Aging Wine
One of the most common questions I get as a wine educator is, “How do I know if a wine is ageable?” Before we dive into this topic, know that a large majority of the wine that is produced worldwide is ready to drink when you buy it. (FUN FACT! The average time that elapses between the time of purchase and consumption is 2 days!) This said, there are plenty of lovely wines that can and do enhance and get better with bottle age. Let’s explore the various factors contributing to a wine being age-worthy.
Red wines are known to be more age worthy than white wines, as they have considerably more tannin (one of the four components of wine). Tannin mainly comes from the grapes skins, which red wines are fermented on, and serves as a natural preservative in wine.
It’s worth noting that different red grapes have different skin color and thickness, so red grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo are thick skinned thus produce wines higher in tannin contributing to higher tannin and greater age-worthiness. Then to the contrary, grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Barbera are thinner skinned and produce wines paler in color and lower in tannin, generally making wines that are bright, fresh and more ready to drink. Acidity - White wines that are higher in acidity, such as Riesling grown in top wine growing regions such as Mosel or Rheingau in Germany, or Chardonnay grown in world-class regions such as Burgundy or Sonoma Coast, can age beautifully. However, as wine ages it slowly loses acidity, eventually becoming flat. Therefore, wines starting with a lower level of acidity do not have the same opportunity to age over time.
Alcohol level plays a factor in age-worthiness. Alcohol is volatile in wines that are not fortified and cause wine to turn to vinegar in a more rapid pace. Generally speaking, wines with moderate to lower acidity will age for a longer period of time.
Terroir, or conditions of where the grapes were grown, are important factors in a wines age-worthiness, whether red or white wine. The quality of the soil type, lower yields, and barrel aging are also important contributors to making a wine age-worthy.
Quality of the producer and winemaker is a contributing factor to a wines age-worthiness. Handcrafted wines with great balance, fruit concentration, and acidity for whites and mature tannin for reds, can enhance over a period of years.
Wine Storage
If you have determined that a wine is worth aging, proper storage is important. Ideally, 55-58 degrees and 70% humidity in a dark place would be perfection. These conditions help a wine enhance and age to its fullest potential. Temperatures warmer than that will accelerate the aging process, and cooler temperatures will slow down the aging in a wine. read more about wine storage
We have a FREE WINE STORAGE LOG for you to further your wine study that goes along perfectly with this topic!
Wine Storage Log
Keep track of your prized wine collection, however big or small. You have invested your money in your wine, and are taking the care to store it properly. Use this log to track the wine you have in your growing collection. This download is yours to use as many times as you like! Feel free to print out, screen shot, or download the next page as many times as you need, or add to your Tasting Journal!