White Wine Aging Chart (Best Practices) | Wine Folly (2024)
This white wine aging chart reveals which white grape varieties tend to age the best based on inherent traits.
Of course there are always exceptions to the rule! Some white wines have been noted to age well for 30 years or more. Still, you’ll find this chart to be a good starting point to help you consider what to hold on to and what to drink now!
White wines typically don’t age as long as red wines because they’re not fermented on their grape skins. (Unless they are orange wines!) The simple difference between winemaking methods reduces the amount of tannin in the wine, and thus, reduces white wine aging ranges.
Additionally, some white wines have lower acidity. Acidity is a wine trait that slows chemical interactions that cause wines to go bad. So, acidity is a very important trait of age-worthiness in wine.
White Wines That Age Well
Chardonnay This is the most well-known of the age-worthy whites. Chardonnay gets its ability to age from a combination of higher acidity paired with oak-aging (which adds tannin). Be sure to look for Chardonnay wines with a low pH.
Sémillon Sémillon is better known as a variety blended with Sauvignon Blanc in the white blend of Bordeaux. Even though Sémillon doesn’t sparkle with tartness, it’s been shown to age gracefully and develop interesting nutty flavors over time.
Rkatsiteli A rare find outside of Eastern Europe, this grape has all the features of a great white to age, even if it’s not well known. Expect beeswax and nuttiness on the palate with age.
Riesling This is Germany’s champion aromatic (and often subtly sweet) white that does wonders with time. As it ages, Riesling becomes a rich yellow color with surprising aromas of petrol (caused by an unique aroma compound called TDN).
Viura Better known as Rioja Blanca – White Rioja – this is where white wines start out with citrus and mineral flavors and become increasingly rich and flavorful as they age. Viura is a great option for a white-friendly addition to your cellar.
Chenin Blanc Look for the sweet Chenin Blanc wines from the Loire Valley (around Anjou) where some of these collectible choices are thought to last decades. Or, if you’re clever, start hunting in South Africa for up-and-comers.
Savatiano The most planted white grape in Greece turns out to be an incredible variety capable of evolving into an exotic, nutty, and grassy white with age. If you can find them at home (or pick up there), these wines are a super value option.
Arinto Perhaps Portugal’s most unsung wine hero, Arinto is produced in a myriad of styles. The best wines have lean, mineral, and citrus notes that open up into rich, honeyed, beeswax, and melon flavors with time.
Dessert Whites Tend to Age Longer
Beyond those still, dry white wines, fortified dessert wines tend to age even longer! Wines such as Sherry, Madeira, and even some Marsala have been shown to improve in flavor and texture over decades.
Of course, as with all things, there are exceptions to the rule. The best thing you can do to improve your tasting skills is to train your palate to taste for quality.
Acidity and tannin are very important for age-ability. Also, sweetness is considered to be a beneficial aging trait in white wines. Good luck and happy hunting!
Please keep any wine that you are keeping long-term away from a heat source. Sweet dessert wines that aren't fortified (e.g. botrytis Semillons, Late/ Autumn Harvest) – Semillon is an excellent variety for long-term ageing, expect to be able to put it away for up to 15 years.
Most white wines should be consumed within two to three years of bottling. Exceptions to this rule are full-bodied wines like chardonnay (three-five years) or roussane (optimal between three to seven years). However, fine white wines from Burgundy (French Chardonnays) are best enjoyed at 10-15 years of age.
An unopened 20 year old wine is perfectly safe to drink. Whether it is tasty and appealing to drink is an altogether different question. Few white wines improve during that length of time unless they were produced as sweet dessert wines and stored properly (i.e. under cool constant temperature away from light).
Fine wine — as you may have guessed — can typically be consumed for decades. Wine storage best practices dictate that you keep your wine in a cool, dark space. Bottles should be placed on their sides in order to prevent overdrying the cork. Opened wine, however, is another matter.
Up to 2 years: for Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Vermentino. Up to 5 years: for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot. Up to 10 years: Riesling, Semillon, Malbec. Up to 15 years: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz.
While this might sound like a recipe for early drinking, Hunter Semillon can age and improve, becoming astonishingly complex—more so than almost any other white variety. In the longevity stakes, it sits right up there with Chenin Blanc and Riesling.
Wines such as Sherry, Madeira, and even some Marsala have been shown to improve in flavor and texture over decades. Additionally, there are several botrytized white wines (such as Sauternes and Riesling) that age nicely for up to 30 years.
For example, a bottle of Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay is delicious in its youth at 1-3 years, as well as at full maturity of 5-7 years old, while unoaked whites, such as Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, are meant to be consumed shortly after release and do not typically benefit from cellaring.
Pinot Gris can age well for five years – but generally this is made in a young drinking style and is best consumed within a two to three years of vintage.
If the color appears to have changed since opening the bottle, this may indicate spoilage. For example, a red wine that has gone bad might have a brownish tint, whereas a white wine may darken or have a deep yellow or brownish straw color when it goes bad.
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.
Most wines will improve with age but too much age will ultimately spell the end of what was once a great wine. 200 year old shipwreck wines are lucky if they taste like wine at all.
Most light-weight whites like Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and blends, Riesling, Vermentino and Gewürztraminer should remain fresh for up to 2 days after opening. A good rule of thumb is that the drier the wine, the longer it will last.
A viognier should be enjoyed while it is young. Generally, these wines will lose some of their characteristic nose after the age of three, although New World vintages, including those produced in California, often age better than those of European vineyards and can retain their unique aromas for up to 10 years.
White Wine: 1-2 years past the expiration date. Red Wine: 2-3 years past the expiration date. Cooking Wine: 3-5 years past the expiration date. Fine Wine: 10 to 20 years.
Italian wines are made from varieties not often seen outside its borders. These wines can age — sometimes up to 70 years — and evolve with time. While native Italian grapes such as Sangiovese are grown in places like California, they are few and far between. One reason Italian wines age so well is their structure.
What does it taste like? Young, unoaked Semillon is high in acidity and low in alcohol. It is tangy and crisp, with plenty of crunchy green apple and citrus. As it ages, it mellows, takes on fatness and develops honeyed tones, along with biscuity complexity.
Inexperienced wine lover often discard dry Mosel Riesling as being poor when they taste some in this phase. Fruit Phase: 5-10 years after the vintage (and more for the best examples), the wines develop beautiful complex and fruity flavors.
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