Youth is never wasted on the young

Happy Mother’s Day! There is a cliché that says that with age, many things (and people – well, mothers especially) get better. Amen to people getting better with age! But with wine, not necessarily.

“Most wine made today should be drunk as young as possible, while its youthful fruit can be enjoyed. But the myth that all wine improves with age lingers on and the reality is that far more wine is drunk too late than too early.

… The great majority of all wine will start to lose the fruitiness that gives its youthful appeal within six months of being bottled.”
- Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course, 2003, p. 39

So you heard it from an expert. But my tastebuds have tried some horrible aged white wine. It was unfortunate that it had to happen with a very good white wine we’d already tried – Valhondo Blanco.

We’d tried this one before and since we enjoyed it, we bought it again. The second time was a disappointment – it was sour. So Y decided to pop in some dried pasta and after 20 days, voila we had some wonderful white wine vinegar. But maybe the third time is the charm? No such luck, it was so sour!

“Cheap” white wines are best young, so I can only surmise that the Valhondo Blanco was at its prime when we first bought it, and that the latter buys were from the same stocks and had aged (way beyond its prime).

The description below is when we first enjoyed it. Better to ask the seller when their wine stocks came in … to be sure!


Valhondo Blanco
Category: Vino de Mesa (white)
Country of origin: Spain
Bottler: Bodegas Arisabel
Bottle Vol.: 750 ml
Description: An easy-drinking, aromatic dry white wine
Grape: blend
Best with: On its own or with light dishes and fish
Price: P219
From: Santi’s Deli
Buy some wine to go with your Mother's Day celebration! A toast to all moms out there, me included! Cheers!