Why and When to Age Your Wine

Wine has always had an intimate relationship with time. For much of history, time counted as its worst enemy because after fermentation stopped, aging wine inevitably slid downhill towards spoilage and, yes, vinegar. Since Roman times, people tasted wine mostly to give a simple thumbs up or thumbs down, good or bad, wine or vinegar. That began to change around the turn of the eighteenth century when winemakers started producing age-worthy wine, often with lots of phenolic compounds, tannins, and perhaps some new oak, to meet the needs of expanding commerce.

Within a couple of decades, wine merchants and consumers soon realized that aging wines—particularly reds from Bordeaux and Burgundy plus Champagne—made them better, more expressive, and superbly subtle after several years. In 1752, the philosopher Montesquieu (who produced a lot of Bordeaux wine) told one of his Scottish clients that he had shipped him pure wine, “just as it was received from the hands of God,” and that he could age it up to 15 years! Pope John XXIII, born in 1881, famously said: “Men are like wine – some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.” Anyone conscious between 1979 and 1981 will remember the Paul Masson TV commercials featuring the actor Orson Welles stating, somewhat ironically perhaps, “We will sell no wine before its time.”

1. Enjoy it Now: Most supermarket wine and even the majority of inventory at your favorite wine shop will belong to this category. Today, most wineries produce wine to be enjoyed young and early. This is true of white wines, rosés, and most red wines, which will be fruit forward, with sugar and acidity balanced for enjoying right away. Varietal red wines made from grapes with lower or softer tannins, like Merlot, Sangiovese, Grenache, and of course Pinot or Gamay Noir, will be highly palatable young. There’s no need to cellar such wines.

2. Cellar Selection: Achieving a harmonious balance of flavors resulting from wine aging is the goal for your cellar sections; you want the wine to age to a point where where alcohol, acidity, residual sugar, tannins, and fruit, or other aromatic elements, meld seamlessly. This delicate equilibrium is essential for wines intended for aging, as those with lower acidity tend to age less gracefully. Wine experts classify aromas into primary, secondary, and tertiary categories. Primary aromas are characterized by the fresh fruit notes, while secondary aromas arise from the winemaking process. Tertiary aromas, on the other hand, emerge during bottle maturation, evolving the wine’s scent into a more nuanced and complex bouquet. This transformation can range into intriguing subtleties of truffles, leather, cigar box, tobacco, cedar, and even earthy elements like porcini or chanterelle mushrooms. Renowned wine expert Gerard Basset aptly likened these tertiary aromas to the scents of a forest floor. As wine ages, the tannins in red and orange wines soften, becoming silky on the palate. This transition allows the flavors and aromas to unfurl gradually, providing a more intricate tasting experience. In age-worthy white wines, one can anticipate the emergence of aromas reminiscent of honey, beeswax, and hazelnuts, adding further depth to the sensory journey.

3. Hurry! Some wines you have stored away should perhaps see the light of day as they can rapidly decline in quality if aged too long. For whites, this window is typically around 2 to 3 years, while for reds, count on about 7 to 10 years, though it can vary. Beyond this point, aging wines may lose their balance and develop undesirable characteristics, ultimately heading towards the vinegar end of the spectrum. A key indicator is the softening of tannins, as wines that have gone past their prime offer no resistance when consumed and exhibit a fading of flavors and aromas.