How Long Should You Really Age Your Wine?
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Does all wine wet better with age?
Not all wine is meant to be aged. Most wines are meant to be drunk young, within 12-18 months, and consumed within 24 hours of purchase. Letting them age too long would mean they would lose the bright fruit, floral, and herbal aromas and flavours that make them taste so darn good. Ageing wines like these will dull these flavours and make them taste “tired”.
Your everyday bottle of wine has a shelf life of only about 3-5 years. Everyday red wines can last about 3 years while white wines can last about 2-3 years. Rosé wines are meant to be drunk within the year they are made. Do not sit on these.
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Only around 10% of bottles made benefit from ageing. Wines require specific structural components to make them age-worthy. Wines meant for ageing require things like quality grapes, tannins, and high acidity, amongst other things.
Quality Grapes
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Quality grapes are the base. They provide the sugars and base flavours to make good age-worthy wine.
Tannins
Tannins act as the preservative. In order to help a bottle of wine age well, the tannins found in the grape skins must be in balance with the tannins derived from any oak aging. These tannins will slowly smooth out over time as they break down.
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Wines like Barolo from Italy taste better after 10 to 15 years. These wines seem harsh and astringent if you drink them young. They require time in the bottle for the tannins to mellow out. This is one reason why wines like Barolo or ones from Bordeaux are pricer than wines that are “ready to drink”.
Acidity
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You don't always need tannins for ageing though as white wines can also be age-worthy. What you really need is acidity. High acidity in wine slows down oxidation and other chemical changes that break down the wine.
Other Contributing Factors
Some other contributing factors for age-worthy wines are alcohol levels, sugar, and how complex a wine is. Much like acidity, higher sweetness levels in a wine act as a preservative. Dessert wines like Sauternes from Bordeaux can age for over 40 years. Also, your basic wine that is not very complex will not gain complexity with age, as opposed to an age-worthy wine which requires complex aromas and layers of flavours that will pleasantly grow and change over time.
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While a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc may have high acidity, most won't improve with age. It was not aged by the winemaker before you bought it and it has not seen any oak, therefore it has not been exposed to oxygen during the winemaking process. This is, something else to consider when ageing wine.
Also, wines like Beaujolais from France, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, or rosés from Provence have fresh fruit flavours that will not improve with age. You want to drink these wines while the aromas and flavours are fresh and bright.
Some thought and research should be done if you are considering letting a bottle sit in your cellar or wine fridge for over 1 to 2 years. I am here to help you if you want to start a wine collection or would like to learn more about ageing wine. I will be writing more blog posts on this topic. If you don’t intend to age your wine, rest assured that most wines you are picking up won’t improve with age and you can drink up as soon as you open it.