Wine Collections
Collecting wines has been both a hobby as well as an investment for serious wine collectors. There seem to be a select few that looks upon wines with such value that warrants them to find the best and even the rarest wines to become part of their own collection. There seems to be a sense of enjoyment and fulfillment that some people get with wine collecting.
If you wish to collect wines of your own, there is one primary consideration that will help you succeed at it. And that would be love for wines. Without it, one would not go far in wine collecting. Love for wines would make collecting them a lifelong pursuit and not just a worthwhile hobby that one will quickly tire of. And wine collecting can be such an expensive hobby, this love for wine would surely take it to the next level.
Storage facility
First of all, if you wish to collect a substantial number of wines over time, then it is important that you provide a substantial storage facility in your home where you might be able to store them properly. This will usually require you to have your own wine cellar.
Select a damp area
Your wine cellar should be a area where you can properly store your collectibles. This would require a damp area that provides a quiet, dim spot with a pretty much stable temperature and humidity for your wines. Remember that sudden changes in temperature and storing conditions may greatly affect the quality of your wines.
Temperature: Optimal wine storage is right around 55°F temperature, excessive heat will wreak havoc on a bottle of wine.
Humidity: Ideal humidity is between 65-75%. A higher humidity level helps to keep the corks from shrinking and allowing oxygen in, resulting in oxidation of the wine.
Select wines
For some people, collecting wines may stem from different aims. Some wish to have a considerable variety of wines for drinking. Some have them just for purely collecting the rarest or the most expensive vintages that can be found in the world of wine. In either way, wine collecting may provide different objectives as well as challenges for the wine collector.
For beginners the better option would be collecting those wines that would be considered as best for drinking. After all, wines are made with the initial purpose of drinking. Other than that, wines seem to lose their appeal for most people.
How Long to Age Wine
Knowing how long to age wines can seem difficult. There are many types of grapes, many methods of production, a great variety of storage conditions and an overwhelming number of personal preferences. Each of these factors has an impact on how long a wine should be held before drinking. In general, wines gain complexity and lose fruitiness as they age. Tannic red wines also mellow and become softer as they age. Once a wine reaches maturity, it will usually plateau before slowly going downhill. Different grapes make wines with different aging profiles. As an example, most Cabernet Sauvignons will age for longer periods than most Merlots.
Of all the wines produced, more than 90% are designed to be consumed within a couple of years after they are produced. Understand that it is just as possible to age a wine for too long a time as it is to age it for too little a time.
In general, more expensive wines are usually designed to become better with age. Most inexpensive wines do not benefit from aging.
Below is a list to age some wines:
Red Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon
Commercial wine
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Drink in the short term. Hold for a few months or even a year but these are usually ready to drink when you get them.
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Premium wine
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Accessible when they are purchased but these wines may improve a few years (5-6 years from the vintage date).
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Reserve wine
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These wines are likely to improve with age. Depending on the wine, look for 7-15 years of improvement. A few special wines will age much longer.
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Merlot
Merlot is a close cousin of Cabernet Sauvingon. It has a similar aging profile but matures more quickly.
Commercial wine
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Drink in the short term. Hold for a few months or even a year but these are usually ready to drink when you get them.
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Premium wine
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Accessible when they are purchased but these wines may improve a few years (3-4 years from the vintage date).
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Reserve wine
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These wines are likely to improve with age. Depending on the wine, look for 5-12 years of improvement. A few special wines will age much longer.
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Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir loses much of its fruitiness as it ages and gains complexity. Not everyone appreciates this. It may also go through ‘dumb’ phases where the aromas and flavors seem to disappear for months.
Commercial wine
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Drink short term. A year or less is reasonable.
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Premium wine
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Accessible at purchase but will age and gain complexity with 2-4 years of age.
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Reserve wine
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These are usually bigger wines that can benefit from age. 5-8 years is reasonable depending on the wine. Some special wines (Grand Cru Burgundies) may age for many years.
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Shiraz
Most newer wine drinkers know Shiraz as an Australian product. It is usually made there in a soft fruity style although exceptions do exist. More experienced drinkers know that the grape has long been used in the Rhone Valley of France where it is usually made in a bigger style and blended with other grapes.
Commercial wine
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Easy drinking wines that should be consumed within 1 – 2 years of purchase. No benefit from aging.
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Premium wine
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More robust wines should benefit from 3-5 years of age.
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Reserve wine
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Special wines like the Grange, from Australia can benefit from a decade or more of age.
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White Wines
Chardonnay
Most Chardonnay is designed for consumption while the wine is young. Special vineyards can produce special wines with aging potential.
Commercial wine
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Drink up. No benefit from cellaring these wines.
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Premium wine
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Drink at 3-5 years from the vintage date.
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Reserve wine
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These wines can age for 4-8 years depending on the wine. Be aware that Chardonnays that have fully gone through malolactic fermentation have greatly reduced life spans. Malolactic Chardonnays have a smell of butter and unusually golden color when young.
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Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc has high acids and can produce wines that age well. They can, but usually do not. Most Chenin Blancs that you will find are not designed to age over long periods.
Commercial wine
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Drink within 3 years from the vintage date.
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Premium wine
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Drink within 5 years of the vintage date
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Riesling
Most people discover Riesling in the lower to middle grade of German wines. It can be one of the best white wine grapes for aging but only the best (and most expensive) Rieslings age well.
Commercial wine
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Probably a German Qualitatswein or warm weather California Riesling. Drink it within 3-4 years of vintage.
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Premium wine
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Better German wines or moderate wines of Alsace. Drink young or age to 6-8 years.
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Reserve wine
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The best sweet German wines or dry Rieslings like Trimbach ‘Clos Ste. Hune’ can age and develop for decades if stored properly.
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