Chilled Wine and Aging Wine

Q. If a wine has been chilled and then served, but not finished, is it doomed to be thrown out or can it be re-corked?

And if it is re-corked, can it be re-chilled? Thank you.

A. It depends on the wine and how warm and for how long it stayed that way. You can always chill it again and try it. If it is not horrible you could use it in a sauce or enjoy it while cooking your next dinner.

Q. Do all wines age well or are some meant to be enjoyed sooner rather than later?

When buying wine, how old should I expect it to be and taste good? There seems to be a lot of wine in the stores that aren't very old at all.

A. Again it depends on the wine and the temperature conditions. HOWEVER, that is not a hard and fast rule.

Quick story-we had friends who brought a bottle of wine to a dinner party a few years ago. It was a 1957 table Rose from Italy. They had inherited it when they bought the house that they lived in for 20 years.

However, they moved to Florida (wine was on the moving truck) then they moved back to Cleveland (in the same year, again the wine was on the truck). We saved it for last thinking it would be horrible.

However, it had taken on the characteristics of a tawny port. It was quite delicious! Anyway, ideally you should store your wine in a cool dark area of the house (closet, basement, etc.).

There are vintage charts that you can refer to at www.wineontheweb.com/vintage/vintage and www.winespectator.com/Wine/Vintage_Charts/

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