The rundown on aging your wine
- Kya Bryant
- Mar 27
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 30
If you're over the age of 20, chances are you’ve heard the phrase aging like fine wine. So let’s answer the ‘age’ old question: can my wine age? Join me as I break down the components that make a wine suitable for aging.
Most wines out of the store are ready to drink, but they may also be able to benefit from some more time in bottle before you pop the cork. Before getting into aging wine, a little wine 101 for you: The vintage {the year that appears on the wine label} refers to the year the grapes were harvested and not necessarily the year they were bottled or released. So oftentimes your wine has already aged a little before it hits the shelf.
As far as aging [cellaring] your wines, there are three main components that will determine if your wine is suitable to age: Alcohol, Tannin and Acid.
Think of aging wine like balancing a three legged stool. It is very hard to balance if you are missing any legs, but if you have everything else just right, you can still make it happen.
Wine with higher alcohol content, more tannin and more acid will age best. This is why you see red wines aged much more often than white and typically for longer periods of time. That isn't to say white wines can’t be suitable for aging. Chardonnay is a perfect example of a white wine that has the potential to age for years if done right. Oak aged chardonnays will have an added layer of complexity that will allow them age well even without tannin [only found in red wine].
In addition to the contents of the wine itself, it is also important that the cellaring conditions are ideal for a wine to age properly. Here are the conditions needed for properly cellaring wine:
Dark Place: any exposure to light can cause unwanted chemical reactions within the wine and cause it to spoil
Dry: any dampness is a invitation for bacteria which cause your wine to spoil
Cool: if it is too warm, the wine could potentially oxidize faster
Store bottles on the side: for wines that have a cork, storing the wine on its side will prevent your cork from drying out over time. If the cork becomes dried, it will allow more oxygen into your wine and the cork is more likely to split upon opening.
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