david1111
Barba non facit philosophum
I can see that you've been doing this long enough that you've found out which wines you prefer, and which wines you don't really like. I specifically am trying to do just that, by aging some wines from almost everywhere, and by the time I've sampled some nicely-aged wines from most of the various countries, regions, varietals, styles and producers; I'll have a good idea of which ones are my favorites; and then I'll stick to mostly those wines.
From what I've read and sampled so far, I believe that Southern France will be one of my favorites, and, as such, about 30% of my carefully selected 250 bottles, are from the Southern Rhone, and Languedoc-Roussillon. I also have a few from the South-West, such as, Madiran and Cahors. Your enthusiasm for these wines gives me added excitement for the day when I pull the corks. Thank you for that.
And I am also not a fan of Rose wines or Sparkling wines, and there are none of these in my collection. Nor do I have any Canadian wines. They are very poor value compared to any other wines in the world, even though I could almost walk to the vineyards. The whites that I have (maybe 10), are mostly Rieslings which are able to age due to the acid, and Hunter Valley Semillon which also age nicely, and develop very different flavors.
I've been lucky so far, in that I've only had 2 bottles that were corked and undrinkable when I opened them. These things will happen when one collects. But the main concern for me, is to consume the wines during the 2-4 years when they are at their best. Of course, that's all dependent on the type of wine, and grapes, and where they were grown. Basically, I want to avoid over-aging, or drinking them too soon.
I had about 40 bottles just in cases, which will go in the wine-keeper cabinet when there is available space, but this has allowed me to realize that even laying a bottle on a 65 degree fahrenheit, basement floor, in a dark area for 3-4 years, makes it taste a whole lot better than when it first came off the shelf at the liquor store. So, even a casual approach can work quite well for people that don't have a professional set up.
And I also share you love of Armagnac. Delicious!
Dave
From what I've read and sampled so far, I believe that Southern France will be one of my favorites, and, as such, about 30% of my carefully selected 250 bottles, are from the Southern Rhone, and Languedoc-Roussillon. I also have a few from the South-West, such as, Madiran and Cahors. Your enthusiasm for these wines gives me added excitement for the day when I pull the corks. Thank you for that.
And I am also not a fan of Rose wines or Sparkling wines, and there are none of these in my collection. Nor do I have any Canadian wines. They are very poor value compared to any other wines in the world, even though I could almost walk to the vineyards. The whites that I have (maybe 10), are mostly Rieslings which are able to age due to the acid, and Hunter Valley Semillon which also age nicely, and develop very different flavors.
I've been lucky so far, in that I've only had 2 bottles that were corked and undrinkable when I opened them. These things will happen when one collects. But the main concern for me, is to consume the wines during the 2-4 years when they are at their best. Of course, that's all dependent on the type of wine, and grapes, and where they were grown. Basically, I want to avoid over-aging, or drinking them too soon.
I had about 40 bottles just in cases, which will go in the wine-keeper cabinet when there is available space, but this has allowed me to realize that even laying a bottle on a 65 degree fahrenheit, basement floor, in a dark area for 3-4 years, makes it taste a whole lot better than when it first came off the shelf at the liquor store. So, even a casual approach can work quite well for people that don't have a professional set up.
And I also share you love of Armagnac. Delicious!
Dave
