Aged Like A Fine Wine
This week I was walking a friend through newly renovated pieces of my basement, and we stopped at a little closet-y alcove thing that I have yet to find a use for. It sits right next to the bar (yes, I have a built-in wet bar in my basement, I’m from Wisconsin for Pete’s Sake), so when she saw it, her eyes flew to me and she said, “you absolutely must make this a wine cellar.”
Hell. Yes. I’m sold on the idea.
The more I got to thinking about it though, the more I realized I have no idea how to age wine. From working through my CSW studies, I now know that not every wine is meant for aging, and I know how to stick a bottle of wine on the shelf and promptly forget about it for a few years as it sits gathering dust, but I don’t know the specifics.
If not every wine bottle, then which ones? If you don’t have a fancy wine cellar, where do you store them? How many bottles should you be saving away, if your goal is to start a collection?
Why We Age Wine
First, the scientific reasons. Some wines will go through chemical changes over time that change and mature their profiles, their flavors will deepen and the tannins will relax. I explain all the fun scientific-y things down in the “what to look for section”.
Second, pulling out a bottle of wine from a specific year is an emotional tie to the past. It’s common to set aside bottles from a specific event, then open those yearly or at other special events to commemorate and remember the good times. For example, save a case of wine from your wedding and open one on each anniversary. Or, I read a story about a man who bought a case when his baby girl was born, then opened one on her first day of kindergarten, her high school graduation, etc.
It’s a romantic way of sipping and sifting through memories.
What To Look For
It’s important to know right off the bat that not all wines are supposed to be aged. We can even go so far as to say most wines are not meant to be aged.
One of the most important factors in wine made for aging is that it has a “robust structure”. Simplifying that a bit, it means to that wines that will vintage well normally are very tannic or have lots of acid and flavor when they are young.
This is because those tannins will go through a process called polymerization where they bind together and fall to the bottom of the bottle. This causes the flavor and mouthfeel to change and mellow with age.
Oxygen also plays a role here too. Tiny amounts of oxygen will seep into the bottle through the cork (and wrapper) over time and that’s good - we actually want that to happen. Too much oxygen will create a bad brown color and rotten fruit flavor (called oxidization), but the right amount will help promote that mellowing process.
Still overwhelmed by what to buy? Let’s simplify it even more with some general guidelines.
What to avoid storing:
- Anything in a clear bottle (also known as flint or super flint) is supposed to be drunk immediately. Keep this in mind, particularly when choosing whites to store away. There are white wines that come in light green or blue bottles, and those are better for aging.
- “Young” wines are not meant to be stored; this includes Nouveau and Beaujolais varietals.
- No rosés, moscatos, spumantes, vermouths, or sherries. Just drink those babies.
- Nothing in a screw cap. This refers back to the oxygen note up above; screw caps allow absolutely no oxygen into the bottle and to properly age we want just a bit of it over time.
- Anything under $30 is probably not worth storing. I think this rule is a little hoity-toity, but cost is an easy gauge to use when searching for a more high-quality wine.
What might store well:
- Reds generally store better than whites.
- High tannic wines or “flavor bombs” will benefit from aging. This often include varietals like Nebbiolo, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Pinot Noir.
- If you are set on trying to age a white wine, stick with Chardonnay or Riesling.
- Vintage Ports will age well.
Most of these are definitely a “rule of thumb”, and the best way to find out if something ages well is to age it!
How to Store It
Well, if you want to, this is a hobby you could spend thousands of dollars upon. There are people out there will perfectly crafted home wine cellars set at an exact temperature with hundreds of dusty bottles on racks and racks going back for ages into tunnels that lead to their treasure hoard…
….okay, maybe I got carried away there. Can you tell I’m a bit jealous? We can’t all have custom made wine cellars, but we can all age wine if we do it correctly.
Here are some tips on how and where to store your wine:
- Choose a cool, damp, dark room.
a) You want it cool, generally between 50-65 degree F. And you also want the room to stay within that range, as temperature fluctuations can either dry out the cork (too cold) or inappropriately speed up the aging process (too warm).
b) You want it damp to keep that cork from dehydrating. If that happens, the seal will fail, too much oxygen will get into the wine, and you’ll have oxidized, spoiled wine.
c) You want it dark for a similar reason. Light usually comes with heat, and with heat comes that same oxidization process that spoils your wine.
For us midwesterners, the basement or root cellar is a perfect place. A temperature controlled closet could do too. Avoid the kitchen and garage as those areas tend to have high temperature fluctuations.
2. Store the wine on its side. This goes back to that pesky cork again. Storing the wine horizontally helps keep the cork hydrated and prevents it drying out. You can get wine racks for fairly cheap (hello, Ikea?) which will help with proper storage. Dried out cork = spoiled wine.
3. Don’t touch it! You don’t like to be shook about when you’re sleeping, right? Well neither does wine. Moving it about too much will shake up those tannins falling to the bottom of the bottle and slow the process of aging. So set it, and forget it.
4. Can you use a wine fridge? Sure. Using a dedicated wine fridge is a great option or folks who are serious about resting their wine, but don’t have a proper place to store it. There are some on the market that are not too expensive, typically ranging from $300-$5000.
How Long to Store It
This is basically an unanswerable question. There’s no catch-all answer here. It’s different for each individual bottle, and every winemaker has a different idea on their own vintages.
The best I can advise you is that - if you are aging yourself and not buying on the aftermarket - then up to 10 years is more than enough, and probably more like 5 years is appropriate, especially if we’re in that $30-$75 market.
This is often referred to as “resting” a wine; giving the wine a few years to develop and mellow.
Be aware though, that “resting” wine also refers to opening the bottle to let it aerate before drinking. But that is also known as letting the wine “breathe”. Just a lot of terminology speak!
Weekly Adventure
If you are at all interested in wine, I have a challenge for you, which I will of course also be participating in. This week, I want you go out and find just one bottle you plan to lay away. Make sure you’ve done your homework, and you know its one that will age well. Add more if you’d like, but this is just to dip our toes in the “fancy” wine world.
If you want an extra challenge, write yourself a note and tape it to the bottle. Why did you choose this one? What’s happening in your life right now? This is definitely not part of the normal wine-o layaway program, but how fun will it be 2 to 5 to 10 years from now to get a letter and wine bottle from yourself?! Yes, please.
Cheers,
Molly
References
https://www.eater.com/22442472/guide-to-aging-wine-best-bottles-to-age
https://learn.compactappliance.com/storing-and-aging-wine/
https://vinepair.com/wine-101/guide-to-aging-wine/
https://www.justinwine.com/learn/storing-and-aging-wine
https://home.binwise.com/blog/aged-wine