Pre 2008 Troll: Optimum age to start storing wine

[James Roscoe]

I can't afford top shelf wines. Most of the wines I buy are meant for early drinking, thus short-term cellaring in a passive cellar has seemed to work. I really don't care that much as I think wine is for sharing, on all sorts of levels, and the hoarding of wine has never really appealed to me.

Faulty Poll!

The last option removes the chance to criticise the completeness of the poll questions Stop stealing people's fun

To answer the question, since I've been interested in wine (i.e. having more than a couple of bottles in the house at any point in time), the aim has been to buy mostly cellaring wines, which can last 5-20+ years. In the last couple of years I've found myself buying more mature wines, as much of what I have is still pretty young. I've also discovered I like older wines more than I realised.

Overall I'm just aiming for a balance, with perhaps 25% in or beyond peak drinking, another 25% approachable but with room for improvement and the rest still maturing. Nothing scientific in these figures though and I've only plucked them out of the air as a rough feel for this post.

regards

Ian

Optimum age to start storing wines?

Your parents should start storing wines when they are in their 30s. That way they have already provided for your basics and set your college fund up. Now they can start putting their money in wines. Hopefully, they will do more storing than drinking, and you will end up inheriting all the stuff they never got around to or lost interest in.

This is called a "Starter Cellar".

An alternate optimum, of course, would be to charm and then marry a Dame of the Wine World and have her bring home copious amounts of really good wine to drink. An extra bonus reward would be to get to hang around with Marquisses...er, Marquises...er, guys who have meaningless titles and wear ascots and live in chateaux.

Most of what is in my cellar are for short term (5 years or under) consumption. There are quite a few "experiments" where I have left bottles to be opened after undetermined lapses of time to see how they age. No, this is not funded by any grants yet. There are some left for when my kids are of drinking age. But seeing several notes in this post and some over the past several months, I have to ask this question. How much do you spend on an average per week on wine? I see tasting notes on quite pricey wines frequently. I have kids too and there are moments where I look at them and go, "I know you have to go to college and all, but dad really needs this $50 bottle today", but these are not too frequent. I too want to drink Brian-Cantenac more than once a year. Whats all of youse secret? Robin and some of you are professional tasters. I understand that (lucky buggers). Probably I am in the wrong Discussion Group?

Shaji, I am right there with you. I just don't have the budget for wine that others here do. I also live alone, so sometimes hesitate to open a bottle during the week. Those two factors definitely limit my intake.

I do pay attention to the tasting notes posted, however, because I am frequently a dining companion of someone who does have the budget for higher-end wines and I am often asked to select from the wine list. Yes, yes, my life is so hard.

Thank you Cynthia. It does make me feel better (somewhat). I drink wine almost everyday. Some days I manage to drink some really good stuff. A lot I learned from this site, but we won't tell anyone. But I seriously think that some postings here may be totally made up. I mean I haven't seen them drink the '61 Latour. So, we have to take their word for it. There are some tasting notes that I read and say to myself, "C'mon if you could afford to drink all that in one evening, how come I haven't read about you in the Forbes?" Maybe because I never read the Forbes.

But I seriously think that some postings here may be totally made up. I mean I haven't seen them drink the '61 Latour. So, we have to take their word for it.

Shaji,

I would have to disagree with you for a couple of reasons. First, I know lots of wine lover's and they are all in all an honest lot. They realize that faking a note disrespects the hobby that they have dedicated much of their time, and a chunk of their money to. Second, I am continually amazed, through first had experience, at how much really fine wine people do drink on a regular basis. I have been in several private cellars right here in Central Indiana (not exactly the height of wine culture) and seen stocks of Margaux, DRC La Tache, Rothschild, Screaming Eagle, and even Yquem and Petrus. I have been lucky enough to have the owners share many of these wines with me (except for the Petrus, dammit!). Certainly these people are not poor, but they are nowhere close to the Forbes 100 either. There are lots of people drinking a lot of good wines out there.

