(and its friend – “but only if it’s red!”)
4 minute read
I’ve often come across people who have received a ‘special’ bottle of wine which they’ve carefully put away for a ‘special’ occasion. When they’ve come to open it, they’ve been wildly disappointed. “But wine is supposed to get better with age!”.
Sadly, this is, in general, NOT the case. In Australia, most wine is drunk within 24 hours of purchase (and someone from a big chain once told me that internal research showed it was closer to THREE hours) – so if you’re a producer, what kinds of wine are you going to release to the market? Ones that need to sit in a carefully controlled environment for 10+ years before they look good? Or ones that consumers can buy on their way home from work and enjoy with dinner?
You don’t need an MBA to figure out the answer there!
The other thing is, that in order to improve with age a wine needs to be good (nay, bloody good!) in the first place. Something average is going to stay average and, honestly, get worse over time.
In order to age a wine needs a combination of some or all of the following:
- great tannins
- great acidity
- intensity of flavour
- flavours that develop in an appealing way
The tannins and acidity act as the wine’s bone structure. Generally, it’s tannins for reds and acidity for whites. There are some black grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, which have great tannin and acidity and that makes them ideal candidates for ageing. The tannins and acidity will both soften off over time – so that Semillon which feels like it’s shredded the enamel from your teeth thanks to the high acid will feel very different in 10 years’ time.
The intensity of a wine’s flavours will also decrease over time, so if a wine is a little insipid and boring now – it’s going to get MORE insipid and boring if you leave it for 5 years!
And finally – the flavours do need to develop in an appealing way. This might sound a bit odd – but Sauvignon Blanc is a great case in point here. Savvy B has really intense aromas and flavours and high acidity, so it sounds like an ideal candidate for ageing, right?! Sadly – no. Those beautiful intense notes of grass, passionfruit and gooseberry will actually develop into increasingly vegetal aromas and flavours. The passionfruit will give way to notes of broad bean, pea and asparagus. And this is not everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to wine. A few years ago I was lucky enough to taste a Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc that was about 15 years old. It smelt and tasted like tinned asparagus! So if you’re after the bright notes most people associate with Sav Blanc – stick with the young ones!
And it’s not only the reds that age! Riesling and Semillon are two wines that, in general, have amazing ageing potential thanks to their naturally high acid levels. Many years ago, I went to work overseas for 4 months – leaving my (university budget) wine collection in a cellar. When I returned 8 years later, almost everything was stuffed – EXCEPT for my collection of Clare Rieslings. None of these had been wildly expensive wines in the first place, but thanks to early adoption of screw caps and Riesling’s amazing ageing ability, the wines all looked FAB!
A lot of good quality, high end Chardonnay also can age – less reliably and in general for not as long as a Riesling or Semillon but still good for a few years in the cellar.
So – what are the Wine Academy ageing hints & tips?
- if in doubt – drink now! It’s demoralising to pull out that special bottle and discover it’s on its way to vinegar
- if your budget allows – buy a case and drink a bottle now, see what you think. If you think there’s ageing potential, drink the next bottle in 12 months time. Rinse and repeat until your palate decides the wine’s hit its sweet spot. Remember – everyone’s palate is different. Some people prefer fruit-forward younger wines while others prefer the more savoury character of older wines – and you might be in the middle!
- invest in good storage. If you’re storing wine long term, you do need to store it properly – in at least temperature controlled conditions (potentially also humidity controlled if your collection is predominantly cork)
Looking for something with ageing potential? Browse our Rieslings and Cabernet Sauvignons as a start!
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