I swear the wine gods were against me last month. Finally after all these years of saving those very first bottles of Barolo ever bought, it seemed like the right time to try and open a few. Part of the intrigue of wine is finding those rare or special bottles, storing them in the perfect environment, waiting…and waiting…and waiting until you feel like the time is right. With Barolo, that could mean a lot of patience!

My parents were in town, we had some fresh truffles for the first time in my life, it was the perfect occasion to open up a 2000 Barolo. Full of sediment, completely baked, a disappointment for all.  What’s more, a very special Piemontese Pinot had been in my mind, feeling like it was time to enjoy it. This time we opened it and it was surprisingly fizzy! I had drunk this wine before buying and it definitely shouldn’t have been like soda pop. Then there was Christmas Eve, fog was settling in, Claudio and I spent it quietly in our new house and we decided to open up a very precious 2000 Barbaresco from one of the best crus.  Yet again, this was funky, off balance and I knew it because i couldn’t drink more than one glass. As if that wasn’t enough, our friend brought over a wine which reeked of rotten eggs (a fermentation flaw most likely) and a couple of nights ago we dropped a  bottle of Champagne which shattered and flooded the kitchen floor. I was down in the dumps.
sediment is not a sign of bad wine but this seemed like too much!

Some of these bottles were produced by wineries who are very active on social networks, where I have become friends with them. As soon as I tasted these wines, I hopped on twitter and FB and told them about my experience in a tactful way. I was glad to hear that they were curious and not offended, unaffected by the “winemaker’s” ego. Nobody is perfect and it is important to learn from your mistakes, right?
But…the question remains: Why did I have so many bad bottles in such a short period of time? Lazy winemaking…doubt it. Extreme temperature swings while storing…possible. Bad corks? Too much light? vibrations? Who knows! Hopefully one day I will have enough money to buy multiple bottles of the same kind and year to taste them progress but I guess it was just bad luck!
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