The fact that wines get better and better with ageing is only reserved for certain types of wine with appropriate ageing. Another prerequisite is a tight seal without contact with oxygen. Such wines are characterised by an extremely long shelf life. In the course of bottle ageing, the optimal drinking maturity is reached at some point, but even this does not last forever. This means that even with long-lived wines, the peak is exceeded at some point. Very old wines or vintages are a sought-after collector's item. They are often auctioned off by auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's at astronomical prices and are not necessarily acquired for the purpose of enjoyment. The oldest crescents are usually found among high-alcohol, fortified dessert wines such as Madeira, Port and Sherry.
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For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien