To drink, or not to drink? That is the question. But what's even more perplexing is that there is no simple answer to it.

There are so many factors involved in deciding when a wine should be drunk. For example, do you like your wines to retain some of their early vibrant, fruit-driven flavours?

Or would you prefer the mellow, softer complexity of a fully mature wine? Most Margaret River wines offer both these qualities. The choice is entirely personal.

It helps to look at what style of wine is causing your drinking dilemma. A deep, complex Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon will be just hitting its straps after 10 years good cellaring and really should be left to gather dust.

However your average Leeuwin Estate Pinot will probably be at its best around four or five years old.

But then, both these two wines are wonderful when drunk young, as well. Temptation will win sooner or later.

Basically, whether you are experienced or not, you should trust your own palate. Taste a wine regularly to monitor its development in bottle and then judge when it reaches a point at which you really enjoy drinking it.

If you have a case of 12 bottles, a typical pattern might be to approach it as follows:

• Two or three bottles while the wine is developing.
• Six to eight bottles over the year.
• Or two if you feel it is at its peak.
• Two or three bottles left over to satisfy your curiosity about its long-term potential.

With another wine, of course, you might try one bottle and decide not to open another for at least a decade. Or maybe decide to invite the neighbours over and drink the lot.

It is important to remember that your wine will mature more quickly if your cellaring conditions are not ideal. You should also keep in mind that half-bottles mature faster, and magnums slower, than standard 750ml bottles.