I'm attending a tasting where one of the wines will be a 1983 or 1984 single vineyard Cabernet from Beringer (I'm not sure of the exact details). The other wines will be moderately priced and young, and no one attending has tasted a wine anywhere near this old.
What can be done to help the old wine show it's best? I'm assuming the old wine should be served first. Is there a small dish that could be served with it that might help? Thanks.
JK
You will need to decant this one if it's like most older Beringer's I've had. For one this old, I'd probably decant 30-60 minutes ahead of time. If it's borderline, you don't want it to fall apart. If it is still massive, you can alway provide additional aeration in the glass.
Cheers, Gary
I agree, but would probably err on the short end of that time, personally. The wine will continue to develop in the glass.
As to serving order, I almost always start with the younger and move to the older. I also serve more food items with the younger, and leave the older ones to be enjoyed almost by themselves, or with something light and neutral, so there is no competition.
Hunt
This is interesting, I assumed that serving a younger fruitier wine before an older would make the older taste thin. Your suggestion was reiterated in a book I'm reading on food and wine pairing. Thanks.
JK
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