The Wine Club

We have this notion that old wine tastes better than new ones. Although all wines change with age, very few wines noticeably improve beyond a few months and wine maturity does have its limits. Beside the obvious requirement of personal preference for bouquet and aged smells over aroma and fruity ones, three interdependent factors determine whether or not aging will increase enjoyment of a wine. First, the particular wine must have the intrinsic chemistry capable of aging/improving. Second, the storage conditions must be constant and correct: temperate, humid, dark and solid. Third, some investment of both time and capital is needed to monitor the aging progress, so as to know when the wine is ready, has reached its peak, and begun to decline.