Matt Kramer on aging wines

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Wes Barton

@Brian G r a f s t r o m

@Faryan Amir-Ghassem¡

Remember, a $100 wine that takes 10 years to be approachable is roughly twice as expensive as a $100 wine that can be enjoyed on release.

I pay less than a dollar per bottle to store my wines; therefore, that $100 ten year bottle costs about $110, in my eyes.

It’s also important to remember that a wine that is “enjoyable on release” still isn’t going to have that wonderful tertiary development that can be achieved only by aging. This is a point that Kramer seems to largely ignore and/or dismiss.

Another way to look at it is in your own personal economic value in the enjoyment of a wine. So, measured in present value, a wine that costs $100 now may only be $40 enjoyable now. With an additional $10 in storage cost, in 10 years it may be $200 enjoyable.

Good point, Wes, and - truth be told - that is how I look at it. Built into the price I’m willing to pay, however, is how much I value known provenance. And, I tend to place more value on known provenance for expensive wines than I do for cheap(er) wines. It’s a really complex algebra that is quickly performed “in my gut” rather than on a balance sheet.