ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 21, 1996 TAG: 9608210009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Wine List
SOURCE: BETH CRITTENDEN
The question readers most frequently ask me is whether their older bottles of wine are valuable or vinegar. With Roanoke's Cork and Curtain wine auction to benefit Mill Mountain Theatre scheduled Sept. 6, wine lovers may have more than a passing interest in wines' collectibility. Here are some tips on what makes the best buys.
Wines most commonly considered collectible, fetching high prices at auctions and specialty wine shops, are past great vintage bottles of red Bordeaux, some red Burgundies, a couple of Sauternes, vintage ports and big California cabernet sauvignons.
For example, 1961 was a stellar vintage for red Bordeaux, and current auction prices reflect this. Selling prices in 1995 for wines from the five first-growth Bordeaux chateaus (Lafite Rothschild, Margaux, Latour, Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild), ranged from $249 to $1,101 a bottle. Chateau Petrus' 1961 sold for between $805 and $3,871 a bottle.
Loosely defined, "great" vintage years are those in which the regions were known for having optimal growth conditions for producing the highest quality wines. Wine labels don't state that a year was great, but many wine reference books include vintage charts that note great years. Reference books are the best place to start.
``Wine Spectator Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Buying Wine'' lists vintages with tasting notes on more current vintages, approximate selling price, date tasted and Wine Spectator rating. The magazine prints a quarterly Auction Index, with recent auction results.
``Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide'' by Robert M. Parker Jr. provides more background on wineries and chateaux, along with vintage years, price range, tasting notes and ratings for thousands of wines.
Serious auction goers should look at auction catalogs from the major auction houses in London, New York and a growing list of other major U.S. cities. This information is available in Wine Spectator magazine, which is available in most wine retail shops. Information about large wine shops that specialize in older vintages and private cellar collections also is available in the classified section of the Wine Spectator.
When trying to determine the value of unknown bottles in your collection, or if trying to decide on a bidding price to offer at auction, there are several factors to consider. The origin of the wine is the most important starting point in identifying the relative worth. A wine from a first-growth Bordeaux vineyard will have a higher value than a wine from, say, North Carolina.
The specific producer, vintage year and number of cases produced also are considered when assigning a bottle's current value. Because most collectible wines are sought for owners to eventually open and enjoy, the wine's past storage conditions also affect value. The more times a wine's ownership changes hands, the more its value may drop because of uncertain storage conditions throughout its lifetime.
Optimal wine storage is in a dark, still area with a cool constant temperature - ideally from about 50,F to 55,F - good ventilation and relatively high humidity. Slow fluctuations in temperature between winter and summer are OK as long as they encompass a very slow shift and not daily or weekly changes. There should be no strong smells in the storage area because they could penetrate into the wine, and the wine should be stored on its side to keep the cork from drying out.
Savvy wine buyers look for highly regarded wineries producing wine in great vintage years. Buying younger vintages and aging them properly will create a collectible wine. I like buying vintages to celebrate a milestone. In our family wine cellar, we have 1985 port purchased for the year we were married, 1989 Bordeaux for our daughter's birth and 1991 California cabernet for our son's birth. Not all collectors are so sentimental, but we plan to have a wonderful silver anniversary celebration!
Recent California cabernet vintages have been tremendous, and many good producers made great wines in 1984, '85, '86, '87, '90, '91 and '92. Many Bordeaux regions had great recent vintage years in 1985, '86, '89 and '90. The Burgundy region and Italy also had great 1990 vintages. In Portugal, vintages are not often declared, but when they are it's wise to snap up the wines quickly and age for years. The 1994 port vintages will hit the market in the fall, and lucky consumers should tuck these away as soon as they appear.
Those interested in beginning or adding to a collection will have the opportunity at Roanoke's black-tie-optional wine auction at Hotel Roanoke. Wine collectors and theater supporters are donating wines, wine tastings and other items. Wines also are being donated by some wineries, wine shops and wine wholesalers. For more information, call 224-1217.
Cheers!
Best bid bets
Some of the collectible wines available for bid at the Sept. 6 Mill Mountain Theatre Wine Auction are as follows, with ratings and approximate value, if known, by the Wine Spectator (WS) or the Wine Advocate's author Robert Parker (RP).
1 bottle 1952 Lafite-Rothschild (WS 90) $375
3 bottles 1986 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet (WS 93) $225
2 bottles 1985 Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf-du-Pape (RP 90)
3 bottles 1990 Silver Oak Bonnie's Vineyard Cabernet (RP 95) and 3 bottles Silver Oak 1991 Napa Valley Cabernet (RP 95) $525
1 bottle 1989 Chateau Calon Segur (WS 95) $65
1 bottle 1985 Gaja Barberesco (WS 95) $200
1 bottle 1919 Chateau Pavie
THE WINE LIST runs once a month in the Extra section. Beth Crittenden is a local wine wholesaler, educator, writer and founder of the Roanoke Valley Wine Society, which meets for wine-tasting programs on the fourth Thursday of each month. If you have a wine-related question, or would like more information on the society, call 992-3285.
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