Mr. Franklin Yost of Bocca Del Vista Florida writes: "Hey wine guy I'm 82 years old, have been holding on to several bottles of wine for several years but I'm thinking if I don't hurry up and drink 'em they will outlive me. How long should I wait?" . Thanks for your question Franklin.  How long to age wine is one of the most frequent questions us wine guys get.  Given your age I will try and answer quickly. Most people think that the older a wine gets the better it gets.  That is not always the case and, unlike you Franklin, even wines that improve with age at some point start to decline.  The main reason for that change is that over time the tiny amount of oxygen that the cork allows into the bottle causes the tannin in the wine (what makes your mouth pucker up when you drink some wines bite into a tea bag and you will understand) to soften making the wine smoother.  As the tannin becomes less pronounced the fruit and other flavors become more not...

My older son is getting married this fall and I have never seen him happier.  He is always in a good mood, I have never seen him dress and groom himself better, and it is obvious whenever they are together how much they care about each other.  That said I was conflicted about their pending union and had considered standing up and objecting when the minister got to that part of the ceremony. The issue I was having with my future daughter in law was the fact that she only drinks sweet wines! When I explained my dilemma to my fellow wine guys and gals I could see look of shock and concern on their faces.  They were united in their advice that I should urge my son to dump her, the sooner the better.  I could see their point but what could I do?  He seemed so happy but could that happiness last without being able to share the deep full black cherry, peppery, licorice flavor of a Cabernet Sauvignon?  Can they survive the rough spots without savoring the ...