Hello,

I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it. Is
there any particular preparation it will need beforehand? The Penfolds site says
that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long they
should stand in air before serving, if at all.

David

Praying, that its been stored well---First pop the cork and decant into a
container with a small aperture--if there's sediment, repeat using
cheesecloth. I would do this about 3 hours before serving--if it seems
ready to drink, cap the container---air is the enemy--if it is still tannic
try putting it in a carafe with a larger mouth. If at the time you're ready
to serve and the tannins still cloak the wine pour it back & forth between
two carafe's to speed up the maturation process. At that point in time
invite your home-boys in AFW over so we can assist you further.
"David W" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it.
Is
> there any particular preparation it will need beforehand? The Penfolds
site says
> that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long
they
> should stand in air before serving, if at all.
>
> David
>
>

"Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" > wrote in message
. ..
> Praying, that its been stored well

Should have been. It's from a commercial cellar.

> ---First pop the cork and decant into a
> container with a small aperture--if there's sediment, repeat using
> cheesecloth. I would do this about 3 hours before serving--if it seems
> ready to drink, cap the container---air is the enemy--if it is still tannic
> try putting it in a carafe with a larger mouth. If at the time you're ready
> to serve and the tannins still cloak the wine pour it back & forth between
> two carafe's to speed up the maturation process.

Thanks very much. One more thing: It still has to be transported to me from the
cellar by post or courier. This is the hottest time of the year (in southern
Australia) and I'm worried that it might be 40 C (> 100 F) during transport. Do
you have an idea how much this would affect it? We usually get a few days of
20-25 C (68-77 F) in between the heat waves, so I'm thinking of getting delivery
to coincide with those days.

> At that point in time
> invite your home-boys in AFW over so we can assist you further.

Yes, I'm sure you'd be very helpful if you could be right there. I'll see if I
can manage on my own first, though. I like to try to do things myself and I
wouldn't want to trouble you. :-)

David

In article >, ided
says...
>
>Hello,
>
>I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it. Is
>there any particular preparation it will need beforehand? The Penfolds site
says
>that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long they
>should stand in air before serving, if at all.
>
>David

'84 eh? I've tasted it, but it was about 5 years ago. The host decanted it
about 1 hr. before we tasted it, though it was also about #6 in the lineup,
so the time was possibly extended by some, along with several other Grange
(back then, the term "Hermitage" was still used), along with a dozen major
northern Rhone (Syrah) wines. It scored well.

Considering the age, now, I do not quite agree with Da' Bep (that is an
oddity), and would pour myself a glass, before decanting, being very careful
to not get any sediment into the decanter. Over the course of about an hour,
I'd sample my glass (trying to fill in the blanks, between my glass and the
decanter) to monitor the development of the wine. When I thought that it was
ready to go, I'd declare it so, pour the guests their wine, and either pour
myself another glass, or top up the one in my hand. My guess would be about 1
hr.

Charts for decanting are gustimates, at best, and only close monitoring can
determine when YOU think it's ready. Remember, this will be YOUR call, and
some on the guest list might have liked it earlier, and some later. Such is
the weight of the host.

Hunt

I first had Grange when an Aussie from SW University, John Findlay-Jones
accompanied his wife to Baltimore as a visiting Professor---what he doled
out to us, Leasingham Grange and Chamber's stickies---was so much better
then the high acid plonk sent here to challenge Kendall-Jackson.

I assume "commercial storage" is a place you stored the wine--other
warehouses may claim to be at proper temperature, which is what they can get
away with, without spending a fortune in Air Conditioning. To quote the
Who, "don't be fooled again" Fosters gets better storage then wine plus you
get to say "Up your bloody red rooster", when you pop the top.
"David W" > wrote in message
...
> "Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" > wrote in message
> . ..
> > Praying, that its been stored well
>
> Should have been. It's from a commercial cellar.
>
> > ---First pop the cork and decant into a
> > container with a small aperture--if there's sediment, repeat using
> > cheesecloth. I would do this about 3 hours before serving--if it seems
> > ready to drink, cap the container---air is the enemy--if it is still
tannic
> > try putting it in a carafe with a larger mouth. If at the time you're
ready
> > to serve and the tannins still cloak the wine pour it back & forth
between
> > two carafe's to speed up the maturation process.
>
> Thanks very much. One more thing: It still has to be transported to me
from the
> cellar by post or courier. This is the hottest time of the year (in
southern
> Australia) and I'm worried that it might be 40 C (> 100 F) during
transport. Do
> you have an idea how much this would affect it? We usually get a few days
of
> 20-25 C (68-77 F) in between the heat waves, so I'm thinking of getting
delivery
> to coincide with those days.
>
> > At that point in time
> > invite your home-boys in AFW over so we can assist you further.
>
> Yes, I'm sure you'd be very helpful if you could be right there. I'll see
if I
> can manage on my own first, though. I like to try to do things myself and
I
> wouldn't want to trouble you. :-)
>
> David
>
>

"Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" > wrote in message
. ..
> I first had Grange when an Aussie from SW University, John Findlay-Jones
> accompanied his wife to Baltimore as a visiting Professor---what he doled
> out to us, Leasingham Grange and Chamber's stickies---was so much better
> then the high acid plonk sent here to challenge Kendall-Jackson.
>
> I assume "commercial storage" is a place you stored the wine

No, I didn't store it. The cellar that owned it sold it to me. This cellar
sells a lot of wine - a lot of it Grange of various vintages as far as I can
tell.

