When should I drink this Wine by?

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LennonNZ

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#171056 3-Apr-2015 18:15

I have a few bottles of Wine I have been given/acquired over the last few years.

How long should you wait until you drink it until it goes off? How should you store the wine if you don't have a climate controlled cellar :-)

Te MATA Coleraine 2013
Echelon Spy Valley Marlborough Methode Traditionelle 2010 (yes its a real wine)
Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Castlepoint East Coast Chardonnay 2009
Three Ducks Malborough Chardonnay 2011
Canti Prosecco D.O.C 2014
Lindauer Special Reserve Brut Cuvee
Villa Maria Wairau Valley Marlbourough Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2014

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#1276872 3-Apr-2015 19:29

Coleraine is often regarded as one of the finest reds in NZ an will improve over many years to come. I can check later how long this wine typically lasts. If you don't like reds, please feel free to send it to me!

Sauv blanc is usually a drink young wine so feel free to open those bottles any time. Nicer ones can be kept, but they do turn into a very different wine. That Villa Maria should be a nice drop...

Both those chardonnays can probably be drunk now as well. Of any white wine, this is a grape that cellars well, but the better ones will probably gain the most from doing so.

The Lindauer also will be good now. It's a non-vintage wine (ie blended from across wine from various years to produce a consistent wine), and is a good step up from the standard Lindauer.

If you want a good single point of reference check out Michael Cooper's NZ wine guide, as he covers thousands of wines and rates individual vintages. I bedstand you can also now buy access to his reviews online.

Storage - dry and constant temperature, ideally not too warm of course. If the wine has a cork (eg sparkling) store it on its side. Screw cap is fine upright.

Sideface

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#1276876 3-Apr-2015 19:50

Drink the chardonnay NOW!

I recently tipped 6 bottles of expensive 2007 chardonnay (screw-top) down the sink, as it was completely undrinkable.

Best to drink whites within 3-4 years - reds last longer PROVIDED that they don't get overheated or left in bright daylight.

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Virgil

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#1276882 3-Apr-2015 20:08

Sideface: Drink the chardonnay NOW!

I recently tipped 6 bottles of expensive 2007 chardonnay (screw-top) down the sink, as it was completely undrinkable.

Best to drink whites within 3-4 years - reds last longer PROVIDED that they don't get overheated or left in bright daylight.

Bother ... I have a bottle of Y2K Commemoration Chardonnay I was saving for a special occasion .. I guess it won't be any good by now!

Lurking ...

chevrolux

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#1276891 3-Apr-2015 20:31

Cellar the reds and drink the whites.

In general, stuff with a screw top will not cellar well.

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#1276893 3-Apr-2015 20:35

Virgil:
Sideface: Drink the chardonnay NOW!

I recently tipped 6 bottles of expensive 2007 chardonnay (screw-top) down the sink, as it was completely undrinkable.

Best to drink whites within 3-4 years - reds last longer PROVIDED that they don't get overheated or left in bright daylight.

Bother ... I have a bottle of Y2K Commemoration Chardonnay I was saving for a special occasion .. I guess it won't be any good by now!

There's only one way to find out - good luck!

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LennonNZ

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#1276899 3-Apr-2015 20:54

I had similar thing a few years ago. I don't normally drink wine and I had a few bottles of oldish white wine which basically turned into vinegar . The coleraine says it's matures over 15 years on the bottle so that ok but whites I never know.

Btw What is the canti I have? Never had it before.

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#1277010 4-Apr-2015 09:21

On a recent wine tour around the Hunter Valley (north of Sydney), we were told by a number of wine makers that for the past couple of decades wine is being produced 'drinkable now'.

The reason in Oz, and probably applies elsewhere these days, is that they are taxed immediately the wine is bottled, so they ship to market as soon and as often as possible. Obviously, re-stocking is key to their bottom line.

They said that 'cellarable' wine is most often a small batch of vintage, specially made for that market, and definitely identifiable by price

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idle

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#1277014 4-Apr-2015 09:38

I would agree that the only wine to cellar would be the Coleraine, which will improve with age. All the rest could be opened now, but I would not expect the older chardonnay to have lasted well. I seem to remember that the Canti prosecco is a light aperitif wine with a few bubbles.

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#1277026 4-Apr-2015 10:09

chevrolux: ... In general, stuff with a screw top will not cellar well.

The Court is still out on that one.

Remember that NZ was one of the first countries in the world to experiment with screwtops.
Albout 5-10% of wine with corks becomes spoiled by the cork ("corked") - which one reason why screwtops were introduced (screwtop seals are cheaper than cork, which is in limited supply)

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LennonNZ

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#1277031 4-Apr-2015 10:12

I had the Castlepoint 2009 last night.. It was ok for a $10 bottle of wine and not gone off yet.

JimmyH

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#1277148 4-Apr-2015 15:26

I, and a few of my friends, are in a similar position.

We are contemplating having an "old wine" dinner party, where we all bring along the bottles we think might be past it. Then we will start opening, pouring anything that has had it down the drain, and continuing until we (hopefully) find something better.

Mine are relatively well stored in a cool dark place. I have some whites that are about 15 years old that I frankly have no hope for. But some of the reds may be OK.

I don't buy that much wine. However, I also don't drink that much so it's easy for bottles to languish at the back of a cupboard.

chatterbox

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#1294341 30-Apr-2015 15:19

If you're buying wines from anywhere other than the supermarket, ask the seller because it does vary, then write it on the bottle before you forget! I just opened an old red the other day and it was way better than I remembered. So smooth!
There is also a website you can plug in the year and look at the recommendations. I can't remember it but I think we used something as simple as "when to drink (insert wine name) and it was on the first page of doing a google search. You could call the local wineries?

I think I also read somewhere if reds are corked you need to change the cork at ?6 yrs otherwise it goes nasty? Someone's hard lesson from bringing wines back from Europe when moving countries.

But it's a shame to spend money on wine and not be able to taste it if it goes off.

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