I not a wine drinker but occasionally drank wine. Some noob questions, does wine taste better when it is kept for a long time and is it more expensive when it is kept long? Cos I got a gift which I have kept and thought of giving it to a friend who threw a party but hold back as I do not know what is the value. This bottle of wine that I have is Merlot 2002, Lodi California. Should be 6 years old if based on the marking. Any kind soul can answer the questions?
Thx n cheers!
I did have a section on wine aging on my 1st post on the 1st page, do check it out.
The long story short is that and older wine doesn’t necessarily mean a better wine. It depends on many factors. Some types are wine are meant for aging, certain wine producers produce wines mean for aging as well or of a certain quality that it has to age for several years for optimal consumption. Some are meant to be popped and poured on the spot.
Another aspect of aging wines is that you have to store it in dry, cool (about 10-12 degrees, a fridge is bad), dark and stable place. Keeping you wines in a cabinet in your living room is a bad idea, because the average room temperature of Singapore air is enough to ‘cook’ your wine and oxidize it into vinegar in just a matter of a few years.
As for your 2002 Merlot, Lodi is not the wine producers name but rather the region in California. In the Lodi region there are several producers which one does your wine come from? The name should be on the label. Wine aging is a bit like a ‘game’ because there will always be an optimal drinking period for wines. What people do is that they buy the wines and taste it and from there decide whether it’s worth keeping to let it age.
But do tell us the name of the wine producer so we can do some research and find out some reviews.
