Marcus shares his thoughts on how wines change in the bottle, how long is too long, and what types of wines to age.
How do they change?
There are several generalisations we can make about wines as they age:
- Young wines are fruity and old wines are savoury.
- Young wines are bright and energetic while old wines are mellow, complex with layers of interest.
- Perception of acidity of decreases with age.
- And if a young wine has tannins these will tend to soften with time.
How long is too long?
This depends how you like your wines. If you enjoy bright and vibrant characters, then drink young. If you like more savoury, textured wines with mellow fruit characters then drink older wines. If, as I do, you like depth and complexity but still want some fruit character then drink a wine that is aged but not old (more on that shortly). But it is personal choice. A wine that is way too old for one person might be perfect for someone else. Remember though that wines are made for drinking. I’m always very disappointed if I find something at home that is too old, having past its drinking window, and has effectively died in the back of the cupboard.
What type of wines should I age?
The answer? A good quality wine. Good wine and great wine have the potential to change and develop in positive ways. Poor wine will seldom, if ever, improve with cellaring. And good wine doesn’t always mean expensive wine. Variety is also a consideration, but even humble Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc can age well providing it was a great example to start with. I can pull out of our library stock 10–15-year-old examples of our Estate Sauvignon Blanc that are still stunning. As a rule of thumb – those with naturally high acidity for whites and a good tannin structure for reds.
How does Pinot Noir age?
Good quality Pinot is a very interesting wine to cellar. Over time if develops characters often described as ‘forest floor’ or ‘earthy’ (I often see porcini mushroom) while the exuberant berry fruit characters diminish. This provides the wine with lovely complexity. Tannins become softer and the palate more mellow. A good pinot will age ten years or more (depending how you like your wines!). It is a side of the variety many people never get to experience and can be very rewarding.
Marcus Wright, Winemaker
PS: If you love Pinot Noir, you might like to read “Six things you might not know about Pinot Noir“.
