Discoveries of old bottles of wine are rarely valuable. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES It's a question I get asked quite frequently. Is this old bottle worth a lot of money? Invariably, the answer is no. Many of you will have heard stories of (potentially) miraculous discoveries when clearing out an elderly relative’s house, a dusty trove of bottles, clearly untouched for years, languishing in a quiet corner of the basement. Time capsules of another time ... yes, historical relics ... yes, valuable ... very rarely. I remember years ago, a woman coming to me with a similar story to the above, saying that she had a "Mouton". She had clearly read about the famous First Growth Bordeaux Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (now selling for north of a $1000) and had the scent of money in her nostrils. I mentioned that since 1945 (there was a one-off 1924 work also) there had been an artist commissioned to create an artwork for the winery with that being part of the label, so they would be quite distinctive. She remained confident in her conviction that she had a Mouton and would bring it in for my inspection. A while later she returned and breathlessly unearthed from a bag a bottle of Mouton ... Cadet, a cheap Bordeaux that currently sells in the low to mid $20s. Meant to be drunk young, that particular bottle was well passed it, so I had to sadly inform her that it was destined for the stew, and not the auction market. We all like to dream though, don’t we? Faced with similar cellar discoveries, I’ve sometimes asked about the habits of said elderly relative; did they like the good things in life, was wine a passionate hobby and so on, as wines that are valuable now were often relatively expensive on release, perhaps something frugal Aunt Edna would be unlikely to buy? Of course, the fickle world of fashion also affects wine and the last 10-15 years have seen stratospheric rises in the prices of certain wines (particularly Burgundies from France) with some that were affordable now going for telephone numbers, with sometimes little rhyme or reason. If you find any Henri Jayer, let me know. Provenance is also key like that cool, dark, dusty basement. We all like to dream though, don’t we? 2022 Main Divide North Canterbury Gewurztraminer Price RRP $21.99 Rating Excellent The nose leaps out of the glass, Turkish delight, rose petal, gunflint. Palate echoes the nose, a touch of sweetness turning drier and dustier as it flows through the mouth. Picks up almondy nuttiness and growing spice notes with air; that touch of sweetness a little more evident. Heart on its sleeve stuff, super appeal and crying out to be enjoyed now. www.maindivide.com 2022 Cicada Marlborough Gewurztraminer Price RRP $24 Rating Excellent A steely, minerally, schisty quality, smoke spice and rose petal following. Texturally rich and mouthfilling, a delicacy to the flavours with spices, apricot and apricot kernel leading. Not flamboyant: this one creeps up on me as it starts fleshing out and opening up in the glass. Subtlety & delicacy the key here. www.riverbyestate.com 2022 Misha’s Vineyard The Gallery Central Otago Gewurztraminer Price RRP $35 Rating Very Good to Excellent Wisps of smoke and lanolin, florality, subtlety to this. A drier expression with a point of difference, minerally, savoury nuances, fruit sweetness expressed by a fruit lozenge aspect, pear perhaps with appealing flavours on the close. This winds up quietly, the nose opening out and the flavour intensity building. Give it some air to let it shine. www.mishasvineyard.com
