Answers.Body: <p>Not all wines are suitable for keeping - and the ones that may be, still require good stable conditions with regards to temperature, sunlight and so on. Assuming the 20+ years old wines you’ve had were suitable and have been stored well, there still are other aspects worth considering.</p>
  <p>Some districts have a ‘classical’ and a ‘modern’ style of wine making, where I generally find the modern more mainstream-friendly compared to the classical ones that typically pair better with quite specific foods.</p>
  <p>At the end of the day, it most often comes down to personal taste; younger wines often exhibit more power and fruit while being a bit rough around the edges - whereas older ones are more subdued as the tannin levels have decreased, allowing finer notes to appear. Having an 'average at best' sense of smell, these notes are often wasted on me unless they are very obvious.</p>
  <p>Example: While older Vintage Port (e.g. 1963, 1966) is regarded as more sophisticated than the newer vintages, I still prefer the sheer power of a 10 or 15 year old Vintage Port. Conversely, I always prefer older wines from famous districts such as Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux as they are made for storing a few years before release, making the newest vintages quite aggressive.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-05T11:42:01.853Z
Answers.Text: The bottles I've tried were very watery with lots of sediment, it was like everything settled to the bottom, so what's the allure to an aged wine then? Thank you for your answer sir, it is much appreciated :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: no lemon no melon
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Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-06T21:23:05.093Z
Answers.Text: @nolemonnomelon Very few wines are meant to be aged 20 years. An average everyday red wine is meant to be consumed within maybe 5 years and probably gets worse with time after that. Some reds are very tannic young and additional aging soften the tannins and improves the wine.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Eric S
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Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-07T08:05:27.690Z
Answers.Text: I agree. Virtually no wines bought in a supermarket are meant to be stored for 20+ years.
Answers.UserDisplayName: morsor
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Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-05T11:36:17.507Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-01-05T11:36:17.507Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: morsor
Body: <p>On special occasions friends or family have brought over expensive 20-25 year old bottles of Spanish or Italian wines to celebrate the occasion.</p>
  <p>I'm no wine expert other than going to the local Liquor Store and asking the clerk to recommend a wine with certain qualities like dry, or sweet, fan favorites etc. I thought 'Oh, old means good.' Come trying time, the wine is thin, lacks flavor, no body or depth, it's happened to me twice now.</p>
  <p>Other than the allure of holding something in your hand that you could say has been preserved for 20-25 years for this very moment you're about to celebrate, and maybe for a 25th birthday, a 25 year old bottle of wine would be appropriate as well, in terms of the consumption experience, I'd say it was mediocre. You know you're drinking wine, but it isn't memorable, nor is there any pull to do it again.</p>
  <p>I've never had that experience with the 25-35$ bottles of Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese wine that I've bought and tried over dinner with friends and family. Maybe those wines are 1-2 years old, but they've been noticeably better. So much so that some pretended to like the old wine not to offend the person that brought it. Right now I can't see why I would even spend money on an expensive old bottle, when I know I can get what I like, consistently every time, and if I get tired of the same bottle I know I can try other bottles within that price range that wont leave me feeling like something was missing and I didn't get what I payed for. Either I keep getting brought bad old expensive wines or maybe something else is going on, I don't have much experience with old expensive wines?</p>
  <p>What is going on? Can someone change my mind on old wines? Are there any whose juice is worth the squeeze?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-05T09:51:05.920Z
Comments.Text: Are you sure age is the only difference? Or are you comparing new non-European wines with aged European ones?
Comments.UserDisplayName: morsor
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-05T11:10:52.980Z
Comments.Text: I've bought many wines, however the wines I'm comparing here are mostly Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, maybe even some French, but mostly the first three. I made an edit above.
Comments.UserDisplayName: no lemon no melon
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T09:55:29.537Z
Comments.Text: Possible duplicate. Does this answer your question? [Is there any proof that a $1,000 bottle of wine is a good wine?](https://alcohol.stackexchange.com/questions/5084/is-there-any-proof-that-a-1-000-bottle-of-wine-is-a-good-wine)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Ken Graham
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T02:25:18.003Z
Comments.Text: I read that question before posting, that question is about price, marketing etc, mine is more about young vs aged.
Comments.UserDisplayName: no lemon no melon
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-12T15:57:38.037Z
Comments.Text: Does this answer your question? [Does wine have a low 'diminishing return' threshold?](https://alcohol.stackexchange.com/questions/6649/does-wine-have-a-low-diminishing-return-threshold)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Cdn_Dev
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-13T00:30:26.943Z
Comments.Text: I read that question as well before posting, very intriguing question. I really enjoyed reading it and its answers, my question is more about young vs aged, and how every time I was mislead with an aged wine, while a younger wine has never disapointed. I wanted someone to convince me of the value of an aged wine, because given experience, I could not justify it. Anyways I need some sleep....
Comments.UserDisplayName: no lemon no melon
Tags: <wine><flavor><buying><age><quality>
Title: Why is it every time I try an old expensive wine it's doesn't compare to a 25-35$ two year old wine I buy?
UserDisplayName: no lemon no melon
ThreadText: # Why is it every time I try an old expensive wine it's doesn't compare to a 25-35$ two year old wine I buy?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-05)
  
  On special occasions friends or family have brought over expensive 20-25 year old bottles of Spanish or Italian wines to celebrate the occasion.
  
