Cellar dweller has a taste for tweets

Every Tuesday night at seven, Luke Campbell settles in front of his computer, opens his Twitter account and declares #winequest open for business.

For two hours he takes questions on wine. What does Italian arneis taste like? How long do you let a wine breathe for?

In 140 characters or less, his answers flash back. As a trained sommelier, wine educator and former retailer, Campbell, 35, provides a handy service. But there's also sound business logic behind the weekly call out.

His audience is mostly Gen X and Gen Y - the future of wine drinking in this country. But as someone who will come to rely more and more on those drinkers with the ageing of the baby boomer generation, he is surprised and a little concerned.

He receives few questions on cellaring and what to expect from aged wine.

A big part of Campbell's business, Vinified Wine Services, is advising on wines to age and the maintenance of cellars.

But he's not seeing the cellaring habit with new-generation wine drinkers, especially the Gen Y ''millennials''.

''They haven't assigned any importance to [aged] wine,'' he says. ''Whereas people in other generations want aged wine for special occasions, this generation wants wine for all occasions.''

And, in keeping with the new-millennial mantra, they want it now. Long-term cellaring appears to hold little appeal.

''They want instant access,'' Campbell says.

By engaging drinkers in #winequest and special events, he hopes to change their minds.

Is ageing wine passe for Gen X and, in particular, the millennials?

Is it just some outmoded habit of baby boomers who stashed way too many bottles under beds and in cupboards for probably way too long for little result: the tired bottle of Bin 389 that really should have been opened a couple of years earlier; the disappointing Haut Brion opened on a 21st birthday that had spent 21 years nurturing a dose of cork taint?

Cellaring wine is a chancy business, time-consuming and full of mighty expectations.

But sometimes, something magical comes of it, a confirmation of a wine's early promise, watching it move on from childhood into adulthood, from fruitiness to complexity. Those notions don't seem to resonate as strongly with Gen X and Gen Y.

Maybe it's a lack of opportunity.

Changes in taxation, including the removal of Section 31A of the Income Tax Assessment Act on assessing stock, means Australian winemakers can't afford to release aged wines as regularly as they did previously.

The nation's taste buds are conditioned to young and fruity.

Access to aged wines is largely restricted to auction, upmarket restaurants or knowing someone willing to share the contents of their private cellar.

Campbell says as a young man he was greatly influenced by his father who kept a cellar filled with Hunter Valley shiraz. ''I learnt how age can change a wine at our Sunday barbecues growing up,'' he says.

Getting the taste is probably more restrictive these days but not impossible.

I suspect what is definitely passe is the grand cellar of old, showpieces for showy drinkers. If cellaring is to be widely adopted by millennials, it will probably be on a smaller scale, not requiring a quarter of a lifetime and not necessarily stocked with old boomer faves, such as cabernet and shiraz, but alternatives, such as sangiovese, nebbiolo and gruner veltliner. I'm not sure if all those Penfolds bin numbers will get a run either.

The rules for cellaring, however, will remain pretty much the same.

Rules for cellaring

■ Seek guidance on what to buy from an expert source. Don't fly blind.

■ Visit a trusted retailer. There are plenty of quality wines priced in the $25 to $50 bracket suited to cellaring. Keep to the styles you like to drink.

■ Start small. Keep your cellar under control so it doesn't take up too much room and it's easy to keep an eye on what's ageing. Buy four or six bottles of a wine and open one at a time, periodically.

■ Consider your storage conditions: no fluctuating temperatures or movement. A wine cabinet could be a good investment for the space poor.

■ Not every wine benefits from 10 to 15 years in bottle. Aim for a shorter time frame - four, six or eight years.

■ And remember, cellaring wine is fun. Don't get too hung on those out there who consider it a competitive sport. It's not about who has the grandest cellar, the most expensive wine, the oldest bottle … it's about the enjoyment.

''When I do buy wines for the cellar, they have to remind me of experiences had, or time spent in the place (a winery or region),'' Campbell says.

Sound advice.

Wine-savvy Gen X and Gen Ys on cellaring …

"I have a small cellar, probably two to three dozen. It's a mixed bag, everything from everyday cleanskins and under-$20 good-value Aussie wines, along with a couple of special bottles, mostly imported wines, some burgundy and barolo. If I can, I'm probably looking at 10 years ageing, at least, for some wines. I see the importance of putting wine down to age but not for a specific occasion.''
Jordan Berry, 29, Randall's

''I'm a shocker. I try to cellar. I'll try holding a wine back but usually end up opening it early and then I always say, 'That needed a few more years.' I love to drink aged wine and have found riesling consistently one of the best styles to age from the Clare Valley, Barossa and Canberra.''
Sam Coverdale, 35, Polperro/Even Keel wines

''When I was first into wine, I bought some good old Pewsey Vale riesling which I still have bottles of. I also have a few bottles of Mount Langi Ghiran shiraz and Clonakilla shiraz-viognier. I have been buying heaps of birth-year magnums for nieces and nephews though they only get to taste it with me when they're 18. I also have a few German and Austrian rieslings and a small amount of barolo.''
Dan Sims, 36, The Wine Guide