Sometimes a friend asks me: Can you recommend a wine?
Asked what he likes, he said he didn’t know, so it was good to drink.
There are so many varieties and producing areas in the world of wine, I really don’t know if he will find it delicious even if he recommends it to him…
Because every bottle of wine has its life cycle, when you open a bottle of wine, how do you know if you open it at the right time in its life cycle. Should you wait a few more years? Should you open it a few years ago? Does it matter when you open it?
Wine is a living thing. Even after the winemaking process is completed and the yeast has completed the fermentation work, after the wine is bottled, it will continue to mature and develop with the interaction, evolution and integration of grape molecules and ingredients, acidity, sugar and alcohol. Some wines will become fuller, more complete, and smoother after a few years of bottling (or in some cases, decades later). After staying in the bottle for a while, the others will start to fade.
The key is to understand the drinking life of different styles of wine in order to better understand when to drink, when to cellar, and when is really not important.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular wine styles and when they taste best.
Sparkling wine and champagne
Most sparkling wines and champagnes are designed to be enjoyed as soon as they are on the market. In fact, most Champagne has matured for many years in cool, dark limestone cellars cut underground in the winery before it is sold.
So anyway, whenever you want to share, just open that bottle of sparkling wine or champagne. But if you like, you can store high-quality sparkling wine in a cellar for a few years — or a champagne cellar for longer — then, the wine will have a more intense honey color and complex taste of nuts, toast and toasted nuts. .
Aged sparkling wine and champagne are best paired with food to help complement their complexity and depth.
White wine
White wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Vimentino, and blended white wines, are made with fresh fruit flavors to encourage early consumption. Especially if the wine has not been aged, it is best to taste the most vibrant fruit taste within the first two or three years after the wine is made.
Other richer white wines can be stored in the bottle for a little time. Chardonnay, Viognier and dessert wine can develop the pleasant characteristics of buttered toast, toasted cashews, bush honey and toast within a few years of extra bottling time. The trick is to ensure that the cellar is kept in a cool, dark, and quiet environment with the same temperature and humidity. Any fluctuations in temperature or humidity will accelerate the aging process and push the wine to its best condition.
Dessert wine
The high sugar content in dessert wines and fortified wines (such as Port, Muscat and Tokaj) gives them the staying power that they can store in the cellar for many years. You will find that over time, the dessert wine will have a deeper golden yellow, and the sweet, creamy fruit taste will show more like jam characteristics, with toasted nuts and toasted wood flavors (even if the wine has not been toasted) ). However, be careful. Once the dessert wine has passed its heyday, it will only have the taste of sweet, overcooked apples-with brown oxidation characteristics you really don’t want to find in any wine, let alone dessert wine.
Red Wine
Although most of the red wines on the market are very suitable to be opened and enjoyed immediately, there is still much to be said for patience in return. Lighter-bodied red wines, such as easy-to-drink mixed grapes, Shiraz from southeastern Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon from warmer regions, and lower-cost Pinot Noir, you don’t have to wait. In fact, if it takes too long, you risk losing the taste of fresh fruit.
But for more complex and richer red wines, a small or large amount of cellaring can reveal new levels of complexity, smoothness and depth in the wine.
Barossa Shiraz is very big and bold when released, and it takes several years of aging to stabilize the acidity, tannins and fruit flavors and cooperate with each other. The famous Bordeaux Red Cabernet Sauvignon tends to have such strong tannins when you are young that it is difficult to not enjoy the feeling of pouting, which will make your mouth dry and craving a piece of bread to balance the tannins.
Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal for cellaring. The firm, chalky tannins will soften into a powdery texture over time, while the black currant fruit blends with any herbaceous or leafy features in the wine. Aged red wines tend to show an iodine-like ink color characteristic, which makes them very attractive with food. The soft tannins and round and complex flavors will sing along with the food-making you happy while waiting!
