Time & Responsibility
Maturity, storage, drinking windows: why time is a decision here.
These texts follow the question of what actually passes inside a bottle — and how you notice that a wine is ready.
These texts follow the question of what actually passes inside a bottle — and how you notice that a wine is ready.
Cellar conditions
How well a wine ages is not only determined in the bottle, but also by its storage location. Three key factors are most important: a...
Maturity plateau
The maturity plateau is the phase during which a wine tastes balanced and stable over a longer period before it eventually begins to decline. It...
Ageing potential
Ageing potential describes how long a wine can develop without falling apart — not how good it tastes. It is a structural property, not a...
Maturity vs. age
Age simply tells you how much time has passed since the vintage. Maturity is something different: the state in which a wine's fruit, acidity, and...
Drinking window
A drinking window is an estimate of the period during which a wine is expected to be most approachable, usually given as a range of...
When to drink Bordeaux
Bordeaux should be drunk when it is ready to drink, and that depends on the individual wine, not on the calendar. A fruit-driven, approachable Bordeaux...
Intensity vs. integration
High intensity in wine is often mistaken for quality. A bold aroma profile, robust fruit, or pronounced tannins create an impressive effect. This effect is...
Drinking maturity
A wine is ready to drink when its components – fruit, acidity, tannin, and aroma – have come together in such a way that it...
Too young in the glass
If a wine appears too young in the glass, it's not a fault, but an interim state: acidity, tannins, and fruit are still distinct rather...
Young to mature
Von jung zu gereift ändert sich bei einem Bordeaux weniger die Menge der Aromen als ihre Reihenfolge: Zuerst führen dunkle Frucht, Holzgewürz und ein kühler,...
Storing without a cellar
Die meisten Flaschen im eigenen Zuhause werden nie zu einem echten Lagerungsfall. US-amerikanische Verbraucherstudien zeigen, dass rund neunzig Prozent der gekauften Weine innerhalb von zwei...
Bottle size & ageing
Zwei Flaschen desselben Weins, aus demselben Jahrgang, im selben Keller bei derselben Temperatur gelagert – eine Standardflasche und eine Magnum. Öffnet man beide nach zehn...
After transport
Der Karton steht seit einer Stunde vor der Tür, es ist ein warmer Nachmittag, und heute Abend soll die Flasche auf den Tisch. In diesem...
Does wine expire?
Irgendwann steht man mit einer Flasche in der Hand, die seit Jahren im Schrank lag, und fragt sich, ob Wein eigentlich abläuft. Die Sorge stammt...