| The year of your wedding or your only child's birthday may have been a great one for Claret - if you're lucky! A good Port may be a better choice. So often people buy inexpensive wines, probably sourced on holiday where they tasted great, only to find that after a year or two, at best they have lost their freshness or, at worst they have turned to vinegar. Sound familiar? Maturation is, after all, the gradual oxidisation of the wine and all wines will eventually oxidise given sufficient time. Whether this is 50 weeks or 50 years depends on: - the style or the wine
- the quality of the harvest
- the skill of the winemaker
- the storage conditions
For example, at the top end of the scale, the best Bordeaux Cru Classes from 1982 (a wonderful year) are only now coming of age and are superb, those from 1984 (a very poor year) are already past their best and were never great. However, for the budget conscious mortal who wants to build a personal cellar, know your vintage charts and buy at the best quality level you can afford from one of the better producers. 'Reserva' wines are so much better than their generic counterparts and represent much better value given that Excise Duty in Ireland is a fixed levy per bottle of still wine up to 15% alcohol (double for sparkling) regardless of the value.
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Connoisseur's Choice
Very different, very classy, very elegant - quite expensive. The best from four countries - mature and oozing character - for the serious wine lover (or lover who likes wine).
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