aging, that is trying to turn into a cuvee carissimae wine ($60,000 at Soteby's) as opposed to a cheap vinegar ($ .99 a bottle in our local PC, or Aldi or whatever).
but even turning into wine is somewhat problematic. Are you absolutely sure you’ll be happy by turning into wine? once a winemaker Tiffan Zholtan, was tending his field at Vilanyi, trying to preserve an ancient roman wall that was laying in the middle of it. This roman wall was the tombstone of Carrissimae, a wife of a Roman governor of Pannonnia). yet the wall broke, a crack like a tear went thru Carissimae’s face. Tiffan entered his family cellar, incognizant that it had kept a gift for the generations to come-- a 19th c. wine bottle from that blessed sunny land. It was cuvee-- a large fermentation vessel—abiding to be disclosed and held by his worshiping hands.
He told me this story several years ago, when my friend and I escaped dusty Budapest, How did it taste? he gave me a smile that emanated an aura of superiority and enigma, arising from his secret knowledge. a smile that sharpened his wrinkles. A smile which only wise and sad men give. he put his elbow on the wine counter, turned head to glance out of the window, sipped his wine, looked down and remained silent. He turned 42 that year.
who knows, maybe he was comparing himself to that wine. but who knows what exactly was flowing thru his head? long buried wine and his talents long buried under the communist regime, when he was not a winemaker (awesome, gives you extra points when you hit on women), but a school teacher (not cool in any circumstances). or may be he though how magnificent they both became over all those years. or maybe the comparison was not favourable for the wine? but i am sure, when i find such a bottle, i will be discreet as well.
PS. the only fact i was lucky to learn, is that the government did not allow him to keep the whole bottle.