Better Red Than . . . White

Red wine outpolled white by a margin of about 20 to 1 when wine merchants and wine collectors were asked to suggest which wines a newcomer to wine collecting should seek out when starting a cellar.

In fact, most wine collectors say the only white wines they drink are relatively young white Burgundies because most such wines don’t age very well.

However, more than 70% of all wine consumed in this country is white or “blush”--wines that may be consumed very young and are best chilled.

Another interesting finding: Most West Coast collectors and merchants recommend that almost all red wine aged in cellars be consumed within 10 or 12 years of harvest.

This follows what I’ve thought for a long time: American wine lovers, unlike their British counterparts, prefer to drink their wines younger, while still fresh. Old white wines and even older red wines hold much less fascination here than across the pond.