Choosing the right wine

Not all wine benefits from being laid down – in fact, even with the best there is a date on which it’ll be at its best. Factors affecting this range from the vintage of the wine to the type of grape.

Marina Gayan MW, Partner at high-end wine advisors Gayan & Nathan, recommends approaching wine from the palate. Find something you like first and work from that.

She says: “The first thing you need to be sure is that you like what happens with age.

“As wines spend time in bottle, aromas transform from fresh and primary to a combination of aromas we call bouquet. Textures also can move from tight and tannic mouth to something gentler and softer.

“The right wines will gain complexity, balance and length but some people prefer deliciously young wines that are ready to drink right away.”

There are good and bad years in wine. While 2006 was seen as a great year for wine and 2012 a bad one, not all bottles from these periods will be either excellent or undrinkable.

A few good choices are a 2006 Tuscany, which will happily be put down for close to a decade. The Flaccianello della Pieve IGT Toscana Centrale, Fontodi 2006 is the Wine Society’s choice.

Other good years include the 2010 Rhone, which produced a wholly unique wine, the 2005 Burgundy or the 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe.

When it comes to favourite grapes, a good rule of thumb is to go for the more traditional and classic options like German Rieslings, Nebbiolo, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

If you want to go local, English sparkling wine is a great choice, with many comparing its taste to that of Champagne. Local varieties of Riesling and Chardonnay are great for laying down.

Marina recommends trying some first as many English sparkling wines can have very crisp acidities. If that is not your preference she suggests going for sweeter styles like Demi-Sec.

The Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2010 is English fizz at its best - lovely, elegant and gentle yet intense and complex with tickling delicate bubbles. And there’s no need to worry about its crisp acidity, as it is in perfect balance with its creamy, rich palate.

Vintage wise, 2009, 2010 and 2011 are the best for English wines, with the Gusbourne 2011 Brut Reserve getting great reviews for a rich, developed nose that reflects the beautifully ripe fruit of the vintage.

2014 has also been dubbed by some as a year to remember thanks to its dry September.

Getting the right conditions

Often more important than picking the right bottle is making sure it’s stored correctly. A good bottle, poorly stored could easily turn bad.

Unless you’re investing in a top of the range, custom-made wine cellar or high-end fridge, you’re going to have to follow a few basic rules when storing your vintage bottles.

Marina say: “Ideally you need somewhere that is dark and where you can monitor the humidity and temperature.

“Wines are affected by light, vibration and temperature. The cork is a living organism and will expand and contract depending on the surroundings.

“You can cellar wines with screw tops, which can be kept straight. But plastic corks don’t work so well.”

While each bottle responds differently, keeping them cool helps. The perfect temperature is thought to be 55° F, but anywhere between 45° F and 65° F is acceptable.

UV rays can also affect bottles (hence the reason coloured glass is used), so keep them in the dark place. Storing them on their sides means the cork is kept wet and won’t dry out.

Finally, don’t store them on top of, or even next to, your washing machine. The vibrations can speed up chemical process aging the wine faster.

Knowing when to open

All of the above you can control – but knowing when to open a bottle is a fine art. Too soon and the flavours won’t have matured, too late and it’ll have turned to vinegar.

When you buy a good bottle of wine, it’s worth doing a bit of research beforehand. This could involve a simple Google search or speaking to your supplier to find out when the perfect date is for drinking.

Some websites will suggest a ‘good until’ date; but this doesn’t mean that’s the perfect point to drink – it simply means that after this date it’ll start to degrade significantly.

A good way to get around the problem is to buy a crate of your favourite wine and then experiment.

“You’ll get to know the wine well over the time, opening a bottle every year or so and trying it on different occasions and with different foods,” says Marina.

For English wines, she adds: “As the industry is still young, we don’t fully know what will happen to it yet. With a bit of age the acidity will probably combine and become a bit mellower – but it will still be there.”

After that, it’s just a matter of sitting back and enjoying your wine.