Everything You Need To Know About Luxury Wines
While buying a luxury wine, it’s easy to pick a product based on its brand and cost. However, do you know what makes a wine a luxury wine? So, what should you look for while buying fine wines? Most people often look for the region and the winegrower, but this isn’t enough.
Does the quality of wine depend on its year of production or the way it’s aged? Should a bottle of wine be judged by the brand or should it be rated based on the inherent characteristics of an individual bottle? These are the questions every wine enthusiast has before buying a bottle of luxury wine. If you’re curious to find the answers to these questions, read on.
Common Fine Wine Traits
Though every bottle of wine has its own story, most fine wines have a few things in common. Here we look at some of the common traits found in all luxury wines.
Made from Popular Grapes: Most luxury wines are made from the common variety of grapes grown. For example, Pinot Noirs from Burgundy account for nearly half of the most expensive wines in the world. They’re all made from the same grape variety. While the Cabernet Sauvignon varieties from Napa Valley are some of the most expensive reds in the market, chardonnay accounts for some of the most luxurious whites in the world.
Precision in Harvesting: A luxury winemaker is dedicated to the quality of wine produced in his winery. That depends a lot on the precision of harvesting. Grapes must be harvested at the perfect moment. Some winemakers don’t pick grapes by the bunch. Instead, they go through the tedious process of picking grapes one at a time.
As a result, all fine wines are made of grapes picked at the right ripeness. However, that perfect ripeness is different for each grape variety. For example, Pinot Noirs should have lower levels of alcohol and high acidity. Over-ripe grapes lose acidity and low acid wines don’t age well. Thus, a luxury wine maintains higher Wine Acidity.
An Expression of The Vineyard It Comes From: Luxury winemakers often focus on making wines that best express the vineyard and the vintage. Different weather conditions enable the winemaker to emphasize his ability to produce high-quality wines that express their vineyard, the vintage conditions, and wine-making capabilities.
Since all luxury wines are single estate productions, it becomes important for the winemakers to focus on quality viticulture practices.
Vintage: Most exclusive wines are made on exceptional vintage yields or with limited fruit. If you know the vintage yield years and region, it can help you choose wines that were made from perfectly ripe harvest, producing good wines.
Aged In Oak Barrels: Many luxury wines are still aged in oak barrels. French oak is considered the standard vessel for aging wines when it comes to fine winemaking. To ensure that they get the desired quality, winemakers make their barrels so that they can cure the wood with precision. The oaks are sourced from the best plantations.
Characteristics of Luxury Wine:
- Well balanced: A wine should be well balanced and all its components should work well together by complimenting each other. A wine’s balance improves with age but a good wine will be well balanced even when it’s newly produced.
- Aroma: While sniffing good quality wines, you can easily identify their flavors. The more you smell, the better the wine will taste.
- Taste: While tasting wines, use your taste buds to figure out the different flavors you can pick on. The more flavors you can taste, the more complex the wine is. Good quality wines have density while bad quality wines are often watery. Good quality wines have a texture that can be felt in the mouth. Their textures and notes express themselves gradually instead of exploding in the mouth.
- Finish: While tasting wine, notice if the flavor lingers in your mouth for a while. A good quality wine will have a strong finish and the flavors of the wine will remain till the end.
Storing fine wines: An expensive bottle of wine is an investment. If you’re not using it immediately, it should be stored with care. All luxury wines soften and improve with age if they are stored properly. One of the most important things in wine storage is the temperature. The ideal temperature for storing wine is 55-degree Fahrenheit. For luxury wines, investing in a good wine refrigerator is essential.
It’s also important to get the humidity right as dryness can dry out the cork of your wine bottle, letting air in. This can ruin the wine. On the other hand, too much humidity can promote the growth of mold. 70% humidity is ideal for storing wine. The wine bottles should be laid on the side so that the wine can be against the cork. This will help the cork from drying out and causing damage.
Buying Luxury wine
All luxury wines are expensive. If you’re planning to buy a bottle, make sure you like it. Check the grape variety for the wines you choose. Check the back of the label for more information on the wine. Wines with certificates and recommendations from critics are often good. Usually, most wines display the fruits, flavors, aging process, and region on the back label of the bottle.
Adding a good luxury wine to your wine collection requires a thorough understanding and knowledge about the grape varieties used, the climatic conditions, the region, and the aging process. After researching the wine you wish to purchase, don’t forget to taste it, and look for the balance, taste, smell, and finish. This will ensure that you buy something that you like. Also, follow the tips above for the proper storage of luxury wines.
Finally, before you open your bottle, let it rest at room temperature for a while. Don’t forget to nose your wine for the aromas and swirl it in your mouth to fully taste the various complex and well-balanced flavors. Cheers!
