Now is the perfect time to drink most wines

PERFECT TIMING is admired in many things. Speak the right words to the right person at the right time and zoom — life can sprout wings. Golf, tennis, football . . . virtually any sport requires perfect timing if you want to compete at the pro level. It's the same with music, dance or any other performing art. But what about wine?

When making wine, timing is hugely important. We're in the middle of harvest right now, and winemakers are keeping a close watch on their grapes. Depending upon the vineyard, the varietal and the winemaker's own preferences, there is often a very short window during which the grapes fall into balance. If picked at the perfect time, they will require little or no fussing with.

Timing enters into many other aspects of winemaking. For red wines, deciding when to press can affect the tannins and mouthfeel of the finished product. For all wines aged in new oak, deciding how long to leave them in barrel, and when to blend and bottle, also influences the wine for better or worse.

Once a wine is bottled and sold, the most difficult decision of all must be made. When is the right time — make that the perfect time — to drink it?

Granted, most wines don't warrant such hand-wringing. Your everyday $6 or $10 bottle of Chateau Cashfleau is most likely moving directly from the supermarket shelf to your dinner table, as it should. But the special wines, the splurge purchases, the wedding gifts, the commemorative bottles that you tuck away waiting for the right moment — those are the ones that require perfect timing.

I know because, having written this column for the past eight years, I've lost count of how many readers have asked me "what is the perfect time to drink this bottle of wine X that I've been keeping since my 21st birthday, my wedding, my divorce, the day my dog died . . ."

And my answer, inevitably, is that there is no perfect time, other than right now, to drink any wine. If it's a young wine, drink it to celebrate its freshness and vitality. Decant it and give it lots of oxygen; don't worry about it being too soon. If it's a wine you've been sitting on, find a reason to drink it. Wines do not ever reach a magic point of perfection. They merely change. Most just lose fruit, get tired and fade away. A few special wines from special places do improve, gaining complexity in the aromas, changing color, adding nuances and textures. But those wines, too, are delicious when drunk young, and will have something interesting to show you at almost any age.

The worst timing mistake you can make is to wait too long, and if you have just one bottle of a special wine, it's the mistake you are most likely to make. So drink it! Any winemaker will give you the same advice. Rest assured, they have made more, and they will gladly sell you another bottle.

If you want to see how a particular wine is going to age, the best strategy is to buy at least half a case. Drink the first bottle immediately. Leave enough in the bottle to have another taste on the second day. If it's still fresh, the wine will probably age for another six or eight years. If it makes it to day three, it may have a 15-to-20-year life span. Check in with another bottle every few years to see how it's doing. And don't worry about the perfect time. They will all be perfect.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines & Wineries." Find him at www.paulgregutt.com or write to paulgwine@me.com.