David

"Hunt" > wrote in message ...
>
> '84 eh? I've tasted it, but it was about 5 years ago. The host decanted it
> about 1 hr. before we tasted it, though it was also about #6 in the lineup,
> so the time was possibly extended by some, along with several other Grange
> (back then, the term "Hermitage" was still used), along with a dozen major
> northern Rhone (Syrah) wines. It scored well.
>
> Considering the age, now, I do not quite agree with Da' Bep (that is an
> oddity), and would pour myself a glass, before decanting, being very careful
> to not get any sediment into the decanter. Over the course of about an hour,
> I'd sample my glass (trying to fill in the blanks, between my glass and the
> decanter) to monitor the development of the wine. When I thought that it was
> ready to go, I'd declare it so, pour the guests their wine, and either pour
> myself another glass, or top up the one in my hand. My guess would be about 1
> hr.
>
> Charts for decanting are gustimates, at best, and only close monitoring can
> determine when YOU think it's ready. Remember, this will be YOUR call, and
> some on the guest list might have liked it earlier, and some later. Such is
> the weight of the host.

Thank you. I'll have someone with me who I believe is more experienced with
aged wines than I. I'm accustomed to < $10 wines.

David

Unless you want your wine murdered by the heat, I would delay shipment
until cooler weather. Heat spikes will kill a wine faster than
anything.


> One more thing: It still has to be transported to me from the
> cellar by post or courier. This is the hottest time of the year (in southern
> Australia) and I'm worried that it might be 40 C (> 100 F) during transport. Do
> you have an idea how much this would affect it?

Unless you want your wine murdered by the heat, I would delay shipment
until cooler weather. Heat spikes will kill a wine faster than
anything.


> One more thing: It still has to be transported to me from the
> cellar by post or courier. This is the hottest time of the year (in southern
> Australia) and I'm worried that it might be 40 C (> 100 F) during transport. Do
> you have an idea how much this would affect it?

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Unless you want your wine murdered by the heat, I would delay shipment
> until cooler weather. Heat spikes will kill a wine faster than
> anything.

That's what worries me, but I'm getting conflicting information on it and I
can't find much on the net about it. I guess no one is going to subject an aged
red wine to hot weather if they can help it, and unless they've tried it they
wouldn't know what effect it has. A few people have said that they didn't think
a few days of warm weather (say, 25-30 C) would make much difference. My feeling
is that they are probably right, otherwise wine would be going bad more often
than I hear about. But 35-40 C is much less common and I guess more likely to
ruin the wine in a short time. I'm trying to time the shipment to arrive when
the forecast is for mid-20s.

David

David W wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it. Is
> there any particular preparation it will need beforehand?

No. Pop open and serve.

>The Penfolds site says
> that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long they
> should stand in air before serving, if at all.

Drink immediately after opening.
>
> David

David W wrote:

> That's what worries me, but I'm getting conflicting information on it and I
> can't find much on the net about it. I guess no one is going to subject an aged
> red wine to hot weather if they can help it, and unless they've tried it they
> wouldn't know what effect it has. A few people have said that they didn't think
> a few days of warm weather (say, 25-30 C) would make much difference. My feeling
> is that they are probably right, otherwise wine would be going bad more often
> than I hear about. But 35-40 C is much less common and I guess more likely to
> ruin the wine in a short time. I'm trying to time the shipment to arrive when
> the forecast is for mid-20s.

More important than actual temperature is stability. Subjecting a wine
to daily high temperature swings kills it. If room temp swings 20
degrees each day between day and night wine doesn't stand a chance!
Thats common here in Phoenix where wine coolers, cellars or insulated
closets are must for wine storage.

David W wrote:
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>Unless you want your wine murdered by the heat, I would delay shipment
>>until cooler weather. Heat spikes will kill a wine faster than
>>anything.
>
>
> That's what worries me, but I'm getting conflicting information on it and I
> can't find much on the net about it. I guess no one is going to subject an aged
> red wine to hot weather if they can help it, and unless they've tried it they
> wouldn't know what effect it has. A few people have said that they didn't think
> a few days of warm weather (say, 25-30 C) would make much difference. My feeling
> is that they are probably right, otherwise wine would be going bad more often
> than I hear about. But 35-40 C is much less common and I guess more likely to
> ruin the wine in a short time. I'm trying to time the shipment to arrive when
> the forecast is for mid-20s.

David,
I know a number of people who can attest to the fact that 1-2 *hours*
at 30 C is enough to seriously damage any wine. Aged red wine is also
considered by most to be more fragile than young, tannic reds.
Personally, I'd wait for temperatures in the *low* 20s before shipping
any wine of value.