  I'm no wine expert other than going to the local Liquor Store and asking the clerk to recommend a wine with certain qualities like dry, or sweet, fan favorites etc. I thought 'Oh, old means good.' Come trying time, the wine is thin, lacks flavor, no body or depth, it's happened to me twice now.
  
  Other than the allure of holding something in your hand that you could say has been preserved for 20-25 years for this very moment you're about to celebrate, and maybe for a 25th birthday, a 25 year old bottle of wine would be appropriate as well, in terms of the consumption experience, I'd say it was mediocre. You know you're drinking wine, but it isn't memorable, nor is there any pull to do it again.
  
  I've never had that experience with the 25-35$ bottles of Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese wine that I've bought and tried over dinner with friends and family. Maybe those wines are 1-2 years old, but they've been noticeably better. So much so that some pretended to like the old wine not to offend the person that brought it. Right now I can't see why I would even spend money on an expensive old bottle, when I know I can get what I like, consistently every time, and if I get tired of the same bottle I know I can try other bottles within that price range that wont leave me feeling like something was missing and I didn't get what I payed for. Either I keep getting brought bad old expensive wines or maybe something else is going on, I don't have much experience with old expensive wines?
  
  What is going on? Can someone change my mind on old wines? Are there any whose juice is worth the squeeze?
  
  **Tags:** wine, flavor, buying, age, quality
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Are you sure age is the only difference? Or are you comparing new non-European wines with aged European ones?  
  > **username_0**: I've bought many wines, however the wines I'm comparing here are mostly Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, maybe even some French, but mostly the first three. I made an edit above.  
  > **username_2**: Possible duplicate. Does this answer your question? [Is there any proof that a $1,000 bottle of wine is a good wine?](https://alcohol.stackexchange.com/questions/5084/is-there-any-proof-that-a-1-000-bottle-of-wine-is-a-good-wine)  
  > **username_0**: I read that question before posting, that question is about price, marketing etc, mine is more about young vs aged.  
  > **username_3**: Does this answer your question? [Does wine have a low 'diminishing return' threshold?](https://alcohol.stackexchange.com/questions/6649/does-wine-have-a-low-diminishing-return-threshold)  
  > **username_0**: I read that question as well before posting, very intriguing question. I really enjoyed reading it and its answers, my question is more about young vs aged, and how every time I was mislead with an aged wine, while a younger wine has never disapointed. I wanted someone to convince me of the value of an aged wine, because given experience, I could not justify it. Anyways I need some sleep....  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-05. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  Not all wines are suitable for keeping - and the ones that may be, still require good stable conditions with regards to temperature, sunlight and so on. Assuming the 20+ years old wines you’ve had were suitable and have been stored well, there still are other aspects worth considering.
  
  Some districts have a ‘classical’ and a ‘modern’ style of wine making, where I generally find the modern more mainstream-friendly compared to the classical ones that typically pair better with quite specific foods.
  
  At the end of the day, it most often comes down to personal taste; younger wines often exhibit more power and fruit while being a bit rough around the edges - whereas older ones are more subdued as the tannin levels have decreased, allowing finer notes to appear. Having an 'average at best' sense of smell, these notes are often wasted on me unless they are very obvious.
  
  Example: While older Vintage Port (e.g. 1963, 1966) is regarded as more sophisticated than the newer vintages, I still prefer the sheer power of a 10 or 15 year old Vintage Port. Conversely, I always prefer older wines from famous districts such as Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux as they are made for storing a few years before release, making the newest vintages quite aggressive.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: The bottles I've tried were very watery with lots of sediment, it was like everything settled to the bottom, so what's the allure to an aged wine then? Thank you for your answer sir, it is much appreciated :)  
  > **username_4**: @nolemonnomelon Very few wines are meant to be aged 20 years. An average everyday red wine is meant to be consumed within maybe 5 years and probably gets worse with time after that. Some reds are very tannic young and additional aging soften the tannins and improves the wine.  
  > **username_1**: I agree. Virtually no wines bought in a supermarket are meant to be stored for 20+ years.  
  
  ---
  
  