Aged wine

quote:

Originally posted by SWP:
Hi All

It's my girlfriends Birthday soon and I was thinking about buying her a bottle of wine produced the year she was born as a sentimental present. My girlfriend also likes her wines so this might score a few much needed brownie points needed after recently buying a Supercap and XPS2!!

Allthough I think this could be a good present I have no idea where to start or how much this could actually cost me.

Has anybody ever done anything like this before and if so are there any pointers on how to go about things.

FWIW she was born in 79.

Many thanks
SWP

SWP,

Hard to find and not necessarily drinkable but a good idea nonetheless. Good luck with your search.

Erik

SWP

The vast majority of wines don't last anywhere near that long. A few years ago, a shop near where I used to live came across a case of 1976 Penfolds Kalimna Shiraz, a medium priced wine. I bought a bottle out of curiosity, and not surprisingly, it was long dead, almost watery.

So the first rule is to make sure it's a powerful high end wine to start with. As far as Australian wines are concerned, Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace are the safest bets. There are a few others that might have lasted from that far back, but there is a fair amount of risk in buying such old wines, and the two I mentioned minimise the risk somewhat. I don't have much experience with aged whites, but I know that some rieslings have the potential for great longevity.

You would have to go to a specialist dealer to buy a single bottle of aged wine. A lot of aged wine is sold through auction, but you need experience to get a good outcome.

Steve

Hi SWP,

some red Bordeaux wines of this vintage can be very good, but it is not easy to get these wines and there is always a risk buying old wines.
Good 1979 Bordeaux red wines:
Ch. Margeaux
Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Ch. Gruaud Larose
These wines are not cheap!

Best wishes

Manfred

quote:

These wines are not cheap!

They're a fraction of the cost of a Supercap and XPS2, however.

Steve

What about a vintage port? 1979 was not a declared vintage but there may still be some single quinta bottlings available.

Simon

Hi, Port is another good idea (thanks, Lo Fi Si). I have seen a bottle of 79 Penfolds Grange for 425 Aussie Dollars which seemed quite reasonable but that is the only one so far.

All in all I have no idea where to buy this stuff!!

SWP

It's still a young year if you plan to buy a bottle of whisky. Usually a solid investment.

There are many fine 1979 issues.

Try The Whisky Exchange

http://www.frw.co.uk/


Maybe the Krug 1979 magnum for 618 of your english pounds??


Nigel

http://www.antique-wine.com/

Plenty here, but again not cheap. As has been mentioned 1979 was not a particularly great vintage (for wine anyway) so pick carefully...

quote:

As has been mentioned 1979 was not a particularly great vintage (for wine anyway) so pick carefully...

Could you get a better choice by using say the year of conception?

quote:

Originally posted by Roy T:
Could you get a better choice by using say the year of conception?

I have seen that '78 was a good year for port.... Intersting!!!

Many of the 70s Grange vintages are considered ordinary, so they don't fetch the highest prices. But it's all relative - a '79 Grange would still be a fantastic wine.

Steve

If I did buy say a '79 grange, could this be left for another say 10 years to drink or does this have to be consumed immediately?

From the dept. of wildly dangerous generalisations: sweet wines are a safe way to start when buying old.

I 've known something interesting to come off fairly modest sweet white wines of 30 years old.
A more modest rephrasing would be that you reduce the risk by choosing for a sweet wine.
There is of course the risk of people not liking old sweet wines. And refermentation.

It's also nice to mention that I don't know any sweet wines outside of France.

Hi,
try www.1855.com (very good wines, not cheap) or
www.historia.net. There are certainly many Bordeaux or Burgundy Wine from 1979, but most likely very expensive. Good luck,
Uwe

oh, and I forgot: try www.millesimes-sa.com, there are wines from 1979 from 50 to 350 Euros.
Cheers
Uwe

quote:

Originally posted by SWP:
If I did buy say a '79 grange, could this be left for another say 10 years to drink or does this have to be consumed immediately?

According to Penfolds, drink between now and 2018.

But if it was me, I would drink it now. It's not going to get any better, and unless you store it under perfect conditions, there is the potential for it to spoil.

Steve

My parents are getting a bottle of 1956 Tokaji for their Golden Wedding Anniversary (what could be more appropriate..?) But I have pulled quite a number of strings to get it, as it was monumentally good vintage in Hungary (but nowhere else).

If you want real age-ability try something from Madeira. I went to a tasting last year that included the 1756 and it was as fresh as a daisy (and only £400, which personally I think is cheap for something that has seen so much history)

Treat old wine with reverence and tolerance. It will not be the wine's fault if someone has left it near a radiator for a month during its life, but alas such an action may well have ruined it.

Overall, however, make sure you are there when whatever it is gets opened!!!

Cheers

Rod

quote:

According to Penfolds, drink between now and 2018.

But if it was me, I would drink it now. It's not going to get any better, and unless you store it under perfect conditions, there is the potential for it to spoil.

Steve

Get a crate and do one a year until 2018 and let us know which one was the best.

quote:

Originally posted by Roy T:

quote:

According to Penfolds, drink between now and 2018.

But if it was me, I would drink it now. It's not going to get any better, and unless you store it under perfect conditions, there is the potential for it to spoil.

Steve

Get a crate and do one a year until 2018 and let us know which one was the best.

Good idea - still cheaper than a Supercap

quote:

still cheaper than a Supercap

Without the residuals, unfortunately. Still, those old 70's labels on the empty bottles will no doubt keep one entertained from time to time. Great as Grange is, and excellent as the crate and one-a-year idea is - I'll take the supercap thanks, for the year-long satisfaction.

Here's a piece of Grange trivia: one of the biggest buyers of Grange is none other than martial arts comedy superstar Jackie Chan! (He's an Australian citizen, believe it or not, and his parents have lived in Canberra since 1960).

Steve

Have a look on Berry Bros & Rudd website

http://www.bbr.com/GB/db/product/61979F/Armagnac-J.-Nis...u?ID=7C79BPQQNCX00C0

Some 1979 Armagnac for £39

As many earlier posters have noted 1979 was not a particularly good vintage. There were a few good burgundies made that year but they will be hard to find and even then a bit risky.

However, if you stretch the issue of birth date- when was the wine made as opposed to grown then 1978 does offer you some options. In particular, THE SOUTHERN RHONE, in 1978 was spectacular. A 1978 Chateauneuf du Pape from a good grower such as Ch Beaucastel, Avril( Clos des Papes, Dom.Chante Cigale , Vieux Telegraphe etc should be stunning. I bought some magnums of 78 Chante Cigale some years back at auction and having drunk all bar one can confirm they are fantastic wines at their peak now. A magnum would be a better bet than a bottle as they are reckoned to mature more slowly in that format.

If you need help with locating such a wine, I can give you a couple of web sites to look at.

Good luck.