Popular misconceptions: wine age

[Strix]

Makes me wonder if any of those wines bought for thousands turned out to have gone bad.

Of course some have. It's why you admired the bottle and not taste it. 

[Fireblade]

Makes me wonder if any of those wines bought for thousands turned out to have gone bad.

Of course some have. It's why you admired the bottle and not taste it. 

?

Anyway STFU Marcin. You are too unsophisticated to enjoy fine wine in the first place. I could hand you a bottle of Chateau d'Yquiem and a bottle of horse piss and you couldn't tell the difference.

[DontSayBanana]

You had to go there.  As far as I know, CCR is the only one of us who can stomach NTE, and IIRC, even he's reluctant to.

Anyway, I thought the rule of thumb was that reds age while whites should be drunk within five years.

[Martinus]

Anyway, I thought the rule of thumb was that reds age while whites should be drunk within five years.

Nope. That's not true. Most wines, including the reds, have a "window of consumption" during which they are supposed to be drunk. This does not always work as "Best Before Date" - it could be something like "drink between 3 and 6 years from bottling", meaning they do need to age a bit before drinking. There are websites where you can input your wine parametres, and they will tell you when it is supposed to be consumed (these days most bottles in shops also have the information on the label).

[Martinus]

And some guidelines for wine kinds:

Botrytized wines (5–25 yrs)
Chardonnay (2–6 yrs)
Riesling (2–30 yrs)
Hungarian Furmint (3–25 yrs)
Loire Valley Chenin blanc (4–30 yrs)
Hunter Valley Semillon (6–15 yrs)
Cabernet Sauvignon (4–20 yrs)
Merlot (2–10 yrs)
Nebbiolo (4–20 yrs)
Pinot noir (2–8 yrs)
Sangiovese (2–8 yrs)
Syrah (4–16 yrs)
Zinfandel (2–6 yrs)
Classified Bordeaux (8–25 yrs)
Grand Cru Burgundy (8–25 yrs)
Aglianico from Taurasi (4–15 yrs)
Baga from Bairrada (4–8 yrs)
Hungarian Kadarka (3–7 yrs)
Bulgarian Melnik (3–7 yrs)
Croatian Plavac Mali (4–8 yrs)
Russian Saperavi (3–10 yrs)
Madiran Tannat (4–12 yrs)
Spanish Tempranillo (2–8 yrs)
Greek Xynomavro (4–10 yrs)

[Martinus]

Wiki to the rescue!

Despite the well known saying that "All wine improves with age", only a few wines will actually have the ability to significantly improve with age. Master of Wine Jancis Robinson notes that only around the top 10% of all red wine and top 5% of all white wines can improve significantly enough with age to make drinking more enjoyable at 5 years of age than at 1 year of age. Additionally, Robinson estimates, only the top 1% of all wine has the ability to improve significantly after more than a decade. It is her belief that more wine is consumed too old, rather than too young, and that the great majority of wines start to lose appeal and fruitiness after 6 months in the bottle.[2]
In general, wines with a low pH (such as Pinot noir and Sangiovese) have a greater capability of aging. With red wines, a high level of flavor compounds, such as phenolics (most notably tannins), will increase the likelihood that a wine will be able to age. Wines with high levels of phenols include Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Syrah.[1] The white wines with the longest aging potential tends to be those with a high amount of extract and acidity. The acidity in white wines plays a similar role that tannins have with red wines in acting as a preservative. The process of making white wines, which include little to no skin contact, means that white wines have a significantly fewer amounts of phenolic compounds (though barrel fermentation and oak aging can impart some phenols). Similarly, the minimal skin contact with rosé wine limits their aging potential.[2]
After aging at the winery most wood-aged Ports, Sherries, Vins doux naturels, Vins de liqueur, basic level Ice wines and sparkling wines are bottled when the producer feels that they are ready to be consumed. These wines are ready to drink upon release and will not benefit much from aging. Vintage Ports and other bottled-aged Ports & Sherries will benefit from some additional aging, as can vintage Champagne.[1] In 2009, a 184-year-old bottle of Perrier-Jouët was opened and tasted, still drinkable, with notes of "truffles and caramel", according to the experts.[3]

[merithyn]

Another good rule of thumb is that wine is usually sold at the height of its flavor by wine stores. Unless specifically told by someone with a good bit of knowledge, wine is best drunk within six months to a year of buying it at the store.

[Martinus]

Another good rule of thumb is that wine is usually sold at the height of its flavor by wine stores. Unless specifically told by someone with a good bit of knowledge, wine is best drunk within six months to a year of buying it at the store.

Yuppers.