Pure magic

Pure magic

Timing is everything, it is sometimes said. And where wine is concerned, I absolutely agree. Even the best wines don't always have to be delicious. If you drink it too young, it often doesn't reveal itself and can sit pot roast. If you leave it gathering dust in a corner of your cellar, it could just be too late. - TEXT NIEK BEUTE | IMAGE PEXELS.COM

So what is the perfect moment? After all, no one can see through the bottle and see what is going on behind the glass. As a sommelier, I don't just work on the basis of knowledge and frame of reference. Sometimes you follow your gut and buy wines on judgement. Rare old bottles don't get sommeliers to taste first either. For Café de Klepel a while back, I bought the last bottle of an old Bordeaux. On paper, the wine had to be in top form. It was a bottle of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1986. Everything seemed perfect, so I bought it. Many people wonder why I take that risk then. Because I want to give people wine moments of pure magic. Would you pour this Bordeaux with 10 years of bottle ageing, it would certainly be good and delicious. But that's not good enough, it has to be a moment that stays in your memory.

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