Wine varieties

There is no such site, mainly because nobody knows. That's the nice thing about wine, you just have to keep guessing till you get it right. :-)

In all seriousness, the grape variety alone is not sufficient information to determine longevity. There are too many variables, including place of origin, vintage year and most importantly the name of the producer, to simply make a chart.

Vintage charts (try google - I don't have web access ATM) have such information, but it is usually by area (Bordeaux, Burgundy etc) rather than variety. And, as Mike implies, they are of very limited value.

Price usually correlate quite well with whether you should age the wine at all - drink cheaper ones right away - it is unlikely they will improve.

Mike Tommasi wrote in news:7pttejF5p7U1 @mid.individual.net:

Mike, Thank you for your reply.

I am just trying to keep better account of the wines i have in my cellar. So, for instance my Pinot Noir are getting ready to drink, i will drink these instead of going out a purchasing more. I mainly have California Cabs from mid 90's to present, California Pinot Noir from 2004 to present, Michigan reds and whites from 2006 to present.

"mickel6830" skrev i melding news:Xns9CF07C6AE56mickel6830yahoo.com@216.196.97.131...

Ah, well, there's some information :-) I'd say that US wines are more fruitdriven than European (very heavy generalization!) and therefore don't need/benefit from longer term storage. So, all you mention are probably ready to drink, maybe even over the hill for those from the mid-90's... and maybe the Michigan ones are those that need a couple more years (just guessing from a supposedly cooler climate, of course)

Anders

Cooler climate wines need more aging?

I'm not sure that this paradigm holds true regarding the US wines. I think most wines are drinkable on release these days but many fruit driven New World wines benefit by some aging. On the other hand I would drink the Michigan wines asap as they were never built to age. There just isn't enough summer in Michigan to get the grapes totally ripe and they tend to lack structure. They are enjoyable as quaffers but I've never had a Michigan or Ohio wine that had the stuffing and balance to last....and I've lived in Ohio for 40 years.

Look to Bordeaux... :-)

On the other hand - wines from very hot climates get overripe and low-acid - and usually make poor candidates for long term development, I think.

But there are many more parameters to wine making than just climate, of course :-), as proven by the Michigan specimens according to Bill and by many other wines from hot or cold areas.

Anders

Where the torrid mediterranean years are regularly declared the vintage of the century... :-)

OK, but Michigan does not run that risk...

Not sure, Chateauneuf and Bandol are very hot, yet the regions have selected grapes that mature late enough (mourvedre is the latest to ripen), yet the good wines from these areas need long aging. Brunello area is also absolutely torrid in summertime...

I would agree with your statement if you qualified it: "warmer climate white wines do not need much aging" :-)

cheers Anders, havea great 2010