The Auswine Forum

Brett Grocke made this wine from a row from Light Regional Council of 120+ Shiraz plus 2 Mataro and 1 Riesling vines. The colour is still purple, but a whiff of lemon flower followed by some olive surprises your senses. Then a meaty Shiraz with plenty of dark berries, anise, chocolate and even green tea greets you with plenty of acidity in the finish to cut through our roasted duck. The wine was given a 2 1/2 hour double decant. Drink to date is 2040! Maybe, but I will get some more and put them in my accelerated ageing setup.
Cheers ...

Dang wrote:Drink to date is 2040! Maybe, but I will get some more and put them in my accelerated ageing setup.
Cheers ...

What is this accelerated aging setup? A solera system for bottled wine?

Just curious.

Michael

Hi Michael
I refer wine ageing to an observation I posted around April 2017. The theory is that ageing depends wholy in the interaction between the wine and the ullage in the bottle. As such, the size of the contact area is most important. A standing bottle offers only an area of contact of about 25 mm circle. But a lying bottle offers an area about 1.5 times that area. My set up in the cellar has most of my wines lying at an angle of 15 degrees providing an area of contact (on the shoulder) about 3 times of the standing area. A bigger improvement could be achieved by storing the bottle upside down (Riesling bottle without punt is the prime candidate). Rough measurement of the Eperosa bottle gives an area improvement up to 4.5 times the standing.
How do we test ageing? The best way probably is to observe the progress of Riesling. I had some 2016 Alkoomi Black Label stored upside down since brought home and tasted one about a month ago. The colour was bright gold with a good nose of kerosene indicates a certain degree of ageing. My calculation suggests that I have an ageing time of about 5 y instead of 2 by calendar. So there is hope for me to taste reasonably well aged wines, red or white in the next few years before my age takes over!

Dang wrote:Hi Michael
I refer wine ageing to an observation I posted around April 2017. The theory is that ageing depends wholy in the interaction between the wine and the ullage in the bottle. As such, the size of the contact area is most important. A standing bottle offers only an area of contact of about 25 mm circle. But a lying bottle offers an area about 1.5 times that area. My set up in the cellar has most of my wines lying at an angle of 15 degrees providing an area of contact (on the shoulder) about 3 times of the standing area. A bigger improvement could be achieved by storing the bottle upside down (Riesling bottle without punt is the prime candidate). Rough measurement of the Eperosa bottle gives an area improvement up to 4.5 times the standing.
How do we test ageing? The best way probably is to observe the progress of Riesling. I had some 2016 Alkoomi Black Label stored upside down since brought home and tasted one about a month ago. The colour was bright gold with a good nose of kerosene indicates a certain degree of ageing. My calculation suggests that I have an ageing time of about 5 y instead of 2 by calendar. So there is hope for me to taste reasonably well aged wines, red or white in the next few years before my age takes over!

Hi Dang

Thanks for that explanation. That had never occurred to me and seems entirely plausible. It would be interesting to do some side by side comparisons. Buy a six-pack, lie two down, stand two up and have two upside down. Only possible with the screwcaps for standing up otherwise the corks may dry leading to oxygen ingress?

Has anyone else heard or tried this?

Cheers

Michael

Michael:
I had this setup done. But unfortunately this takes time (at least a couple of years to prove the point) and a fellow taster (my wife has a younger and excellent palate). That is why you got the first result in terms of the change in riesling. I also tasted a Penfolds Bin 51 (2014) that showed deep gold and noticeable petroleum nose, much ahead of the standard Bin 51 of the same six-pack. Riesling is easier to notice ageing, but I have great hope that same result appears for reds.
My post did get lots of disbelievers, but the amount of air seeping through the corks was measured in nano terms, so inconsequential. The problem of upside down storing is that for good wines the sedimentation end up at the screwcap! Do not pour too hastily! Search for my last post if you are interested in the discussion (should be around 7 or 8pages back). I even have right now the 2008 Grange set up for tasting. Wouldn't you want to taste a well aged Grange (or JR 2012, or some Brunello etc) before your tastebuds wither?
Cheers...