A few weeks back I picked up my first load of Bordeaux wines to start off my cellar with. They’re going to take pride of place alongside my Barolos and Barbarescos, and at some point I’m going to have to jump in the car and head to Alsace in France and Rheingau in Germany to really bring it along. But for now I’m pretty chuffed with the start. And there are some great wines in there!
But it always begs the question doesn’t it? When do you open the bottles up and drink them?
I guess firstly you’re looking at when are these wines going to be “ready to drink” as they say. People talk about wines being ready to drink because some wines can change character in a bottle as they get older. It’s all about the reactions of acids, proteins, and polymers in liquid, but put more simply it’s usually a heavy fruity red becomes softer and more earthy. Well…ish, but just go with that for now. When’s the wine ready to drink then? Depends what style of wine you like I guess!
Secondly you think about what occasion. You’ve paid premium prices for these bottles, you’re wondering if you’ve got enough in just in case in a few months time Paul McCartney or The Queen or someone like that comes round for dinner?! Well it might happen!
I’ve just decided to make sure you’ve got enough in to have a bottle here and there when friends come over. If you’re into wine, that’s what you do. It’s what you can offer your mates. Make sure no-one’s glugging it back with a straw, then as long as they’ve got a smile on their face then it’s doing its job!
I even cracked open a couple of bottles last week when JB and his family came to stay to test the theory. Fun night had by all!
Cheers
Mike
