Grapevine: Benefits/Pitfalls of Having Your Own Wine Cellar
There are a number of issues to consider when purchasing and opening a bottle of wine. Foremost is what wine to purchase that is drinkable within my timetable for consumption?
There are several decision points I consider. If I’m purchasing for a friendly gathering of friends, I’ll select wines that I know they will enjoy: young and full-bodied, which I refer to as quaffing wines. For dinner parties, I tend to serve wines with a bit of age. They tend to be more complex, more balanced and more adaptable to various foods.
For these aged wines, I reach my next decision point. Do I purchase wines that winemakers have aged at the winery, saving me the time and effort to age the wines myself? Or do I retreat to my wine cellar to select a wine I purchased several months, years or decades ago?
During December, as we celebrate the many occasions that the holidays bring about, I’m usually the go-to person for selecting the wine. Of course, there may be an ulterior motive for my friends and family: I have a wine cellar that is approaching its silver anniversary. And I tend to be in a generous mood during the holidays.
If red wines are being served from my cellar, I will decant the bottles in a broad-bottomed decanter several hours before serving. This allows oxygen to penetrate the wine over a large surface area, accelerating the breathing of the wine and more quickly opening its bouquet and flavors.
When pressed for time, I’ll revert to my well-worn Vinturi. I discovered this hand-held aeration device at Wine Enthusiast (333 N. Bedford Rd. in Mount Kisco, www.wineenthusiast.com), which enables wine to breathe as it is being poured.
I also have a device that permits me to extract wine from a bottle one glass at a time. The Coravin product (also available at Wine Enthusiast) siphons wine from a bottle without introducing oxygen into the now empty space in the bottle. This is ideal for enjoying one of my decades-old wines for which I and my wife or guest will not finish the bottle contents.
But my wine cellar can also create its own dilemmas and disappointments. A few weeks ago, as I was retrieving a 1997 California Cabernet Sauvignon (an excellent vintage that warranted aging) for a holiday dinner, I noticed several bottles in the far bottom corner of a shelf that I had overlooked. Pulling the four bottles, I realized they were a Tuscan reserve red from 1990 (one of the finest vintages of the last quarter century) I had set aside in 1995 for future consumption. To my dismay, I realized these wines, with a shelf life of approximately 10 years, were now approaching their silver anniversary.
With great trepidation, I opened the first bottle, expecting the worst: a brownish color, devoid of any vibrancy, not remotely palatable. I was correct.
Pouring this once-prized wine down the drain, I was now confronted with my next decision point. Send the remaining bottles to the same fate as the first or sample them? Annoyed at myself for allowing these wines to sit too long, I opened the bottles and began to purge their contents. Midway thru the last bottle, I hesitated. One fond farewell sip of the wine I had looked forward to enjoying but missed the window of opportunity? Surely one can never be unequivocally certain of a wine’s life span, even after sampling it a few minutes earlier?
With the certainty of the outcome firmly in my mind, I poured myself a few drops. Surprise of surprises. Wonder of wonderment. A refined, balanced wine that still embodied several of its original characteristics. Certainly past its peak, but nevertheless quite enjoyable – and unique from its earlier profile. And the last bottle I will ever own.
Wines are living, breathing organisms. As with humans, some defy expectations as they age. Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst and savor the unexpected. Enjoy the holidays; they are the perfect time to experiment and seek out your next favorite wine.
Nick Antonaccio is a 35-year Pleasantville resident. For over 15 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
