Wine is like a living thing and constantly changes with age. That's probably why quite a lot of wine tastes better even with only a few months in the cellar.
By OFER ZEMACHpouring wine glass 88(photo credit: )
Wine is like a living thing and constantly changes with age. That's probably why quite a lot of wine tastes better even with only a few months in the cellar.
Many times when having friends for dinner or celebrating a special occasion, I find lots of pleasure and satisfaction in being able to choose a wine from my collection, taking out its cork and enjoying the benefit of age that has made the wine ready to drink.
For a wine to get better with age in the cellar, it needs to have three characteristics: flavor concentration, good acidity, and balance. It is important though, to understand that not all wines will improve with extended cellaring.
Both red and white wines can have one or more of these characteristics, but red wines generally improve more from aging.
Most wines are not made for long-term cellaring, and in talking to some wine vendors I figured out that the vast majority of wine is consumed within a short time after purchase. Based on this, winemakers make and release wine that they know you will be consuming shortly thereafter.
So why bother cellaring? With time, the fruit, alcohol, tannin and acid components in most wines will blend together and create a much better tasting wine that is more balanced and approachable.
When most people think of cellaring wines, they generally think of rare bottles that are too expensive for the average person. It doesn't have to be that way, but bear in mind that a mediocre wine will never improve dramatically through cellaring.
For those who would like to save some bottles for a special event, here is a selection of recently released worthy and affordable red wines from the local produce, that will age well if properly stored in a cool, dark place.
Galil Mountain has released two excellent wines in its flagship series:
Yiron 2005: This elegant wine compiled as a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 44% Merlot; 4% Syrah and 2% Petit Verdot is rich and balanced, offering intense cherries, cassis, with notes of vanilla and caramel. Full-bodied and dark red in color, it was aged for 16 months in wood. From talented winemaker Micha Vaadia, this is a wine that needs aging. Give it two to five years before opening. NIS 99. (kosher)
Yiron Syrah 2005: Aged for 24 months in wood, this 100% Syrah shows big, dry fruit tannins, that preserves elegance and freshness. There's a touch of licorice and mint, plus an herbal character, and the acidity holds the whole thing in balance. Drinkable now and will improve in the next five years. NIS 94. (kosher)
Dalton, Alma 2006: This wine is elegant and full-bodied with a silky texture and succulent cherry flavors, made as a flavorful blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot, and 19% Cabernet Franc. Soft tannins give the wine good structure and a long finish. The wine was aged for 14 months in oak barrels and has a lingering, well-rounded finish. NIS 84. (kosher)
Vitkin, Israeli Journey 2007: Medium-bodied, soft and juicy from the Vitkin Winery, this dry wine is infused with cherry and red plum flavors. A blend of Syrah and Cabernet Franc grapes from the Judean Hills, with Carignan grapes from the slopes of the Carmel Mountains. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, it has sweet tannins and fresh acidity that gives it an extra boost. NIS 69. (not kosher)
Tulip, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve 2006: Doron Itzhaki, the winemaker from this boutique winery in Kfar Tikva, has bottled an equal amount of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from two vineyards located in Israel's top wine regions: Alma vineyard in Ramat Dalton in the Golan Heights, and Karmei Yosef on the slopes of the Judean Hills. Dark-red, nearly purple in color, this wine is rich and jam filled with blueberry and black cherry aromas, with notes of dark chocolate on the lingering finish. Lovely now, but will be even better with a couple more years of aging. NIS 89. (not kosher)
Storing your wine
Following a couple of simple rules is the key to keeping wine longer than a month or two.
First realize that wine has three enemies: light, heat and lack of humidity.
• Keep bottles out of direct sunlight (in a box or closet, for example) if storing for more than a month or two. Prolonged exposure to light can change the chemical structure of a wine. Wine bottles, especially for red wines, are made from dark glass for this reason. Yet dark glass alone is not enough to keep a wine in its original condition for very long.
• Heat is probably worse for wine than light. Wine can easily start to taste cooked after just a few weeks at higher temperatures. To avoid this, store wine in the coolest spot in your home.
• Store bottles on their sides so that the corks stay in contact with the wine.
If you let a wine bottle stand vertically too long, the cork will shrink enough to allow air into the bottle and oxidize the wine.
Storing your wine
Following a couple of simple rules is the key to keeping wine longer than a month or two.
First realize that wine has three enemies: light, heat and lack of humidity.
• Keep bottles out of direct sunlight (in a box or closet, for example) if storing for more than a month or two. Prolonged exposure to light can change the chemical structure of a wine. Wine bottles, especially for red wines, are made from dark glass for this reason. Yet dark glass alone is not enough to keep a wine in its original condition for very long.
• Heat is probably worse for wine than light. Wine can easily start to taste cooked after just a few weeks at higher temperatures. To avoid this, store wine in the coolest spot in your home.
• Store bottles on their sides so that the corks stay in contact with the wine.
If you let a wine bottle stand vertically too long, the cork will shrink enough to allow air into the bottle and oxidize the wine.
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