More than 90% of what I drink comes in at less than $20. I do have a stock of age worthy wines stored away and we do drink high end bottles now and then. I enjoy the notes from those who drink the big time juice and have no real doubt that their accounts are legitimate. This board is very, very friendly to everyone including those of us with limited budgets. You will find the notes on less expensive wines are just as much appreciated as those of high end product.

At 64 I still find myself purchasing the best wine I discover and afford regardless of the length of aging required. Of course my wife is 13 years younger than I am.

My purchasing has slowed down however, since my cellar is so full I can hardly get in the door.

I am 28, but my friends are not really into wine, so I buy in 10-20 years perspective, then perhaps my friends have learned, or I will have got new friends that deserve to share my precious bottles.

I also have some Loire Chenins that may outlive me, but most I plan to drink myself. Maybe when I am 50, I can start buying for my kids?

I am 28, but my friends are not really into wine, so I buy in 10-20 years perspective, then perhaps my friends have learned, or I will have got new friends that deserve to share my precious bottles.

I like your attitude!

I'm 47, and plan on drinking every winein my cellar. However, despite best intentions, cellar keeps growing every year. Unless my buying habits (dare I say compulsions?) change, David will inherit some wine. Which I hope he enjoys! If not, I put a note with my will with Cellartracker password, so executor can see values, and a note re trustworthy ITB friends. If he decides he would rather have $X than XXXX Haut Brion, his choice.

As to the idea that someone is faking notes, I doubt it. The thing to realize (as we discussed in another thread) is that the recent huge price disparities between the top wines (1st growths, DRCs, Jayers, cults) and everyday table wines is a fairly recent trend. A 1st growth might have cost twice as much as another classified growth, which cost twice as much as a cru bourg., which was twice a simple table wine. So a First was 8-10 a simple wine. Now disparity is probably 100X. I have friends who built their cellars in 70s and 80s, and on middleclass incomes they built cellars that would take $1M+ to replace today.

I want to state that when I said " ...I seriously think that some postings here may be totally made up. ", I meant it in a humorous vein. I enjoy every tasting note on this site. I have learned a lot more about wine from this site than any book out there. It has truly led to an enhancement of my wine drinking experience. I learned about grapes that I never knew existed, sought them out and was wowed (GV for example). So, thank you to everyone...I do not think that WTN are being made up...I will continue to look forward to reading notes posted here. But I am not completely sure about that Robin bloke..

At 64 I still find myself purchasing the best wine I discover and afford regardless of the length of aging required. Of course my wife is 13 years younger than I am.

My purchasing has slowed down however, since my cellar is so full I can hardly get in the door.

I'm right with you, George, at least on age. At 66, I still buy wine that needs extensive cellaring. Not as much as I did a few years ago, but some. I just add those bottles to a fairly short spreadsheet of wines that are probably going to survive me, with notes on the probable drinking window, and with a column to designate a friend who would enjoy the wine.
On the other hand, I am finding it increasing hard to buy wines that have gone up so much in price over the last 5 years. It is hard for me to spend $70 a bottle on a 2005 CdP when I purchased a case, and still have most, of the excellent 1998. Also affecting my purchase patter is the fact that I have a fairly full cellar, and part is my recognition that most of what I drink is <$20 and I know I have enough of the special occasion stuff for the next 20 years.
So while I still buy some that need extensive aging, now my mix is probably less than 10% stuff that needs to age at least 10 - 15 years, 30% that needs at least 5, and 60% to be consumed starting almost immediately.
I hope I don't survive ALL my ageworthy stuff.
-w

[David M. Bueker]

I have always bought with an eye to the future, but in the word of the immortal George Allen (Redskins coach in the '70s), "The future is now."

I now have a large number of bottles that are reaching maturity, and so my purchasing will slow/re-direct as I buy some daily drinkers and re-allocate inventory space to wines I have recently come to love (e.g. Burgs and Loire) while I drink cellared gems of this I purchased previously (e.g. Germans, Bordeaux).

Of course sharing is the best part.