Aging wine can be a mystery.
Common scenarios include: “We want to buy a wine for our newborn baby to open on their 21st birthday. What should we get?” or “We are getting married and would like to have a wine to open on our 10th anniversary.”
Several factors need to be considered when purchasing a wine that needs to be laid down for long term aging. This is where guidance from your wine professional is of the utmost importance.
First and foremost, will the wine be stored properly? How long does the wine need to age?
Proper storage is vital for long term aging. The arid climate of the Southwest can wreak havoc on corks, which can dry out, shrink and allow air to enter the bottle, thus prematurely oxidizing the wine.
Ideally, wine ages most gracefully at 52 degrees F and 65 percent humidity. But most of us do not have ideal storage, which provides a constant temperature that does not fluctuate.
Most crawl spaces will work for long term storage, as long as they do not freeze in winter. Otherwise, a dark closet in an extra bedroom should suffice. Most importantly, lay your wines on their side to keep the corks moist. Higher storage temperatures (65 F or above) will age wine faster and less gracefully than the ideal 52 F.
Let’s start with the 10-year anniversary wine. Typically, most wines will have the structure to last 10 years. For wines needing only a decade, you can rest assured that this gift won’t cost a fortune, and you can choose a wine from most appellations. One can purchase a $20 wine from a reputable producer for this relatively short term storage.
A good indicator of a wine’s ability to age is the wine’s percentage of alcohol by volume. Wines that have ABVs between 13 percent and 14.5 percent usually can age for up to 10 years. Thankfully, there are plenty of options in this range.
New world wines typically are higher in alcohol and lower in acidity. Beyond 10 years, wines with 15 percent ABV or higher are not likely to age well.
If long term aging is needed, you have fewer options and, unfortunately, a higher price tag. Wines that are crafted for long term aging typically come from prestigious appellations that produce very little wine, which increases cost. Very few wines have aging potential of 20, 30 or 40 years.
The great wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo and Montalcino are vinified with long term aging in mind and have higher total acidity and higher tannin content. These long-lived wines typically have ABVs from 12 percent to 13.5 percent.
It is all too common to get caught up in seeking the “best” vintages. In new world wines, great vintages will result in ripe, lush and approachable wines that are ready upon release. Great vintages from Europe, however, require a minimum of 15 years before they become integrated and balanced. For example, it’s easy to be focused on the great Bordeaux vintages of 2005 and 2010. However, unless you are willing to wait 15 or more years, it’s best to search for lesser vintages, which always drink better when young.
Alan Cuenca is an accredited oenophile and owner of Put a Cork in It, a Durango wine store. Reach him at info@putacorkinit.org.
