Wines Suitable for Cellaring & Factors Contributing to Aging Potential

A common misconception (although more common among non wine drinkers) is that all wine gets better with age. The truth is, according to Master of Wine, Jancis Robinson, no more than 5 – 10% of the world’s wine is really meant for long-term cellaring. (note: This doesn’t mean you should leave a pile of the “non-cellaring” wine sitting around unprotected for long. If you’re keeping any wine for longer than a month or two, proper climate-controlled conditions are still recommended.)

The majority of wines are intended for quick consumption. This makes sense when you consider that most consumers aren’t purchasing to add to their collection; they just want something nice for dinner.

So how do you distinguish the 5 – 10% of cellar-worthy wines from the rest?

Below, we’ve provided some general guidelines and more specific rules to help you form a purchasing plan for your cellar.

General Guidelines When Selecting Wine for your Cellar:

Purchase 3 – 6 bottles (or more) of the same wine so you can taste it at different stages of its life cycle. Opened one of your six bottles too early? Sure it was a little disappointing, but now you’ve got a guide for opening the rest. With only one bottle, you could easily uncork it too early or too late and never taste its full potential.

Spend a bit more when adding to your collection. More expensive wines are often intended for aging. If you’re willing to wait 5+ years and invest in the storage of a bottle of wine, spending a bit more on it just makes sense. However, you’ll still want to keep a section of less expensive bottles in your cellar for everyday drinking. You don’t want your only option for Tuesday pizza night to be a bottle of Chateau Petrus!

Stick primarily to Old World wines. They often have better aging potential than New World wines (but not always – some high quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons can age upwards of 20 years). Most grapes grown in the Old World (Europe) have a shorter growing season, developing less sugar and maintaining higher acid levels. They require time in the bottle for their acidity and tannin levels to soften.

Factors Contributing to the Aging Potential of a Wine:

Acidity, sugar and phenolic compounds (primarily tannin) act as natural preservatives for wines. Wines high in alcohol generally do not age well.

Let’s break it down.

Acidity – Some wines have pronounced acidity when young that will soften with time in the bottle. However, this is only beneficial if the wine has a lot of fruit to balance it out. As the fruit begins to fade with age, the acid helps maintain the structure of the wine. Good examples of acidic wines with aging potential include Chablis, White Burgundy and White Bordeaux from the Graves Region in France.

Phenolic compounds – This sounds scientific (because it is) but it’s really quite straightforward. Phenolic compounds are a natural preservative contributed from plant materials. In the case of wine, these compounds come from tannins (the skins and stems of grapes used in red wine production) and contact with oak barrels. Excessive fining or filtering of a wine before bottling can strip out some of these compounds.

Think of tannins as the main structural component of a red wine and the protectors of its fruit and body. Wine high in tannin may be tough to drink young (think: excessive gum-drying sensation) but as it ages, the tannins will soften and fall out of the wine, making it more enjoyable to drink. Examples of wines with good tannin structure and aging potential include Red Bordeaux (Saint Emilion, Medoc, Pomerol) and Cote-Rotie.

Alcohol – Wines high in alcohol generally do not age well. In order to be balanced, a high alcohol wine must have a lot of fruit. As wine ages, its fruit fades, but the high alcohol level remains the same, rendering the wine unbalanced. An exception to this rule is Amarone.

Residual Sugar – Sugar is a natural preservative, but is only of benefit to aging wine when that wine has good acidity to balance it out. Good examples of sweet wines for aging include high quality German Rieslings (from the Spatlese, Auslese and Beerenauslese pradikats).

Your Wine Cellar Shopping List

Bear in mind the details you’ve read above, but here’s a quick reference list by varietal:

Grape Varietal	Top Quality Regions	General Aging Potential
Cabernet Sauvignon	Left Bank Bordeaux, Napa Valley	4 – 20 years
Nebbiolo	Italy (Piedmont)	4 – 20 years
Riesling	Germany (Prädikatswein)	2 – 30 years
Pinot Noir	Grand Cru Burgundy	8 – 25 years (for Burgundies, other Pinots should be consumed young)
Syrah	Hermitage, Cote-Rotie	4 – 16 years
Merlot	Right Bank Bordeaux	2 – 25 years
Botrytized Wines	Sauternes, Tokaji	5 – 25 years
Semillon	Hunter Valley	6 – 15 years
Tempranillo	Rioja	2 – 8 years

This is by no means an exhaustive list and aging potentials vary greatly depending on the vintage, region and wine-making style. When purchasing wine for your cellar it is always a good idea to do your research and discuss with a shop consultant.

Anything missing? Leave a comment and let us know what wine you’re keeping in your cellar or what you’re planning to purchase.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 at 11:13 am and is filed under Tips and Advice, Wine Cellars, Wine Storage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.