Easiest Ways To Age Wine

Good wine deserves to be enjoyed. Whether you’re a wine enthusiast or simply enjoy a bottle of red on special occasions, you should always try to get the best out of this fine drink. Unfortunately, there are a wide variety of ways in which wine can be spoiled by external factors such as poor ageing. Improper wine storage can lead to all sorts of problems, but if you take the right steps you can prevent this from happening.

Optimal wine storage can seem daunting if you don’t have expensive items such as a customised wine cellar, but you don’t need to break the bank. To ensure that you get the best results possible, it’s crucial that you understand the easiest (and best) ways to age wine.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the ways that you can age wine without the need for high-level equipment or a wine fridge.

 

Temperature

Temperature is key in maintaining the quality of the wine. The first thing you should do is try to avoid any possible sources of heat that could affect your bottles. Kitchens can be very temperamental, with a whole host of different temperatures present. If you feel as though you can’t provide a consistently cool place to store wine within the kitchen, then it’s recommended that you find a room without much differentiation in heat.

A closet or basement can be a good place to store wine, but if you’re able to acquire a wine fridge then this is even better. Wine fridges provide the perfect temperature to stabilise the wine and keep it from prematurely ageing.

 

Light

You may have wondered why a lot of wine is stored in dark bottles. This is because wine needs to age in the dark, and the glass it’s contained in can affect this. By using dark bottles, you can prevent as much light from getting through, but this is just one stage in the process. The amount of light affects wines quite drastically no matter what colour the bottle is. When this coincides with heat, it can cause some seriously unwanted results.

Because of this, it’s important that you make sure you store your wine in a dark place, whether that’s a cupboard or a hidden compartment. Again, wine fridges are an excellent option, but if you can’t acquire one you should strive to keep your wine away from various sources of light such as windows.

 

Know Your Wine

Not all wine benefits from longer ageing. There are certain wines that only get better with age and some which start to diminish in quality. Many white wine varieties are better suited to earlier consumption. This is also why you will often find cheap bottles of wine that can be tasty. You can drink them quickly, but if you try to age them the flavour will seriously diminish.

So, what are some of the wines that often benefit from ageing?

Vintage wines
Syrah
Chardonnay
Zinfandel
Pinot Noir
Vintage Port

And what are some of the wines that do not always benefit from ageing?

Sherry
Vermouth
Rosé
Novuveau wines

Now it is important to note that each wine is unique, and you should research all individual bottles. So while the wines listed above may or may not age well, it’s not always so clear cut. Always look into the details and requirements of wine before purchase.

 

Orientation

If you’ve never stored wine before you might laugh at the idea that the placement of a bottle can seriously affect the ageing process, but it’s quite important. Wine should generally be stored horizontally and this is why most wine racks are designed for horizontal storage. One of the main reasons for this is that the cork remains moist. A dried-out cork can have a negative impact on the ageing process and result in accelerated maturation.

 

Final Thoughts

From the château to your household, the wine storing process is fine and delicate. You can’t always get it right, but that’s the case with everything! Thank you for reading. We hope this information has helped you learn more about the best ways to age the wine for your future viticultural endeavours.