings:
- The fact that a wine has a very high rating, does NOT mean that this wine is
is special and that you will automatically love it. A wine rating of 95 for a
wine from this Piedmont region of Italy, does not mean you are going to like it.
You might be quite satisfied with a lower rating from a wine in a region or grape type that you like. - Wine ratings are like reviews on cars, restaurants and many other products.
Many times these ratings get influenced by manufacturers, producers, distributors, etc. At the wine retail shop I worked for in Brookfield, CT, the owner always wanted to display wines with a 90 rating or higher. These ratings basically come from three sources (Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, and Wine Enthusiast). You will find some wines that have an above 90 rating from one of those three, but yet have a below 90 from another source. I always like wines that all three sources basically had the same rating. One thing I introduced at this retail store, was a Store Selection Rating. After tasting the wine, we would put our own rating. But instead of a number value, we gave a A, B, C rating like your grades in school.
Here are some of the general accepted ratings for wine:
- 96 to 100 points – Extraordinary wines that display all attributes you’d expect to find in this variety; wines worth the extra effort to find, purchase, and consume.
- 90 to 95 points – This is the “outstanding” category and are considered terrific buys.
- 80 to 89 points – Barely above average wines that have some finesse, flavor, and character, but they have no noticeable flaws.
- 70 to 79 points – Average wines that are soundly made and straightforward.
- 60 to 69 points – Below average wines that have noticeable character flaws; are often awkward and lacking in flavor.
- 50 to 59 points – These are unacceptable wines.
In general, I always paid more attention to the Vintage year rating. Because of the many variables in producing wines, the year is important. The year could be a perfect year for wine growing. It could have a lot of sun, or too much rain, or at harvest time, it was too cold. All of these factors play a lot in determining the rating of a given vintage year
So, my message here is to pay more attention to a rating or trait that is given to a particular vintage years. And also remember, that the rating for any given vintage year varies. What might be an excellent year for California Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, might be below average from a French Bordeaux.
Now that we have a basic understanding of Vintage Years and Wine Ratings, lets get into what I call a Wine’s Life Span
In reality, this is not much different than what we can map against a humans life span. When we are young , we are full of action, a bit awkward, making bold harsh decisions. As we mature, we become more mellow and easier to take. Then as we get older and older we start to fade.
Really, not much different than the life span of a wine. So the key is to know the perfect time to drink that wine, at is peak. Nothing says that if you drink the wine too early or too late that you will not like it. But drinking it at is prime can result in so much satisfaction.
Of course, I need to state, that different types of wine, are going to go through this life span at different times. For instance, a Sauvignon Blanc life span is quick. Perhaps the best time to drink one of those is about 2 years after the vintage year. But for California Cabernet Sauvignon or French Bordeaux, those wines might not reach their peak for 10 or 15 years after the bottling date.
In general, white wines go through this life span much quicker then reds. Normally the fuller the wine, the longer life span the wine will have. A Chardonny might not peak until 4 years after bottling date, where as a full red will last that much longer.
I love PORT wines. I’ve recently purchased a half case of
Pincas 2011 Vintage Port
This Port wine has a 99 rating from and while you can drink it now, it will be at its best in 2030 and will continue to out perform into 2045.
The one mistake I have mad many times is holding onto a wine too long.
So then when it was time to drink it, it was very disappointing, where take that same wine and drink it at is prime and you have a golden gem.
Knowing the exact right time can be very tricky. But by using some of the information I provided above, your decision will be at least an educated one.