Red Wine Aging Chart (Best Practices) | Wine Folly (2024)
Some red wines age better than others. There are many reasons for this, but one influencing factor is the grape variety.
A wine’s natural traits of acidity and tannin create a sort of runway that allows it to evolve (and even improve) over time. This is why some varietal wines taste better when they’re a bit older than others, and vice versa.
Red Wine Aging Chart
For example, take a popular grape like Cabernet Sauvignon: when you taste barrel samples of Cab at a pre-release party, your palate is filled with mouth-drying tannin. These wines can be so astringent that your teeth stick to the insides of your lips!
Over time, however, that astringent tannin mellows out through a series of chemical interactions (that we don’t fully understand yet) and the wine tastes smoother. And this, my friends, is why cellaring wine is so awesome!
Some Red Wines Taste Better Older
Those red wines with high acidity and high tannin are perfect to lay down for a few years. If you’re afraid of a big investment, try experimenting and aging a few value wines for just one year. The results are likely to surprise you.
Here is a short list of red wines that are known to age well:
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet is highly variable because there are a wide range of quality levels and regions. Look for wines with deep color, moderately low pH (e.g. higher acidity), balanced alcohol levels, and noticeable tannins.
Merlot You wouldn’t think it to be the case, but Merlot ages just as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines become softer and often more smoky (think tobacco) with age. Right-bank Bordeaux is a great place to start with aging Merlot.
Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) has extremely high tannin and color. In the Bandol region of Provence, this grape doesn’t usually come around in exceptional taste until after at least 10 years of aging. Expect rich, peppery, rustic flavors.
Sangiovese This is another top-notch grape variety to age long-term because Sangiovese has such spicy acidity. Over time, this wine mellows out and produces sweet figgy notes. Check out Brunello di Montalcino for a cellar-worthy example.
Nebbiolo The regions of Barolo and Barbaresco are burned in collectors’ brains as the places to look for age-worthy wine. Why? Nebbiolo produces wines with incredibly high tannin that softens and seems to sweeten over time.
Xinomavro An up-and-coming collectible option from Greece, Xinomavro is reminiscent of Nebbiolo, with the best age-worthy examples delivering exceptionally high tannin.
Aglianico The old way of making Aglianico made it almost undrinkable until it aged for at least a decade. These wines reveal extremely savory and compelling flavors of cured meats and tobacco.
Exceptions to The Rule
Of course, as with all things, there are exceptions to the rule. The best thing you can do to improve your tasting experience is to train your palate to taste wine.
Acidity and tannin are very important for age-ability, but you also need this thing wine pros call “balance!”
Wine ages best at a temperature that is both cool and constant. Wine cellar cooling systems are designed to maintain that perfect temperature in your cellar or cabinet. A humidity of around 70% is ideal for aging wine. A too-humid environment will cause mold to form on the cork, possibly contaminating the wine.
Most white wines are typically at their prime within 5 years of bottling. Most thin-skinned red grapes are ideal to consume within 5 to 7 years. Most thicker-skinned red grapes are best enjoyed with 5 to 10 years of age. Even the most cellar-worthy wines are not recommended to be aged beyond 20 years.
Wines like Rosé, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are the main wines that come to mind when talking about wine that don't age well. The structural make up of these wines doesn't lend itself well to the aging process and probably won't give you any benefit.
Thereafter, wines will respond differently to bottle aging, exhibiting a diverse flavor and aromatic profile. In general terms, barrel aged wines have an astringent and strong flavor, that through bottle storage will evolve towards a more fruity, softer flavor as a result of further oxidation of the wine [18].
The need for aging your homemade wine is a given. I have found that with white wines 6 months will get the majority of the aging done. The typical white you find on the store shelf has been aged for about 18 months. Red wines could be aged anywhere from 2 to 5 years before they are sold.
The more you can taste and smell, the more likely the wine is going to age well. A wine that isn't complex to begin with won't become complex with age. Acidity diminishes as they wine ages so if a wine is to have 'ageability' it needs to start out with high acidity to go the distance.
Merlot You wouldn't think it to be the case, but Merlot ages just as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines become softer and often more smoky (think tobacco) with age. Right-bank Bordeaux is a great place to start with aging Merlot. Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) has extremely high tannin and color.
Pinot Noir can in fact age beautifully. Perhaps the misconception lies in the fact that it doesn't have to. Pinot Noir is one of those rare red wines that can be enjoyed pretty much right out of the gate.
A high-quality red wine, like one from Caymus or Daou, can keep for up to a week after opening; however, a low-quality wine will lose its freshness and fruit sooner. Similarly, you can expect a powerful Syrah red wine to last longer than a light-bodied Grenache red wine.
For example, a bottle of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon will rest comfortably and age beautifully for a minimum of 7-10 years and continue to bring pleasure to wine collectors even after 20 years of aging in bottle.
Cooler temperatures slow aging, allowing wines to develop complexity and character over time. Humidity Levels: Aim for a humidity level between 60-70%.
On average, an unopened bottle of red wine can last anywhere from 2 to 10 years or more, with lighter reds being on the shorter side. High-quality red wines, like Bordeaux or Barolo, can age well for several decades if stored properly.
“A fridge is supposed to keep perishables; even the mildest setting is way too cold for wine aging or even wine servicing, except for whites, of course. In a fridge, your wine will simply not age.”
Generally speaking, high-quality wines can be made better with age and may be well worth hanging on to, but even if this is the case, the quality will ultimately suffer if left long enough! The cork closure is usually the problem, as over time it is increasingly likely to let small amounts of oxygen into the liquid.
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