I’ve heard that white wines should be consumed within two years of the vintage date. True?

Share

The question

I live in Quebec and the SAQ [the provincial liquor agency] sells white wines labelled as far back as 2011. Is this acceptable considering that whites, from what I've heard, are supposed to be good only in the range of two years? The specific wines I like are oaky chardonnays from California like La Crema, Mer Soleil and Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve. How old should they be?

The answer

What you've heard is essentially correct for the vast majority of whites. I'm inclined to be slightly more liberal with the best-before date – say, three to four years from the harvest date on the label, assuming you've got a cool cellar. Unless you're a wine freak with a penchant for offbeat flavours associated with certain mature styles, it's wise to drink up sooner rather than take the risk.

But there are exceptions. Some whites tend actually to improve beautifully with roughly four to 10 years in a good, cool cellar. I just uncorked a 2013 white sparkling wine from Limoux, which I had lost track of in my cellar. To my glee, it was spectacular, much better than it was when released a few years ago (though I do love mature sparkling wines). Many also will blossom long past that time frame, though generally we're talking about sweet dessert wines, such as Sauternes, and very pricy, vintage-stamped Champagnes.

The best candidates for a four-to-10-year run include fine white Burgundy (based on chardonnay), expensive and moderately oaked New World chardonnay (some of the La Crema offerings you note would qualify), riesling and Australian sémillon. For the oaky style of chardonnay you tend to enjoy, I would treat the four-year mark as the safety zone. You're taking a gamble when you lay down an oak bomb for any longer. But it all depends on the particular quality of the vintage, the zone of production and, not least, the producer.

August's Globe and Mail French River Cruise is sold out. Please visit tgam.ca/cruise to sign up to receive information on our next planned cruise, in 2019.

E-mail your wine and spirits questions to Beppi Crosariol. Look for answers to select questions to appear in the Wine & Spirits newsletter and on The Globe and Mail website.