Bordeaux 101
Vertical Tasting One of the fascinating things about Bordeaux wine is the variation between vintages. Warm weather vintages will often yield rich, full-bodied and fruit-driven wines, while cooler vintages will often result in more earthy, dried herbal and savoury wines. Conducting a vertical tasting consists of getting together a number of different vintages of the same wine and comparing them. Being able to create vertical tastings is one of the benefits of having a cellar and buying the same wines every vintage. Taste blind and see if you can taste the difference in warmer versus cooler years. Storing Bordeaux Wine Many Bordeaux wines are known for their ability to age, so it is important that they are stored correctly. The key element of storage is to have a cool, constant temperature, ideally around 13-14°C (55-57°F). The constant part is more important than the exact temperature. This allows a wine to age gracefully, developing all of the complex flavours and aromas you would come to expect. The wine should be kept away from bright light that may heat the wine or fade the labels. Anything sealed with a cork should be on its side to keep the cork from drying out. You may be lucky enough to have a cool basement with ideal cellaring conditions or you may choose to purchase a wine cooler that controls temperature and humidity. Great Pairings with Bordeaux While the vast majority of Bordeaux wine is dry red, there are some high quality dry white and sweet botrytis-affected dessert wines, such as Sauternes, that are also produced.
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