How to Open and Taste an Old Wine

I read this article in Food and Wine and thought that it was worth blogging about. We have had the privilege of tasting old wines 1987 La Tache and 1995 Romanée Saint-Vivant and 1993 Paumanok Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vintage and 1997 Palmer Merlot are among our most memorable old wines. This article is a guide to how to open and drink and old wine.
When people think of old wines, it is generally an old red wine made from red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Sangiovese, but there are also white varieties that can age as well such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Indeed, Burgundy's rare and expensive whites from Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne could still be "young" after ten years in the bottle.
This article mentions using an Ah-So or a Durand to get a cork out of an older wine. My husband is a fan of the Durand which is a combination of a screwpull and an Ah-So. Although it is on the expensive side, if you want a chance at getting out an old cork without disintegration, the Durand is the proper tool.
To remove the cork and taste an old wine, the author of this article, Jonathan Christaldi recommends the following:

• Make sure the wine is at the right temperature. 56 degrees for reds and a bit cooler for whites.
• If there is a foil capsule, carefully remove it.
• Gently remove the cork and immediately pour a bit of wine into a glass and taste it.
• Gently clean any bits of cork or sediment clinging to the neck of the bottle.
• Taste the wine first to decide if it needs decanting.
• Decanting an older could lead to a rapid decline. Only if the wine is very tight and not expressive, decanting could help open it up.
• Upon tasting, if the wine is unpleasant, smelling old and musty, like nothing much and primarily astringent, or just rank to the taste, don't overthink it — the wine didn't last.
• The proper glassware can dramatically change the experience of drinking an older wine. The aromatics can be completely different depending upon the shape of the glass.

The importance of tasting an older wine is to appreciate every sip and to make that wine last through the evening as it opens up and reveals every nuance of what went in to making that wine. Most of all, ENJOY!