How to Tell if a Wine Can Age or Not?

Maybe you’re browsing your wine stash for something “safe” to drink on a Wednesday night, or staring down a fancy-looking gifted bottle trying to decide if it’s ready to finally open. Maybe you’re scanning the shelves of your favorite wine shop seeking a bottle worth keeping for a few years. At some point, every wine lover has experienced the classic question when considering a bottle of wine: Should I drink this now, or save it to age?

There is no right or wrong answer. That said, while any wine can age, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should. Some bottles are better with a bit of added maturity, while others are designed to be ready upon release.

“The most ageworthy wines have a long to über-long finish, meaning their flavors last a long time after you’ve swallowed the wine,” says wine writer and critic Christy Canterbury, MW. “Those lingering flavors mean the wine has very good concentration, which is effectively the stamina for a wine. Ageworthy wines should also have good structural balance. The tannins, acidity, and fruit shouldn’t feel like gangly knees and elbows.”

Thankfully, there are a few tips and tricks that can help guide you on your journey of drink-or-hold roulette.

First ask, why do you want to age your wine?

A key exercise to help guide your decision making is to first consider why you are cellaring that bottle to begin with — what are you hoping will change and why do you think it will be better?

Generally speaking, flavor-wise, aging a wine will encourage the softening of primary and secondary flavors in favor of the development of tertiary characteristics. Texturally, tannins will soften as a wine matures, as will acidity, although alcohol and sugar remain at consistent levels.

“Most wine produced is meant to be consumed within a year of its release, so the first thing we have to think about is, ‘Do I even like old wine?’” says TJ Douglas, CEO and founder of Drink Progressively Group, which includes The Urban Grape retail shops in Boston and Washington, D.C. “This is really important to figure out before you start investing in wine that you won’t even drink for years.”

Save tasting notes of wines you try, to help hone in on the styles and flavors you gravitate towards. This will steer you toward drinking windows that better accommodate enjoyment of those characteristics within any given wine type or style.

For example, if you prefer notes of dried fruits over juicy ones, or prominent earthy, forest-found characteristics, aging wine for a medium or long term might be of benefit to your palate. However, if you’re all about fresh fruitiness and would rather not sniff abundant tar or leather tones, then you’d likely be happier drinking your favorite wines younger, regardless of what common wine wisdom says about any given selection.

An example to emphasize the importance of personal preference is Champagne. Vintage Champagnes are some of the most iconic wines to age for decades, but the flavor profile of well-aged Champagnes is quite different from those opened while young, and neither is necessarily better than the other. Early notes can favor punchy fruit flavors, subtle toast, vibrant acidity, and active effervescence that yields a lively mousse, or mouthfeel. Over time, this can transition into riper, even candied or honeyed tones, pronounced yeastiness, softer carbonation, and a rounder feel. So, while a vintage Champagne can be popped at many points of its life, the question is more about which of its characteristics you enjoy most, and finding that window.

Additionally, avoid the misconception that aging a wine will inherently make it better.

“If you don’t like a wine when you first have it, don’t think about aging it and don’t let anyone convince you that you will like it later,” says wine writer Dorothy J. Gaiter. “There are too many bottles in the sea to go to the trouble of aging a wine that you didn’t like in the first place. Some wines are like some people: Once a jerk, always a jerk … just an older jerk.”

“And if you don’t have a way to store wine well — not perfectly, but not on top of your refrigerator — don’t think about aging it,” adds wine writer John Brecher.

Embrace the classics

Certain wine-producing regions are well-known for bearing age-worthy wines. For a variety of reasons, including general structural tendencies, flavor profiles, established history of successful aging and more, there are some specific grape varieties and appellations that are more prone to successful maturation. Many of these classic cellar-worthy selections are from European wine regions that have centuries of history in wine production and collection, so the potential benefit and result of holding on to these wines is more clearly established.

Largely based around Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, high-quality wines from Bordeaux, particularly those that are a cru classé, or classified growth, may be considered the benchmark here. Other top-tier examples include the wines of Burgundy, both red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay), and Champagne in France; Tempranillo-based Rioja and Ribera del Duero reds from Spain; the red blends and fortified wines of the Douro Valley in Portugal; and Italy’s three “B”s — Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello — to name just a few.

A quick consult of a reputable vintage chart may help to guide any serious investments for selections destined for the long haul. Because for many, at the price points that some of these wines command, it can become more of a question of investment and return as opposed to personal enjoyment of the wine itself.

To save some cellar-watching time while providing a glimpse into aged-wine territory, a few countries also have legally defined designations that denote a wine has already seen some aging prior to release, though many still have potential for further development. Examples of this include wines marked as Reserva and Gran Reserva in Spain, Riserva in Italy, and Reserva in Portugal.

“I always suggest that people try old Riojas because their aging requirements mean they’ve already done some of the wine aging for you,” says Douglas. “I would suggest starting 7–10 years past vintage and then go backwards from there.”

Wineries that offer library or museum releases are another way to pick up matured selections, taking some of the guess work and anticipation out of the wait and affording an opportunity to experience an aged wine that you know has authentic provenance and was held in proper cellaring conditions.

Does red wine age better than white? Not exactly

It’s widely assumed that most red wines will age better or longer than white wines, but this is hardly the full truth. There are some style examples and varieties that can mature fantastically for many years, and even decades, including some traditional-method sparkling wines like Champagne, sweet wines, and oaked white wines, including those made from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling. 

You can also find great value in considering regions that are not as conventionally established for their ageworthiness, especially for those looking for something to hold for a moderate medium-term as opposed to decades plus. In France, explore beyond Bordeaux with Cru Beaujolais, or go past the Rhône to consider the complex reds of Languedoc’s top terroirs. And in Italy, travel south to taste bold-structured and long-lived Aglianicos, or lay down an Etna Bianco to see those mineral tones explode within a rich, textured body.

Venturing into other winemaking areas around the globe will provide a world of cellaring opportunity as well. From structured, cool-climate Aussie Cabernet and bold Argentine Malbec to well-balanced South African Chenin Blanc and complex California Chardonnay, the possibilities are numerous, and delicious.

“There is no one-size answer to what wines will age well,” says Brecher. “Everyone’s palate is different. When we have a red or white that is tasty and interesting, with all sorts of different layers and good acidity, we always want to see if those layers will expand and grow more complex in time. One hint: Drink a wine like that over a couple of hours at various temperatures. If it continues to get interesting and opens up, this is a sign that the wine might be worth aging to see what it becomes when it really spreads its wings.”

While you might not want to enjoy an ageworthy haul prematurely, it’s actually far worse to have held those bottles too long to the point of them falling off the dreaded cliff. One way to watch this maturation is to cellar in multiples, so you can periodically check in on the wine’s evolution every few years and keep an eye on that optimal drinking window for the rest of your stash.

“Like people, wines can have bad days,” cautions Canterbury. “Sometimes an aged wine won’t taste as great as you expect it to, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the rest of the same bottles won’t be better.”

If buying in bulk isn’t an option, another great way to achieve similar results is to lay down a 750-ml bottle and a 375-ml bottle of the same wine, side by side. “The smaller bottle will age more quickly, so you can taste it sooner and see what you think,” says Douglas. “Then keep the larger bottle on the shelf and really let it rest. A few years later, pop it open and enjoy.”

And remember, it’s just wine. It should always be fun and enjoyable. So pop what you like, whenever you like, and enjoy that glass without hesitation for the jo