Wine Talk: Better With Age
Years ago, on a trip to Bordeaux to taste samples from a new vintage, I had the opportunity to have dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. The host, Domaine de Chevalier owner Olivier Bernard, used the occasion to raid the Chevalier cellar for a couple of seriously old bottles of wine.
If memory serves, the vintage was 1927, or thereabouts. There were two wines. Both had been decanted and presented at table. One was red; the other white. Remarkably, both were the same color.
Bernard explained that red wines get lighter as they age, and white wines get darker. To my surprise, both wines were quite drinkable although well past their prime.
Wine Talk: 5 Great Bubblies for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day presents a unique opportunity for wine lovers. Although there are many excellent options for a Valentine’s wine, there is one slam dunk. And that would be bubbly. Throughout its many iterations Champagne, cava, Prosecco, crémant, domestic sparkling, etc. bubbly brings the sparkle to the party.
That isn’t to say you couldn’t swing and miss with a mediocre bubbly, but superb sparkling wines are abundant. There is no good reason to strike out. These five, across a broad range of price points, are sure to carry the day.