Which wine ages best

In truth, and especially for whites, five or six years will often lead to fascinating changes. Something else to consider is that plenty of ageworthy wines are neither spectacularly expensive Bordeaux first-growths nor the hard-to-find "unicorn" bottles that sommeliers lately trample each other to get.

Classics are classics for a reason: a track record of quality over dozens of vintages and a proven ability to change and develop for the better over time in a cellar.

Here are 12 to seek out-all are delicious now, but wouldn't it be fun to see where they go over time? People rarely think to cellar Sauvignon Blanc, but this lemon-guava scented version from one of Napa Valley's most historic producers only becomes more compelling over time.

It's fully drinkable now, but stash it away for four or five years and then give it a try. Vouvray is one of the world's most ageworthy white wines. Dry "sec" versions, like this pear-inflected, floral bottling from one of the appellation's most storied producers, take on more richness and honeyed notes as they age. Pichler's basic Terrassen bottling, floral and peppery, is at the level of many other producers' single-vineyard wines.

It should develop for a decade easily. Since the winery's first vintage in , Stony Hill's nuanced Chardonnays have stood apart from other California versions-restrained and tautly focused, they improve for years. There you have it — your complete guide to ageing wine.

For more informative articles and guides to all things wine-related, make sure to check out Selector magazine and explore the site. In the meantime, happy cellaring, from everyone here at Wine Selectors! Selector Magazine and Wine Selectors values your privacy and follows strict guidelines to ensure it is protected.

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Published on 19 May The Latest Wine. Australian Sparkling Wine Styles. How to keep your Sparkling wine from going flat. Shop Best Australian Wine. Add to cart. Older wines could last for decades due to their high sugar content. In the Middle Ages, the popularity of aged wines decreased.

Most of the young wine from Northern Europe was light-bodied and had an aging potential of a few months. The more longer-lived wines like the sweet Riesling emerged in the 16th century in Germany and Southern Europe. In the 17th century, aging wine was revived as a practice. The invention of corks and glass bottles enabled winemakers to seal their wines better and prolong their longevity. Fortified wine wine with added distilled alcohol like Port and Madeira had excellent aging potential.

These fortified wine bottles could last longer and were exported from Portugal to England, the US, and India. Aging during winemaking is called maturation and is usually done in a stainless steel or oak barrel.

In the barrel, the wine goes through malolactic fermentation, wine clarification, and stabilization. On the other hand, aging wine in the bottle is not mandatory, and only some winery estates do it before releasing their vintages. In the bottle, the wine is sealed tight in the absence of oxygen. Over time, chemical reactions enhance the final flavor bouquet of the wine.

Some winemakers experiment with these techniques to age wine artificially - exposure to radiation, electricity, or using a Clef du Vin - all of which are shortcuts to years of wine aging. Clef du Vin is a small stainless steel disc that can be dipped into your glass of wine and start the wine aging process.

Some wineries try undersea wine aging since the water pressure naturally accelerates the aging process in the bottle. Some of the aging factors, like oxidation, temperature, and light exposure, occur both during the maturation and the bottle aging stages. Others, like the wine storage conditions, affect the wine after bottling. The phenolic compounds in wine change during aging.

These include tannins, acids, and sugars that come from the grape seeds, stems, and skins during winemaking. The more concentrated these constituents are, the better aging abilities the wine will have since the phenolic compounds act as preservatives.

For example, wines made with grapes with higher sugar content, from older grapevines, or a wine region with a drier climate will be more concentrated and with higher aging potential. Longer maceration and oak barrel aging periods also increase the phenolic compound content. By increasing the temperature during maturation, the winemaker can accelerate the wine aging process. However, this can decrease the freshness and flavor of the wine and is considered a bad practice.

Exposure to UV light and direct sunlight can trigger oxidation and accelerate the wine aging process both during maturation and in the bottle. Oxidation can occur during maturation and after opening a bottle of wine. For example, during winemaking, wines exposed to controlled amounts of oxygen develop more complex and fully-developed aromas and flavors. In the creation of young white wines, oxidation is avoided, and the wine is fermented in a reductive environment to preserve its freshness and fruitiness.

The wine is in contact with oxygen once again after you open the bottle. Methods like decanting and swirling the wine in your glass can accelerate the oxidation process and allow the wine to open up and expose its full array of aromas. However, if the wine is exposed to oxygen for more than hours, its flavors can become duller. Exposure to higher temperatures, direct light, or vibrations might cause the wine to age prematurely and lose its qualities.

So, a wine cellar or cabinet should maintain optimal levels of light, humidity, temperature, and vibration. White wine has a pale yellow color in its youth.

With time, this color changes to a golden or a dark yellow hue. A young red wine would usually have bright ruby red or dark purple color. This evolves to pale brick red with orange hues as the wine ages.

During aging, the wine taste becomes smoother with a rounder mouthfeel and more complex flavors. Wines that are able to age have particular characteristics that enhance their age-worthiness.

Roughly 98 percent of wines on the market are intended for immediate consumption or for limited aging of no more than 5 years. Just 2 percent will benefit from long-term cellaring. But those 2 percent can deepen into something delightful, and are a marvel to taste. Good wines to age will share certain characteristics regardless of whether they are red wines or white wines. The best candidates for aging have good structure and balance.

Structure comes in the form of tannins, residual sugar, alcohol and acidity, with higher acidity and higher tannins contributing to an extended lifespan. Your wine will also age well if it has moderate to high residual sugars to help slow down the process.

Alcohol content helps here as well, but it is most beneficial in fortified wines. Red wines have other phenols — such as anthocyanins that impart color — that aid in slowing down oxidation.