Serving Wine

When Will My Wine Be At Its Best?

Everyone has a different idea of when a wine is at its peak. It’s similar to asking when a car is at its peak. When it’s new? When it’s broken in? When it’s an old classic? In the same way, some wines can be enjoyed right away, some can wait for a time, others can last longer before they become too old and their quality is compromised. Assuming that you store your wines properly (away from heat, light and vibration), here are some guidelines to follow:

For most wine made today in California, and frankly in all the other New World style climates (New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, etc.), dry whites should be consumed within two to four years of vintage date, and dry reds three to seven. However, this is merely a guideline, and every person's tastes are his or her own.

To gauge your own tastes, our recommendation is to buy a case of the same wine -- for example, a cabernet sauvignon -- and enjoy a bottle that week. Try another in six months, then every six months or every year after that to see how aging has affected its taste. Keep a wine journal and write down how the wine is developing. This will be the best way for you to start learning about what you like in an aged wine (and eventually, what you don't like if it gets too old!).
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