Mark Lipton

"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
m...
> >
> >
> > That's what worries me, but I'm getting conflicting information on it and I
> > can't find much on the net about it. I guess no one is going to subject an
aged
> > red wine to hot weather if they can help it, and unless they've tried it
they
> > wouldn't know what effect it has. A few people have said that they didn't
think
> > a few days of warm weather (say, 25-30 C) would make much difference. My
feeling
> > is that they are probably right, otherwise wine would be going bad more
often
> > than I hear about. But 35-40 C is much less common and I guess more likely
to
> > ruin the wine in a short time. I'm trying to time the shipment to arrive
when
> > the forecast is for mid-20s.
>
> David,
> I know a number of people who can attest to the fact that 1-2 *hours*
> at 30 C is enough to seriously damage any wine. Aged red wine is also
> considered by most to be more fragile than young, tannic reds.
> Personally, I'd wait for temperatures in the *low* 20s before shipping
> any wine of value.

Thanks. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I guess it's what I needed to
hear. I don't have much choice if I'm to get it for the occasion I want it for.
Around mid-20s early next week is the best I can do, and I'll have to hope that
the post office keeps the parcel in at least a mild place while they've got it
over the weekend. The forecast for Saturday is 38 degrees.

David

"David W" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it. Is
> there any particular preparation it will need beforehand? The Penfolds site
says
> that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long they
> should stand in air before serving, if at all.

Well, I received it and drank it with some family members on Friday. The cork
disintegrated and the decanting was a bit of a disaster because of it, but in an
informal family gathering like that it didn't really matter. The flavour was not
as intense as I expected, but it was very nice and very, very smooth. We are all
used to $10 wines and the others had no idea what was coming until about an hour
before our evening meal. It went down pretty well with everyone.

David

David, I probably would not have consumed this wine until it had sat around
house in cool area for at least 1-2 weeks.

When wine travels it is subject to bottle shock. You may not have gotten al
there was out of that wine. :-(


"David W" > wrote in message
...
> "David W" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I'm about to get a bottle of Penfolds Grange, vintage 1984, and drink it.
>> Is
>> there any particular preparation it will need beforehand? The Penfolds
>> site
> says
>> that all their red wines are best decanted, but it doesn't say how long
>> they
>> should stand in air before serving, if at all.
>
> Well, I received it and drank it with some family members on Friday. The
> cork
> disintegrated and the decanting was a bit of a disaster because of it, but
> in an
> informal family gathering like that it didn't really matter. The flavour
> was not
> as intense as I expected, but it was very nice and very, very smooth. We
> are all
> used to $10 wines and the others had no idea what was coming until about
> an hour
> before our evening meal. It went down pretty well with everyone.
>
> David
>
>

David W wrote:
>
> Well, I received it and drank it with some family members on Friday. The cork
> disintegrated and the decanting was a bit of a disaster because of it, but in an
> informal family gathering like that it didn't really matter. The flavour was not
> as intense as I expected, but it was very nice and very, very smooth. We are all
> used to $10 wines and the others had no idea what was coming until about an hour
> before our evening meal. It went down pretty well with everyone.

Thnanks for the notes, David. Older corks are often difficult to deal
with, but I rarely find them to have failed outright. One thing that
comes as a surprise to many people is that older wines are not as
intense as younger ones (or even as they were in their youth), but what
they gain is additional complexity and smoothness. That's why it's
useful to choose mildly flavored foods for older wines. You can never
go wrong with roast chicken, for instance.

Cheers!
Mark Lipton

"Richard Neidich" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> David, I probably would not have consumed this wine until it had sat around
> house in cool area for at least 1-2 weeks.
>
> When wine travels it is subject to bottle shock. You may not have gotten al
> there was out of that wine. :-(

Somebody did mention this to me earlier, but I needed it for that occasion. Upon
Googling for "bottle shock" there seems to be some disagreement and scepticism about
it. Here's a forum on it.
http://forums.winespectator.com/eve/...1055/r/7681016

And here's one extreme example of it.
http://www.grapevinecottage.com/Page...e%20Shock.html

The Grange had very little sediment in it. It ran transparent red until there was
hardly any of it left. Since travel shock appears to be related to sediment, I might
have got away without its effects.

David

"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
>
> Thnanks for the notes, David. Older corks are often difficult to deal
> with, but I rarely find them to have failed outright. One thing that
> comes as a surprise to many people is that older wines are not as
> intense as younger ones (or even as they were in their youth), but what
> they gain is additional complexity and smoothness. That's why it's
> useful to choose mildly flavored foods for older wines. You can never
> go wrong with roast chicken, for instance.

We had roasted lamb with anchovies. It was a bit too strong for the wine I guess, but
I don't think anyone stopped to think how well they went together.

David

P.S. Before Friday, I'm sure none of us ever expected to hear, "Pass the Grange,
please" at the dinner table. (I really said that.)