Bottle-aged wines: What they are and which ones to choose

Does wine improve with time? 

This is one of the most popular beliefs, and today we are going to clarify it. No, not all wines improve the longer they are kept in the bottle. Keeping wine for too long can spoil it, and drinking it before time can mean drinking it before it reaches its best.

What is bottle-aged wine?

Bottle-aged wines are precisely those that have the necessary characteristics to be aged in the bottle, which means they will improve by developing new aromas and flavours over time. We do not contribute new nuances to the wine ourselves, but it is more like the way people age, they change and develop and we are then able to enjoy the different characteristics of that evolution.

Which wines can be bottle-aged?

Some wines reach their full potential after years in the bottle, but that is not the case of all wines - some should be drunk earlier.

Bottle-aged wines are born in the vineyard, they need good grapes of a quality variety and excellent harvests. They also require a nurtured wine-making process. Also the consistency and reputation of a good winemaker.

Acidic wines that have high levels of tannin, deep colour and that have been aged for some time in wooden casks or barrels will usually evolve well in the bottle after a few years.

Other wines too, such as white and rosé wines that have not been aged in wood can also evolve well. Moreover, some of them require decades to reach their best, such as many of the Riesling wines from Germany. 

Some clues:

If the bottle has a cork rather than a silicone stopper or threaded cap, this can give us an idea that the wine can be aged in the bottle.

Winemakers who make wines for ageing in the bottle usually invest in good quality, large corks that will withstand the passing of time.

The thickness of the glass can also be a good indicator. The thicker and darker the glass, the more protection it will provide during the ageing process.

Think about quality grape varieties: Chardonnay, Viura, Riesling, for white wine. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Nebbilo, for red wine. When these varieties are well looked after, they are usually suitable for ageing.

How do wines improve?

Full bodied wines with high tannin levels, dark colour and long ageing in barrels usually become more rounded and the roughness they have in the early years is refined. Moreover, they develop new aromas and flavours.

Very acidic strong wines usually mellow and become more drinkable featuring new added complexities.

How long should we age wine in the bottle?

Young wines, or those that have not been aged in wood: we recommend drinking them the year they are made, as they will lose their personality over time.

Crianza aged wines: from 4 to 5 years.

Reserva aged wines: from 8 to 10 years.

Gran Reserva wines: around 15 years.

Oxidative wines: These wines age for many years due to the special winemaking process. Many of them have already been aged in the bottle before they are sold (15, 30 or even 50 years), and therefore no extra ageing in the bottle is necessary.

These rules can be applied to wines made using classical methods, although wine-making has come a long way and we can now find wines by new winemakers capable of challenging time, using relatively unknown grape varieties, or un-aged wines that age wonderfully, and also wines from regions that are not particularly well-known for producing wines for ageing in the bottle.

How to age them?

If we are thinking about ageing wine in the bottle at home, we need to consider have a wine cellar or cooler for wines. If this is not possible, we should find a cool, dark, quiet place.

Important:

• Store wine at the right temperature, without sudden changes, somewhere between 8 and 14ºC is the right temperature.
• The right humidity level, around 70%.
• Away from light, noise and vibrations.
• Lay the bottles on their sides.

How to enjoy them?

Think if oxygenating or decanting the wine is necessary. As they are old wines, they tend to have less nose and may have some lees in the bottle.

Serve it at the right temperature. These wines can be very delicate, if they are served too cold, a lot of their nuances will be lost.

Find the right glass - particularly a high quality, thin walled glass will help you enjoy the wine more.

Take your time and enjoy it. These wines often need some time to breathe to bring out the full potential of their flavour and nose. Drink them slowly and enjoy the experience.

All these items are things that you should know and be aware of, but they are not hard and fast rules. Whether or not a wine can be aged in the bottle, and for how long, will depend on a number of factors that we will only be able to understand by opening the bottle and tasting the wine.