Everything You Need To Know About Aging Red Wine
Written by Andrea Morris
Illustration by Nikki Scioscia
There’s a certain mystique to aging wine and, in wine collecting, a common game is comparing birth years and arguing over which region is currently drinking the best from one’s vintage… Nerd alert! However, not all wine improves from aging and sometimes it can actually make the wine less palatable. As with all subjective forms, more age does not always mean better to every person. As a wine ages, the flavors don’t simply improve, they go through complex chemical reactions that change the scents, flavors and even textures. Appreciating wine with a lot of age is often a learned habit, though some people are more naturally drawn to it than others, kind of like getting into blue cheese, smoky Scotch or even opera.
The practice of aging wine dates back to Ancient Greek and Roman times with texts celebrating the aging potential of Falernian [fuh-lur-nee-uhn], an area in modern day Campania, Italy, and other regional wines. The advent of corks and bottles in the 17th century was also a major game changer in extending a wine’s shelf life. As oxygen comes in contact with wine, it rapidly speeds the aging process which also explains why decanting helps wine open up by exposing it to more air, but that’s for another article.
When a wine has just finished fermentation, it has a fresh and juicy character and a fairly simple flavor profile. If it gets aged in oak, particularly new oak, then it will pick up additional notes from the barrel, usually vanilla and spice aromas. In addition to those warm and toasty flavors, oak aging also introduces a tiny amount of oxygen which creates a broader texture and makes the fruit flavors less bright and juicy. Usually wines that are aged in oak are also made to age in bottles, as oak imparts tannins which act as a preservative.
Which Red Wines Are Better Young?
As a rule of thumb, wines that emphasize fresh and fruity and/or floral notes are best young, as those flavors fade first during aging.
Beaujolais Nouveau is the most classic example of a red that is not made to age, with some professionals claiming that it should be drunk before the end of the year in which it was harvested. The reasoning here is that Gamay, the grape of Beaujolais, is already a thin skinned grape, and for Nouveau it is fermented using Carbonic Maceration, a technique which keeps wines very light and fruity with little-to no tannin, so they will fall apart quickly. Cru Beaujolais on the other hand is Gamay fermented and aged in the more traditional way, so it can improve for 5-10 years in bottle. Give Yann Bertrand Morgon or Jean Foillard Fleurie a few years to see what this region is capable of!
Other red grapes that are generally better when young include Ruché from Piedmont like La Miraja’s floral version and Sicily’s Frappato like the one made by COS which is the rare example of a wine that actually tastes a bit like grapes. Additionally,
A general rule of thumb is that just about any red under $15 on a store shelf, no matter what the variety or region, will not improve over time; They don’t have the balance or structure to develop nicely, so as the fruit fades you’ll be left with overly bitter or tart notes or just a generally tired flavor profile. These wines are meant for immediate drinkability rather than longevity.
How To Know What To Stash In Your Cellar
There are three major preservatives in red wine: tannins, alcohol and acid. The wines that have all three of these tend to age the most successfully. Thicker skinned red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, all of which tend to make longer aging reds with their dark fruit aromas taking a back seat to earthier tones as they age. Jean-Baptiste Souillard makes beautiful Syrahs of both value and higher end in a few regions of the Rhone valley that go from fresh black currant and peppercorn in their youth to leather and dried plum with time in the cellar. Cabernets, especially from Bordeaux, tend to take on a cedar-like aroma along with damp earth.
Nebbiolo from Barolo, Barbaresco in Piedmont and Sangiovese from Tuscany can also age with their intense tannins softening over time and developing scents of tobacco and dried flower petals. Castell’In Villa’s Chianti Classico Riserva is both a great value that is delicious when young but majestic and thoughtful with a decade of age. A fun experiment for the most patient among us would be to get a few of the same bottle and open one every few years to experience the metamorphosis from primary to secondary qualities.
Rioja from Spain is traditionally aged for several years in barrel. By the time a Reserva or Gran Reserva reaches the market, it's already showing aged notes like dried fig and soy sauce, but the high acid keeps it feeling fresh. Lopez de Heredia’ Viña Bosconia is a great example and the current release right now is 2009 - already 13 years old!
That said, there are some thin skinned grapes that can age incredibly well. Red Burgundy made from 100% Pinot Noir is a classic example of this; the high acid combined with oak aging and serious minerality allows good examples to evolve for 15 years or more maturing from cherries and herbs into mushrooms and forest floor. Hubert Lignier and Domaine de Montille are two classic producers who make a range of levels (value to very splurgy), all of which will gain complexity over time without losing their structure. Great New World Pinot can also improve with age, particularly those from cooler climates such as those made by Littorai in Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. Due to the thinner skin, Pinot Noir is a little trickier to cellar, so keeping conditions stable at 55º and no light exposure is even more crucial here.
The question of how long to age a bottle is a very personal choice. If you prefer your wine to be fruit forward with a bold structure then a long aged wine could be disappointing. If you tend to like more earth and softer structure then putting some wine in a dark cool place for a few years is a good choice. If you don’t want to wait, try your hand at an online wine auction and see if you can find some styles you know you like with more age than you can find in a wine shop, just beware that good storage conditions are not always guaranteed! I find WineBid to have a particularly user-friendly interface.