Does red wine have to be “laid down” before drinking?
A. Absolutely not. In the old days most red wines were tough and raw to start with and really didn’t taste very nice for years, so you had to lay them down in a cellar so that the effects of time and air seeping through the cork could soften them. But winemaking nowadays is so much better that nearly all red wines are fruity enough, round enough and soft enough to drink straight away. But squirreling away bottles is fun – so do shove a few bottles under the stairs – Bordeaux, Loire and Rhône reds would be a good start.
