Asking ‘how long should a bottle of wine be aged for?’ is somewhat akin to asking the length of piece of string. There are any number of factors to be taken into account and there is no hard and fast rule that applies to the ageing of wines.
The vast majority of wines will in fact not benefit at all from significant ageing, having been created for drinking within a couple of years of production. Some 90 per cent of wines fall into this category, so don’t feel that it is necessary to cellar every half decent bottle of red wine you buy. One factor that is largely accepted by the wine world is that most white wine does not benefit from ageing in the same way that red wine can.
While many red wines benefit from being laid down for 15 years or more, white wines will not benefit from being cellared for more than a few years. This is due in large part to the tannin factor. While red wines have tannins, white wines do not and it is these tannins that make the difference to a wine’s taste when it is aged. Tannic compounds are found in the seeds and skins of wine grapes and lend that mouth-puckeringly astringent sensation to red wines. Red wines are made by fermenting the grape juice together with the skins, while white wines have the skins removed prior to fermentation, resulting in very low tannin levels.
The presence of tannins in wines helps to slow the process of oxidation, meaning that tannin-rich red wines will benefit far more from being aged than their white counterparts. While some wines are designed to be drunk young, others are created with ageing in mind and can be virtually undrinkable while young. But knowing how long to age a wine for can be a tricky business. While opening a bottle too early can mean missing out on its potential, it is equally possible to overage a wine – after reaching its optimum age, a wine’s quality will gradually decline.
Some key factors that need to be taken into consideration when considering how long to age red wine include the type of grape, production methods, storage conditions and, last but not least, your own personal preferences. Those who like their red wine with an intense tannin kick may choose to drink their wine sooner rather than later, as red wines that are high in tannin will mellow and ‘soften’ with age. A wine with fruity notes, on the other hand, will become more complex as it ages, losing the overtly fruity flavours. Some grape varieties call for a longer ageing period than others – for example, the average Cabernet Sauvignon should be laid down for longer than the average bottle of Merlot.
While there are no set rules for deciding which bottles of red wine should be aged and which should be drunk young, price is a fairly reliable starting point. A bottle bought for less than £10 is unlikely to gain any benefit from being aged (unless you have struck gold and come across a real bargain), while a bottle of red wine with a price tag of £15 or more may well bear up better to cellaring.
Of course, if you are going to age a wine successfully, the storage conditions themselves need to be appropriate. Temperature and humidity both come into play, with dark, damp and cool conditions being just about perfect for ageing red wine. Of course, most cellars fit this description perfectly. If the temperature is too high, wines will age quickly and fail to develop the complexities that the correct ageing conditions will produce. If the temperature of your wine cellar seems a little warm, store bottles on their side as this can slow the process of ageing wine. It is equally important, if not even more so, that the temperature remains constant. Temperature fluctuations can cause pressure on the cork, potentially allowing oxygen to enter the bottle, resulting in spoiled or ‘corked’ wine.
During the process of ageing, many red wines will change colour as their flavours and aromas become more pronounced. A ruby red wine may become brick red, while a purple-coloured red wine may become almost black after many years in the wine cellar.
To take the guess work out of ageing treasured bottles, consult a wine merchant or specialist journal as to the optimum ageing time. Remember that many expensive bottles will already be several years old and you should allow the wine to age a given number of years from its vintage date, rather from the date that you bought it.
Ageing wine can seem a complex and initially baffling process, but with a little expertise you could be laying the foundations for many very happy drinking occasions.
