Fall Best BC Release

wines release at 21 Signature B.C. Liquor Stores plus Dunbar, Caulfield, Peninsula Village (Surrey) and Brighouse (Richmond). Top B.C. wines are a rare sighting in government stores, mainly because local producers need the income from direct sales to stay in business so these semi-annual releases attract a fair bit of attention from wine buyers who can't make it to the Okanagan, or don't want to buy a case of each wine. They also provide a much-needed marketing boost for those wineries who commit a few cases of hard-to-find wine to government stores.

My question is what are you going to do with this young wine?

Few if any serious wines are ready to drink the year they are released, although as time goes on more and more wine is fashioned to be drunk the day it is bottled. In fact, most retailers would not dispute the axiom that 95 per cent of all the wine they sell is drunk within 30 minutes of its purchase. All of which begs the questions: why age any wine and how do you know how long you should age it?

After three decades of tasting experience, I'm not a sure there is a simple answer to the latter question other than an educated guess but to the former, I strongly submit the answer is because the wine will taste better.

In fact, wine is one of the few consumables we buy that has the potential to get better with age.

That said, assembling a cellar of mature wine takes work, space and time but it's almost always a rewarding experience both for the soul and the wallet. Over time, be it three, 10, 20 or 30 years, the harsh, angular components of a fine young wine give way to the rounder, more complex flavours that are the hallmark of aged, fine wine.

Bottle aging allows wine to develop, and in a sense reach its full potential -- delivering far more to the taster than any wine just bottled ever could. For many wine enthusiasts this is enough reward but there can be more. Aging a wine builds extra value into its price as it approaches maturity, and as more and more bottles are consumed (and less is left in the world) your wine becomes rarer and even more valuable. It's the secret to collecting.

The classic old-time collector laid in wines from great vintages and producers with the simple goal of enjoying them over a lifetime. A lot of modern-day collectors "put down" wines to mark special events, such as a child's birth year or their own wedding anniversary. Just imagine celebrating your birthday every year with a wine as old as you are. It takes planning and forethought but it often a rewarding experience. Vintage Port is so long lived it is the perfect wine to mark important events well into the next generation and beyond. Imagine your relatives of the future drinking a bottle of wine in 2100 that you had the presence of mind to lay away in 2012.

I often tell people that if the difference between a good wine and a great wine is only a few dollars always buy the better wine. Believe me, the few extra dollars will look like a bargain a decade from now. That said, set a budget and stick to it. The good news is you can buy a lot of wine for $25-$30 in 2012. Just make sure you are getting your money's worth. If you are going to spend more, remember it is much easier for a $50 wine to triple in value than a $1,500 bottle to double its worth.

This week you can start your collecting journey with a few bottles of homegrown B.C. reds and whites -- see our picks on this page -- after that, the wine shops are full of young reds from around the world just begging for three, four or five more years in bottle to really show their stuff.

Price: $30 | Score: 91/100

UPC: 778913068041

CedarCreek's best is labelled Platinum and in this case it's Block Five, clone 76, all hand-harvested and whole-berry pressed before it is barrel fermented and aged for 10 months in a mix of older French coopered oak puncheons.

Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $35 | Score: 89/100

UPC: 00626990102229

If Syrah is nudging its way on to the main stage Cabernet Franc is far behind and one of the valley leaders is the Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 2009. Cabernet Franc thrives in cooler climates in part because the vine starts early in the spring but it comes with a different style red, floral fruit.

CedarCreek Platinum Meritage 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $40 | Score: 90/100

UPC: 778913067563

The '09 Meritage is a 46/41/13/mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec all of which is essentially the best fruit aged in French oak for 20 months. The fruit is ripe and sweet on the attack with bits of coffee, tea, oak and spice throughout.

Painted Rock Syrah 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $40 | Score: 90/100

UPC: 00626990105855

This big, spicy, brooding, black-fruit-scented Syrah with a dollop of Okanagan sage has really come together in the bottle over the last six months and will likely improve through 2015. Both ripe and rich, it exudes a New World Syrah stance.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $55 | Score: 89/100

UPC: 00626990105824

Painted Rock's Bordeaux blend is a fragrant red with big tobacco, licorice, resin, savoury aromas flecked with bits of cherry jam and cranberry. Dry and fresh on entry the tannins are light and fine-grained; the flavours intense mixing vanilla, cedar, smoky coffee, and chocolate.

Mission Hill Oculus 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $70 | Score: 92/100

UPC: 776545981301

Oculus is the pinnacle offering at Mission Hill fashioned with select grapes from designated blocks in Osoyoos and Oliver. No wine in the region is handled more gently before it is aged 14.5 months in French barriques. The nose offers a fragrant mix of dark plummy fruit.