Mark Lee
Second Unit
- Joined
- Sep 4, 1998
- Messages
- 335
I generally agree with what our esteemed colleague Al Brown has to say on the matter -- nowadays, the vast majority of wines out there have been made with an eye towards immediate gratification, and little beyond that. Aging wine is something that most casual wine-drinkers have neither the time nor the inclination to do; therefore, most producers (especially New World producers) intend their wines to be drinkable immediately on release, with aging potential as a secondary concern.
That said, some wines with a history of ageability that won't break the bank include certain types of the aforementioned Beaujolais (e.g. ones from the Moulin-a-Vent region), many less-lofty-reputation producers of Bordeaux (the French still generally make their wines with some expectation of "holding something back," that is, some degree of ageability), French Chablis (not the Gallo crap in jugs!!). Still, very little wine selling for less than $20-30 a bottle, as a rule of thumb, is gonna get any better after sitting in your basement for 6 months to a year than if you'd just opened the thing the day you bought it. You pays your money and you takes your chances....
That said, some wines with a history of ageability that won't break the bank include certain types of the aforementioned Beaujolais (e.g. ones from the Moulin-a-Vent region), many less-lofty-reputation producers of Bordeaux (the French still generally make their wines with some expectation of "holding something back," that is, some degree of ageability), French Chablis (not the Gallo crap in jugs!!). Still, very little wine selling for less than $20-30 a bottle, as a rule of thumb, is gonna get any better after sitting in your basement for 6 months to a year than if you'd just opened the thing the day you bought it. You pays your money and you takes your chances....
