{"id":2270,"date":"2018-10-08T06:47:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T10:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/?p=2270"},"modified":"2018-12-11T10:32:20","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T15:32:20","slug":"aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/2018\/10\/08\/aging\/","title":{"rendered":"Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Aging your Wines<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Wines like people age very differently.\u00a0 Some of us get to those golden years very gracefully and in fact look and act better than when they were young.\u00a0 Then there are some that as they age, its obvious that they are losing something every day.\u00a0 \u00a0Since people age, then our wines should also age along with us.<\/p>\n

Basic questions:<\/p>\n

What wine you can age?\u00a0 <\/em>
\nHow do you keep it ?\u00a0<\/em>
\nWhen is too old?<\/em><\/p>\n

I think the first question that everyone needs answers to is\u00a0 What wines can you age?\u00a0<\/strong> Not all wines are made for aging, and even some wines made from similar grapes do not age that well.<\/p>\n

Average aging for the following wines.\u00a0 (shown in years)\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/winefolly.com\/tutorial\/collecting-age-worthy-wine\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Red Wines:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Piedmont , Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nebbiolo<\/em> ~20\u00a0 (Italian wines from Piedmont , ie Barolo)<\/p>\n

Cabernet Sauvignon<\/em> ~10\u201320<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Napa Valley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Tempranillo<\/em> ~10\u201320 (Spanish Riojas)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rioja Region of Spain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sangiovese<\/em> ~7\u201317 (Italian Chiantis, Super Tuscans)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Old Vine Zinfandel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Merlot ~7\u201317
\nSyrah ~5\u201315
\nPinot Noir ~10
\nMalbec ~10
\nZinfandel ~5<\/p>\n

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White Wines<\/strong><\/p>\n

White Rioja<\/em> ~10\u201315<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chardonnay Region of France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chardonnay ~10<\/p>\n

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Trebbiano ~8
\nS\u00e9millon ~7\u00a0 (Mostly used in blending)
\nSauvignon Blanc ~4
\nViognier ~4\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Muscadet ~3
\nPinot Gris ~3<\/p>\n

Dessert and Fortified Wines<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
100+ Year old Maderia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tawny Port<\/em> ~150
\nMadeira<\/em> ~150
\nVintage Port<\/em> ~50\u2013100<\/p>\n

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Sherry<\/em> ~75
\n<\/span>Hungarian Tokaji Aszu<\/em> ~20\u201330
\n<\/span>German\/Alsatian Riesling<\/em> ~15\u201325\u00a0 (Beerenauslese,\u00a0 Trockenbeerenauslese<\/em>\u00a0)
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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French Sauternes<\/em> ~15\u201325<\/p>\n

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Now, that you have an idea of what type of grapes\/wine are suited for aging, you are all set.\u00a0 RIght?\u00a0 No, because even if you took any one of the above wines and put them in the wrong area, they would not age gracefully and you would be totally disappointed.\u00a0 \u00a0So,\u00a0\u00a0How do you keep it ?\u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong>so it will age correctly.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/em>Instead of repeating everything, just jump over to my other section on\u00a0http:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/2018\/08\/18\/storing-wine\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

So, now you understand which wines can potentially age better than others,\u00a0 you also have a basic knowledge of the proper conditions that will help those wines age gracefully, but know, the big question is\u00a0When is too old?\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>There are several factors involved, but again, it helps to understand some basics here.<\/p>\n

Wine is\u00a0perishable\u00a0and capable of deteriorating, there are complex chemical reactions involving a wine’s\u00a0sugars,\u00a0acids\u00a0and tannins that influence this.\u00a0 This aging can alter the\u00a0aroma,\u00a0color,\u00a0mouthfeel\u00a0and taste of the wine in a way that may be more pleasing to the taster.<\/p>\n

So, how many years do I keep it?\u00a0 When is enough enough?<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0Again, like people, wines slowly move \"\"<\/a>up to their potential, they start to peak and then unfortunately, those glory times start to fade and the wines slowly lose all their glory and eventually become just an simple ordinary glass of wine (if that).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wild Tannins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I was first trained in wines in the 1970’s, it was basically centered around the classic French bordeaux. We talked about\u00a0 those wines lasting 10, 15 or more years.\u00a0 \u00a0I have had some 1st growth French Bordeaux that were over 40 years old.\u00a0 They will still ruby red, soft, rich,\u00a0 pleasant tannins and totally unbelievable!\u00a0 \u00a0As my wine experience grew, California wines were becoming more popular.\u00a0 \u00a0The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons were nightmares while they were young.\u00a0 \u00a0So heavy on tannins, that it made those wine almost impossible to drink and enjoy.\u00a0 \u00a0But you knew that those tannins were an indicator that the wine could age for a very long time and eventually mellow out.\u00a0 But how long is that?\u00a0 \u00a0I’ve made the mistake several times in allowing wines to age too long.\u00a0 \u00a0I had some Napa Cabernet’s from the mid 1980s that I kept until 2000 or so.\u00a0 \u00a0Besides dealing with so many cork problems, most of those wines were not even drinkable.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Fast forward to the year 2000 and onward .\u00a0 There were changes in California wines and even French wines.\u00a0 \u00a0The trend was making wines to be consumed earlier, by that I mean totally drinkable and peaking in a shorter period of time.\u00a0 So, many Cabernet Sauvignon’s were ready to drink within 5 years and after 10 years there were well on their way downhill.\u00a0 \u00a0 So, now, unless there is an exceptional vintage year from California, I do not cellar those Cabs or other full reds (ie Merlot, Petite-Sirah, Cabernet Franc) for more than 7 years.<\/p>\n

The way I handle all of this now is purchasing several bottles of the same wine that I intend to age.\u00a0 \u00a0I like to start with at least 6.\u00a0 \u00a0I will taste the first one as soon as I bought it.\u00a0 \u00a0This way I would have a good indicator of the structure and the potential longevity of the wine.\u00a0 \u00a0Then I put them to bed<\/em> and about every 18 months or so , I would open another bottle.\u00a0 \u00a0This way I have a pretty good idea of where the wine was going, had it peaked yet and how much longer I should age it.\u00a0 \u00a0When I have a wine that is still showing strong youth and promise, I will buy another 6 bottles.<\/p>\n

Overall, aging of wines should be a fun project.\u00a0 But since there is generally an financial investment involved, you should know the basics of what you are doing.<\/p>\n

Happy Aging.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, Stallion? It’s too bad we gotta get old, huh?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Aging your Wines Wines like people age very differently.\u00a0 Some of us get to those golden years very gracefully and in fact look and act better than when they were young.\u00a0 Then there are some that as they age, its obvious that they are losing … <\/p>\n

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