Question about aging wine.

Hello,

I am very inexperienced in wine so I really am not sure what to purchase or even if this is possible.

I was looking for some tips/advice, I am graduating college this week and ever since I was a Freshmen I thought of the idea that for my graduation present to my self I was going to buy a bottle of wine and I was going to keep it and I was going to open it the day I retire. I have heard things about some really old wines that have been found that have lasted for about 50 years or more, so I was just wondering which type of wine would be best to purchase that will be able to last that long and also get better with age, also I was wondering what would be the best way to store this wine over the years to make sure that I will actually be able to drink it years down the road.

Thanks a bunch in advance!

Brock
Plenty of options, though going the full 40+ years requires a little luck, judgement and at least decent storage (cool, dark, no vibrations and not too dry).

Port is perhaps the safest bet, being pretty sturdy, requiring age to soften it, but also not being an area where speculators have jacked the price up. Something from a decent house like Dows, Taylors, Warres or the like might do the job.

regards

Ian

You're better at delayed gratification than I was at graduation!

I almost agree with Ian, I think Port is 2nd safest bet (after Madeira)

Dale
I did think of Madeira as well, but figured the vintage dated stuff pretty hard to come by over there? Fully agree that it's suitably indestructable for long aging.
regards
Ian

Hi Brock and welcome to our friendly corner of the internet wine world. You've posted a fairly complex question and you will probably get a lot of different answers. Since you are inexperienced, I'd suggest that you make the effort over the next few years to develop an understanding and appreciation of wines, as it is a very broad field. Then, you would be able to purchase wines from the 2010 vintage, your graduation year. Most wines with aging potential aren't released for sale until a few years after the vintage (the year the grapes were grown). Wines with aging potential include sweet dessert wines (Sauternes, German TBA), Champagne, Port and Cabernet based reds from Bordeaux, California and a few other places, such as Australia.

Brock-

My advice would be to get a nice light white wine, then get super rich during your first week on the job. Drink the wine the second week (after you retire).

If you insist on a long career you've got some great advice from the above posters that I could only echo.

Now the problem becomes: how to store it for 30-40 years? Do you know any wine collecting friends (that you trust)? For example I have a bottle for each of my nieces that my brother has asked me to hold at my storage facility. Temperature and other factors (light, vibration, humidity) are crucial for a wine being stored that long. I think that aspect of your plan is as important as the choosing of the wine.

Welcome Brock. The suggestions for the fortified wines for long term aging are the best. As a retiree, let me offer some advice. Chances are you will be moving many times during your working years. Since we were in the military we had to do that too. This makes it difficult, though not impossible, to move a lot of wine without damaging or losing some.

We learned early on not to buy wine for the purpose of aging it, but to determine when to drink the wine we acquired. This has become much easier in recent years, as the overwhelming majority of wine made these days is for immediate consumption.

Good luck in your career and your wine adventures.

Cheers, Carl

Welcome Brock,

Do you have any idea of your own preferences? The easiest and most cost-effective options, for example Port and Sauternes, all happen to be desert wines. If you like desert wines, then these are definitely the way to go, and you could easily get one to last 40 - 50 years for $100 or very possibly less (depending on the vintage). If you prefer dry wines, red Bordeaux is probably the best option, but to get a red Bordeaux that will last that long will require a great vintage, which will probably come with a greater than $100 price tag.

Best Wishes,
Ryan

madeira is the obvious choice; but why does it have to be wine? why not cognac? they make vintage stuff there too and no worries about over aging it.