Ageing wines

There is thought to be a high point as to when it is best to consume certain wines. That ageing them for a long period of time will increase their complexity and thus their enjoyment. And that if you miss this point, at the wine’s peak age, you will have missed the mark. That on either side of this window, the wine will not be nearly as enjoyable.

One of the beautiful things about wine is that pleasure can be found by different people at different times in different wines.

A wine that is made with the intention to age can be just as enjoyable in its youth as in its complex middle age and even later in life, while delicate and fragile. All along this spectrum, a wine’s enjoyment is a personal experience defined by the person who is holding the glass.

Learning to determine at which time you personally prefer to drink a wine takes some practice. And of course, time. Buying multiple bottles of your favourite wine is a good way to start. A case is good, but six bottles is enough. As you taste through the wines over a period you will begin to notice some preferences with respect to how you enjoy the experience of wine.

There are many red wines that age well, but the traditional wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Barolo are the most agreeable to longterm cellaring. There are countless textbooks and online resources dedicated to these wines to help guide you on your learning journey.

Though all of these are different wines, made in different places from different grapes, there is a thread that binds them. And that is the tannin structure. Tannins are naturally occurring chemical compounds, known as polyphenols. They are found in the skins, pits and stalks of the wines, but are mostly sought after from the skins. The tannins not only provide structure and integrity in the wine, but also a foundation upon which to age the wine.

But they are not the only building block for a wine’s longevity. Tannins need to be balanced with fruit concentration and natural acid. Without this combination, the wine will seem out of balance in its youth.

In a wine’s youth, the combination of tannins, concentration in fruit flavours and acids are much more pronounced. Over time these things weave themselves into something wine enthusiasts will pontificate about endlessly. Which is to say something magical.

Many white wines are drunk far too young with the thought that they are not meant to age in the bottle. However, well made rieslings, chenin blancs, even melon de bourgeon, and who can forget the world’s greatest grape, chardonnay, just to name a few, all have the capacity to age well beyond their means when they are not overly processed during production and crafted into living wines worth sharing.

With Champagne, the wines evolve a little differently. The extreme acid that is critical for champagne production helps the wines age with grace and style. The bubbles, once aggressive in their youth, become a little more subdued, almost effervescent. The wine becomes more caramel-like, perhaps biscuity with less primary fruit flavours than when first released.

It takes time and practice to find wines that captivate all of your senses in one glass. But isn’t that part of the fun when learning about wine?