{"id":3079,"date":"2025-08-30T18:06:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T18:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3079"},"modified":"2025-08-30T18:06:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T18:06:56","slug":"old-and-new-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=3079","title":{"rendered":"Old and New Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new car is the pride and joy of your driveway.  There\u2019s a special feeling when you put on a new suit.  But tasting new wines doesn\u2019t always bring the same enjoyment.  There\u2019s such a thing as a wine that\u2019s too new<\/em>.  We once had the experience of a private visit to a fine winery in Bordeaux, in September.  The grapes had just been pressed and the juice had been fermented only a few days before.  Our host, with a subtle smile, gave us a little taste.  Ugh!  It was awful, although we knew that in the years to come it would become wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an extreme case of a truism: Wine improves over time.  Like so many truisms, this one comes with lots of exceptions.  Some<\/em> wines improve over time.  At a certain point they stop improving.  Beyond that point, many of them become worse.  And then a lot worse.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The cellar at Volpaia in Tuscany.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, wineries offer the latest releases for their wine tastings.  There is an implied commitment that once the wine is put up for sale, it\u2019s drinkable.  Fair enough, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s at its peak.  Many wineries offer tastings of so-called library wines, of older vintages that are supposed to show what the potential these wines have for improvement over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few tips for balancing the new and the old wines you might have the opportunity to sip when you visit a winery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n