sy-Sipping Wines 
WINE OF THE WEEK 
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BY JOHN O'HARA/THE CHRONICLE 
good bread, cheese and fruit for an evening at home 
js than 1 percent sweetness, 
ind opulent with a sweet/ 
sh. 
bastion! 1993 California 
Beaujolais Nouveau, 
>uveau is a drink-now wine 
fws all its ripe fruit early, 
has a bright berry aroma 
for, soft tannins and good 
ig acidity. The finish is soft 
j • 
ibrielli 1991 Mendocino 
|el, $10. Richly textured 
>s of jammy fruit, soft tan- 
good acidity, this delight- 
|as it all together. Choco- 
ill find a touch of their 
drug in the ripe, plummy 
■ Chateau Souverain 1991 
Dry Creek Zinfandel, $8.50. Not as 
jammy as the Gabrielli, this wine is 
loaded with bright fresh Zin fruit, 
braced with a touch of American 
oak, soft tannins and balanced 
with excellent acidity. Winemaker 
Tom Peterson knows how to bring 
the best out of ripe Zinf andel. 
■ For a comfortable finale to a 
busy day, try Chateau Ste. Mich¬ 
elle 1991 "Sweet Select" Johan- 
nisberg Riesling, $6.99, either on 
its own or with a wedge of peach 
or apricot tart. This wine is sweet 
and floral, with good crisp acidity 
—and an excellent value. 
Gerald Boyd is beverage editor for 
Restaurant Hospitality magazine . 
Domaine Carneros Blanc de 
Blancs, 1988 _ 
$18 range 
Winery & Vineyards: Carneros, 
Napa__ 
This is the best sparkler yet from 
Domaine Carneros, which is owned 
by the French Champagne house, 
Taittinger. 
Winemaker Eileen Crane has 
crafted a focused, lively wine with 
lean, intense fruit that blossoms on 
the palate to a rich, long finish. The 
wine has a light, engaging elegance 
and is a pure pleasure to drink. 
— LARRY WALKER 
WINE Q& A Larry Walker 
How to Tell When 
A Wine's Time Has Come 
I have just started to learn 
about wine. 1 realize that 
much wine knowledge is a mat¬ 
ter of tasting and developing 
one’s palate, but one question 
that truly puzzles me is how do 
you know when a wine is ready to 
drink? 1 was amazed to learn 
that many wines are put out in 
the market to sell before they 
are at their best, and it is up to 
the consumer to know when to 
drink them. 
— L.B.B., San Francisco 
A Your question reminds me of 
the old Paul Masson slogan, 
“We will sell no wine before its 
time.” I’m not sure if that was true 
of Paul Masson or not, but it would 
be a good slogan for all winemak¬ 
ers. Unfortunately, the pressures 
of business, cash flow and wine 
tradition act against the Paul Mas¬ 
son motto. 
Generally speaking, if you buy 
an inexpensive red or white wine 
— say under $5 a bottle—you can 
count on it being drinkable when 
you buy it. Certain procedures in 
wine-making are followed for in¬ 
expensive wines that lead to easy 
and early drinkability, beginning 
with the decision about what 
grapes to use. Beyond that, it is, as 
you say, a matter of experience. 
Speaking in very general 
terms, red wines need more aging 
than white wines, but exactly how 
much more depends on the pro¬ 
ducer and the vintage. Cabernet 
Sauvignon is the slowest to come 
around, in some cases taking up to 
10 years from bottling time; Zin- 
fandel, Pinot Noir and Merlot are 
generally ready to drink within 
three to five years of bottling. 
There are exceptions, of 
course. In the white wines, only 
Chardonnay and Riesling are long- 
lived wines, with Riesling some¬ 
times requiring 10 years or more to 
reach its peak, Chardonnay three 
to five years. Sauvignon Blanc is 
most often ready to drink on re¬ 
lease, but on the other hand, I have 
tasted Sauvignon Blanc that was 
quite good, still young and fresh, 
after seven or eight years. It would 
be nice if wineries put a pull date 
on the label, like milk cartons, 
alerting customers when the wine 
should be consumed. 
Ideally, it is best to buy wine by 
the case and occasionally sample a 
bottle, checking on drinkability. 
Next best is to get to know your lo¬ 
cal wine-shop salespeople. They 
have an opportunity to taste a 
great many wines and, if you go to 
a good shop, giving that kind of ad¬ 
vice is part of their job. 
I enjoy reading the Vint- 
ners Club reports thatap- 
pear occasionally in The Chroni¬ 
cle. Can you tell me what the 
qualifications are for member¬ 
ship in the Vintners Club? 
— J.L., Napa 
A As I understand it, an inter¬ 
est in wine is the chief quali¬ 
fication for membership. There is 
a one-time fee, ranging from $200 
to $300, and monthly dues from $5 
to $12.50. You can get details by 
calling (415) 485-1166. 
Larry Walker is a Chronicle staff writ¬ 
er. 
