Thinking of Starting a Cellar?  Add/Read Comments

An interesting little article on what to consider when starting a cellar; laying down wine for several years.

Rocky Mountain News
"The charms of aged wine, though, aren't all myth. Some can, indeed, go the distance. But if you've been raised on New World fruit bombs, get ready to recalibrate your palate. The taste of age can be disappointingly subtle, a little like tuning in to a string quartet on your way home from a heavy-metal concert.

Over time, the fresh fruit you're used to gradually gives way to the complex, nutty essence known as bottle bouquet. Malic acid, the same stuff that discolors sliced apples, causes white wine to darken to gold or brown. Reds go from purple to red/brown to orange, as darker pigments bond with tannins and sink to the bottom of the bottle, along with dead yeast cells and other gunk. That's sediment - the reason you shouldn't shake up an old bottle before pouring."