Buying Wine for Early Drinking

Appears in

Published 2010

About

Almost all of the wine that we buy and drink is intended to be drunk young. A staggering proportion of wine is consumed within 24 hours of purchase. Because of the vast choice available and the fluctuations in both price and quality, it is often more difficult to buy good wines for early drinking than it is to buy more serious wines for laying down.

What is considered “young” varies according to personal taste but, in general, the term means between 6 and 12 months after bottling.

You don’t necessarily have to go to specialist wine shops when looking for bottles that you intend to drink quite soon. Large wine shops, accustomed to holding stocks for many months or years, may not be the best places to buy a lively young Beaujolais Villages or a crisp Provençal rosé. Supermarkets and warehouses are likely to have a speedier turnover and as a consequence the wines will be fresher.

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Drinking it Young

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