The convenience of starting a wine collection

Lindemans Wines 2009 Bin 85 Pinot Grigio is a fresh white wine that is best consumed in the vibrancy of youth.

Did you know that wine is typically consumed within hours of its purchase? Three hours is the time frame I heard from a marketing executive in the wine industry, who expediently explained that more than nine out of 10 bottles sold are snapped up en route towards the dinner table or party venue.

Three hours is down significantly from the 12- to 24-hour window that used to be widely quoted by marketers, wine writers and educators. I can’t help but wonder if the growing number of premium wines bottled under screwcap closures has made for quicker consumption. Less time searching for a corkscrew. Or, fighting with a unruly cork…

The rise of well-made, affordable wine from all corners of the earth has created what is oft dubbed, the golden age of wine. We have unparalleled access to wine that because of rapid advancements in grape-growing and winemaking is ripe, balanced and ready to drink. There’s no longer need buy in cases of your favourite red wine and store them away for years, waiting for the wine to mature (which is to say become softer and more palatable as the aggressive tannins mellow).

These days, we can grab and go.

But wines that are worth storing still exist. The holidays proved to be a timely reminder of how many modern red wines, which are made to be enjoyable at the point of bottling can develop in bottle and gain more interesting fragrance and flavour. A variety of dinners and spontaneous get-togethers prompted a number of visits to my basement in search of a something fun to taste and share.

Well-made wines, which is to say robust ones with more stuffing and/or more flavour, can show more character and class after a year or so in bottle. (The same isn’t necessarily the case with low-price white wines from places like Australia, California and Chile. In such cases, freshness is their best attribute. Buy as you need.)

Cellaring is almost a necessity with Canada’s best red wines. Our cool climate Cabernet-based wines, Syrahs and Pinot Noirs need time in the bottle to integrate and soften. Ontario Pinot Noir, to my taste, starts getting interesting on its second birthday. Same goes for Merlot and Shiraz (Syrah) from British Columbia.

Most wineries don’t have the ability to sell its wines when they are ready to drink, so the onus falls onto consumers to have some patience with the wines they purchase.

If you find a wine that you believe to be particularly toothsome, consider buying two or three for your cellar. Don’t let that word scare you; your cellar needn’t be an elaborate temperature- and humidity-controlled Fort Knox. Any cool, calm, dark place with an even temperature will do. The back of my bedroom closet and a cobweb-festooned corner of an apartment basement provided serviceable homes for my earliest wine collections.

Even today, I rely on wooded racks in a tranquil part of my basement — less-than-ideal conditions, but the wines don’t seem to mind too much. And I have to say, there’s nothing like the convenience of popping downstairs to grab a bottle of wine for dinner or to share with guests. The wine is ready when I am.

Wine of the Week:

***+

Lindemans Wines 2009 Bin 85 Pinot Grigio

South Eastern Australia

$10.49 (220459) BC | $11.49 (715178) AB | $12.99 (220459) SK | $11.59 (220459) MB | $10.95 (668947) ON

Here’s a fresh white wine that is best consumed in the vibrancy of youth. The flavours suggest a pleasing mix of peach, apricot and almond, with a bit more muscle than most Italian Pinot Grigios.

Email Story Print Size A A A Report Typo Share with:
Facebook Digg Del.icio.us Google Stumble Upon Newsvine Reddit Technorati Feed Me Yahoo Simpy Squidoo Spurl Blogmarks Netvouz Scuttle Sitejot + What are these?