French wines are overrated

Unless you have changed your identity, your first posting in this group dates August 1, 2002, and is an answer to someone looking for massage in wine country. Not exactly what I would call "five years", it's less than half that time.

Mate, get your calendar working. Your first posting here was August 1, 2002. Then you paused for 10.5 months. Next came your postings of 2003, two in June, two in July, two in September, four in October, two in December, and two more in January 2004. Then you paused until recently. Nowhere I can see "almost two years".

BS? Hmmm ...

Bye-bye, and have a nice time.

M.

Not really. It's a very tannic wine from a hot year. If you have decent storage conditions, put it away for another 10-20 years and it'll be fully ready. However, if you are unfamiliar with aged Bordeaux, you might enjoy it more in its youth (in perhaps 5 years).

Mark Lipton

I suspect with my small city-centre home the opposite is true. But that misses some of the point I think. I could store the wine elsewhere - and so could the winemaker.

It is rather a question of the winemaker (distributor, importer, merchant - whatever) providing a service - adding value by using his discretion on when to release the wines if you like.

I am just about sufficiently motivated to organise storage space, and keep track of what I have, and guess when it is OK to drink. Many, I think, would appreciate a correctly matured wine but do not have the time or motivation to sort this out for themselves. The sad result is that a lot of wine is drunk too young.

Of course it is, even now, possible to buy older wines, but that too often means a bit of detective work, and you are more likely to have to buy by the case.

Because I am not familiar with "aged" wines in general (so far I've been happily sipping fruit-intensive, young wine)... I think I'm gonna keep it until I learn to appreciate it. Perhaps try to find something else to progressively understand what the hell I'm supposed to be looking for (and missing).

-Indirecto

Like you, I used to prefer New World styles. I found I got to appreciate the French style without any particular effort. I would not worry about it too much. Just drink what you like.

There's no point in drinking your Lafite now regardless. You can always sell it later if you decide you will not like it.

Sorry Mike, I run a pretty fast PC, so large numbers of posts don't bother me. Plus I use a client side news client (ie not google groups on http or whatever which is unbearable and totally confusing with long threads).

So I shall try and be more restrained in the future.

I was just curious about UC.

Yes I wondered when someone would say that. I also wonder how many ppl have killfiled me too solely on the basis of that.

I've never felt the need to use a killfile personally.

O well. :-)

I suspect than even though the winemaker and wholesaler could recover the costs of storage, they want cash flow. Moreover, they do not have the expertise in managing large inventories of merchandise for many years. So the consumer independently contracts out for off-site storage after buying young wines.

It's a thin market, but storage facilities are available in most large cities (I don't know about Canada.) On the other hand, if you live in the middle of nowhere, as do I, housing prices, and home storage are relatively inexpensive.

Tom Schellberg

(I'll keep buying those futures, and sock 'em away in my air conditioned and humidifed basement.)

It doesn't.

Meaning they never keep to the rules they make for themselves.

Many of which make wretched gnatspiss.

Whereas France's climates and soils are homogenous I suppose.

Your pathological hatred of France and the French invalidates any comparison you draw. Your inability to resist trolling makes ANY pronouncement suspect. A great shame, because you _could_ contribute positively.

The REALLY sad thing is that your ludicrously biased comments tend to make us lose track of the fact that there many wonderful wines from Italy. But the SAME can be said of France, Germany, Hungary,Australia, Austria, New Zealand the USA, Chile & Portugal. To limit oneself to Italian wines is EVEN sillier than to limit oneself to French wines or indeed wines from any single country or region. Of course people do, but they limit their own pleasure.

Michael, Grow up and behave like an adult and start contributing positively.

Ian Hoare

Is this really you Ian?

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Reading these lines I have a hard time believing this is Ian...

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

But you did quite well for 15 days?

M.

Hi, Mike -

I can assure you that's really Ian. He's been using that operamail account while here in the States. His review of The French Laundry was issued from same, wasn't it?

Tom S

Must be the DT's from knowing he is leaving the Wine Country and heading toward the east coast.

It was Ian. I was sitting next to him as he typed it.

Yes, see what only a week or two in the States can do somebody as warm-hearted as Ian. Imagine what it's like for those of us who were born here! :-(

\/

Naw, it's probably from hanging out for a few days with the likes of moi. :^D

Tom S