Fine wine can be a personal preference and/or an investment. Fine wines come from all the best winemaking regions of the world. At the highest end, rare, super-premium wines are amongst the most expensive of all foodstuffs, and outstanding vintages from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars per bottle. Red wines, at least partly because of their ability to form more complex subtleties, are typically more expensive. Some of the most expensive come from Bordeaux and Burgundy. However, some white dessert wines like German trockenbeerenauslese or French Sauternes for example, cost hundreds of dollars for a half bottle. Such premium wines are often at their best years or even decades after bottling.

Caution: Investment in fine wine has attracted a number of fraudsters who play on fine wine's exclusive image and their clients' ignorance of this sector of the wine market. Wine fraud scams often work by charging excessively high prices for the wine, while representing that it is a sound investment unaffected by economic cycles. Like any investment, proper research is essential before investing. False labeling is another dishonest practice commonly used.

Fine wines may be classified by the year in which the grapes are harvested, known as the "vintage". "Vintage wines" are made from grapes of a single year's harvest, and are accordingly dated. Some wines can improve in flavor as they age, and wine enthusiasts will occasionally save bottles of an especially good vintage wine for future consumption.

For some types of wine, the best-quality grapes and the most care in wine-making are employed on vintage wines and they are therefore more expensive than non-vintage wines. Whilst vintage wines are generally made in a single batch so that each and every bottle will have a similar taste, climatic factors can have a dramatic impact on the character of a wine to the extent that different vintages from the same vineyard can vary dramatically in flavor and quality. Thus, vintage wines are produced to be individually characteristic of the vintage and to serve as the flagship wines of the producer. Non-vintage wines, however, are blended from a number of vintages for consistency, this allows wine makers to keep a reliable market image and also maintain sales even in bad vintage years.

Related links, articles and resources:

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California wines warm a cold winter day
Dayton Business Journal - by Don Baker

I’m sure you all remember the song by The Mamas and The Papas that has the phrase: California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day. With the frigid weather and gray skies we’ve been having, those lyrics are something we can relate to lately.

And when it comes to wine, it holds true as well. That’s because some of the best wines in the world come out of the warm, moderate climate that exists in California. I thought with the snow falling and the wind whipping outside, sampling some of the best wines California has to offer would be a great way to brighten things up.

But when it is really cold outside, the thought of a chilled glass of white wine doesn’t appeal to me that much. So I’ve sampled some great red wines from the Golden State and want to share some of those with you.
The state does a great job with Cabernet Sauvignon — the king of red wine. It also has great success with Zinfandel, as well as some Pinot Noir and Syrah.

One of the best things about California’s weather for winemaking is that it doesn’t vary much from year to year, meaning there often is a lot of consistency in the wine quality from year to year.

I’ve concentrated on the Cabernet Sauvignon wines for this column. Here are some of my picks:

• Chalk Hill 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon — This is the most recent release of Cabernet Sauvignon from one of California’s great wineries. This is a big wine with loads of flavors and aromas that include blackberries, black cherries and other fruits that give way to such flavors as herbs and spices. It is a very good wine compared with others in its price range. It will match well with hearty dishes, including a nice grilled steak. Should be about $65, but the price may vary depending on where you find it.

• Beringer 2005 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — This wine hails from Sonoma County, and is an exotic version that features less fruit and more spice. There are hints of blackberries, but it has more leather, curry and tobacco aromas. This should be about $25.

• Clos Du Val 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — This wine is from one of the premier regions for Cabernet Sauvignon and the producer is solid year after year. This is full of cherry, blackberry and plum flavors, that mingle with hints of leather and coffee. I had this with a steak from the Oakwood Club recently and it was a perfect match. This should cost about $30 at local retail stores.

• Mount Veeder Winery 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — This is one of my favorite California Cabs. I first tried this winery’s version of this grape at a food and wine convention several years back and was blown away by its complexity and depth of flavors. This particular wine’s flavors and aromas burst from the glass, offering up plum, cherry, blackberry, vanilla, cinnamon, leather and chocolate flavors. This is a must-buy if you find it in a store. It can be hard to find, but it will cost about $45. There is a 2005 vintage of this out that costs a bit less, but I haven’t tried it yet and can’t offer up an opinion.

Don Baker is editor of the Dayton Business Journal. Reach him at dbbaker@bizjournals.com, or call (937) 528-4420.