Not all wine improves with age, better not to risk it. But what to keep (even among whites and bubbles)?
If a wine is born bad, it is unlikely to improve and most are made to stay in the bottle too long. Then of course there are the exceptions: here's how to work out what to save among Christmas presents
Let us immediately redefine a very widespread idea, that wine automatically improves with age. Not true! If a wine is born badly, it will die badly. A bit like human beings who, if they start out crooked, with a bad character, the years will hardly straighten them out (and, as far as I know, not even psychoanalysis can work miracles). A mediocre wine, over time, does not blossom: it withers. End of poem.
This truth needs to be repeated loud and clear especially now, under delivery of Christmas presents; the famous randomly sourced bottles for you 'who know'. Company parcels containing gritty reds, anonymous whites and the ever-present glittery label that promises wonders but will end up forgotten in the cellar until the next refurbishment. This is where the dilemma arises: what can I really store? And for how long?
Let us start with the sore point: most wines are not designed for ageing. They are made to be drunk within two or three years. They live, shine and then die. If we preserve them trusting in the final twist, the only ending will be a smell of wrinkled apple peel and a dreadful existential disappointment. So, if at Christmas you are given a soft red, a convivial Primitivo, any Chianti or a democratic shelf white: uncork them and drink them now, without anxiety. It is the only sensible choice. The great reds for ageing are others and, to tell the truth, some of them are never ready. On the rest there is no point in insisting too much. I would say no more than five years for most of them, even among the most 'emblazoned', unless they are reserves, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Chianti Classico Riserva or Gran Selezione, Amarone, Taurasi, just to give a few examples.
Then let's dispel a leathery prejudice: 'Whites don't age, they should be drunk young'. Not so. Some whites become very interesting with time and more easily paired with food, especially if they come from suitable areas: German and Austrian Rieslings, Chenin Blanc from the Loire, certain Verdicchios, some very well-made Friulano whites, the great Chardonnays, the Fiano di Avellino, the really serious Alto Adige (yes, even a structured Pinot Bianco can surprise). They have acidity, structure, nerve.
And Classical Method sparkling wines and Champagne? Same logic, with one more element to consider: carbonation. I don't know about you, but I don't like the obituary effect.When I open a sparkling wine the cork must have dignity, if it goes 'pluff!' we are already in the geriatric ward. Per perlage is fundamental: why else subject the wine to all the complexity and technology of sparkling?
