Is Aged Wine Better?

There a many fallacies surrounding wine and how it's presented to you. Things like wines with corks are better than ones with screw caps or a wine in a heavier glass bottle is somehow better than a lighter weight one.

One of the biggest surrounds aging wine. These are some blanket statements used with wine that are false.

A wine that will age xx years is better than one you should drink now 

This may have been true in the old days when wine makers put out tannic, closed in monster wines that you didn't want to drink for at least a decade. It took a very long time for them to actually be drinkable. This was was traditional Old World (European) winemaking. The notion that wines requiring decades of aging are better came from what you might call Old World wine snobbery.

Actually very few wines are held more than a few days past when they're purchased. Now most American wines, along with those from many other countries, are made to be at or near their best when they are first available for purchase. Generally, you don't want to age these wines much past a few months if at all. Others are certainly good for several years, but aging American wines for decades to get to their prime is rare.

Red wines will age, whites won't 

Generally, there are more reds aging in cellars than whites, but there are lots of exceptions. Things like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, those buttery Chardonnays, and rosés you'll want to consume soon. There are a number of Chards and Rieslings and others that age well for years. My last experience with this was a California Chardonnay made in a style with little oak or butteriness, it was more of a clean, somewhat acidic style. I didn't like it much at release, but then I had one that was over five years old and it was, "Oh, I get it."

Likewise, there are many reds that you don't want to age. Sometimes it's by the variety; sometimes by the style of wine made. Lighter, lower tannin reds like Pinot Noir and Merlot usually aren't aged much, though may be better after a couple years of aging. Heavy reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah often need some aging. Zinfandel is interesting in that some are definitely made in the drink now style and some will easily age and improve for several years.

But that all depends on how the wine maker made the wine. Many California wine makers will go for making their big reds so they are drinkable when young, but will still improve with a few years on the shelf. It's sort of a balancing act.

Wine in a screw cap won't age

In Australia where screw caps are more popular than in the U.S. they've done tests and find they often like the screw capped wine better after several years aging. I do find that many American wineries will put screw caps only on wines not intended to age and use cork on the big bruisers and that's too bad.

And one of the biggest false statements about wine,

Aged wine is better than young wine

Do you like wine that's fresh and clean and fruity? Well then aged wine may be a shock to you because it isn't any of those. There is a point in most wines where all the flavors and smells come together (it's balanced). That isn't always ten or forty years from its release. The only guarantee is that an aged wine will taste different. Will it be different good or different bad?

Some young reds are astringent from a lot of tannins. This is what makes the wine bitter and drying in your mouth, like drinking black tea. Age will soften this out and that's definitely a good thing. But when you patiently wait a number of years for the tannins to die down what will be left? Something good, you hope. Tannins and acids are preservatives in wine and allow it to age.

How do you know if a wine will age?
1. Ask the winemaker
2. Open a bottle now and pour a glass. Taste it then wait a hour or two and taste it again. Is it better after sitting out? You're adding oxygen as aging will do. This isn't foolproof, but an indicator.

How do you know how long to age a wine?
Honestly, nobody really knows. Best bet is to ask the winemaker, but it's important to tell them your storage conditions. Most winemakers are used to drinking wine from temp-controlled storage facilities. Not many of us have those at home. 

Wait, does this mean you shouldn't bother aging California wine? 

No, it certainly doesn't mean that. If you choose wisely there are plenty of wines that will be better in two or five or ten years. Some will go longer.

Is it worth aging a particular wine?

Further reading:

 How to Tell if a Wine is Worth Aging from the Robb Report.