When is a wine ready to drink

Knowing when a wine is ready to drink or has reached its “full potential” can be a bit of lottery. A very young fine wine is vibrant in colour and can be very fruity but in fine red wines these aromas are frequently crowded out by dry and sometimes astringent tannins. If the wine has been matured in relatively new barrels, the flavours and texture of oak may dominate.

At some point thereafter (ranging from several months to a number of years later) a fine wine will enter its “awkward phase”, closing up altogether and losing much of its aroma. Then, at an unspecified point in the future the wine’s aroma will start to return with greater length and complexity of flavours in the mouth.

As a wine ages its colour becomes less vibrant and it acquires a brown tinge, first on the rim where the wine meets the glass and then throughout. Acidity becomes less sharp and the tannin in red wines softens. Aromas evolve into a range of subtle flavours which give the wine greater “complexity”.

A fine wine is said to be at its “peak” or “mature” when it exhibits a harmonious balance of aromas, flavours, texture and length in the mouth. Any oak flavours will be fully integrated. The tannic texture of a mature fine red wine will be soft and silky. All the wine’s characteristics become as intricately woven as a tapestry.

A wine is past its best when the aromas have dropped out and the wine tastes unbalanced. A first sign is the whiff of caramel which indicates oxidation.

So how do you know that a maturing wine collecting dust in your cellar or commanding a high price in the wine shop is ready to drink? An important first step is to familiarise yourself with a few of the fundamentals regarding how wines from the principal grape varieties and regions age. The table below gives you some guidelines for selected appellations from South Eastern France.

For a wine to age well it needs flavours and aromas that will endure and evolve appealingly. But it is the tannin in red wines and the acidity in white wines that help preserve them over their respective life cycles. Long living grape varieties include Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for red wines and Riesling and Chenin Blanc for white wines.

Grape varieties that have the requisite aromas but lack the tannin and acidity important for ageing are frequently blended with more tannic and/or acidic varieties. For example, the blended red wines of Southern France are frequently based around Grenache, a variety with low tannin and acidity but wonderful red fruit and spice aromas when young which can evolve into delightful dried apricot, prune, fig and tobacco with age. The tannic backbonethat allows these Grenache based wines to age is provided by Mourvèdre and Syrah. For white wines, high acid varieties such as Bourboulenc and the underrated Clairette enable many of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape white wines to age up to 10 years.

Ageing potential is also determined by terroir (the vineyard’s natural environment). Annual weather conditions affect the grape characteristics and how the wine will age. Cooler vineyards and certain soils produce grapes with more acidity and thus greater ageing potential – it is, for example, the combination of Chablis’ soil and relatively cool climate that allows its Chardonnay wines to age significantly longer than warmer climate versions.

In addition, poor soils yield small and therefore more tannic red grapes (due to the higher proportion of skin). Red wines from the low yielding, poor soils of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas & Vacqueyras generally age better than generic Côtes du Rhône wines derived from higher yielding, relatively richer soils. Old vines also yield small, more tannic grapes. Old vine Grenache wines can have great ageing potential.

Wine is not an exact science. Picking the right time to drink your cherished wines can be a frustrating process but you cannot fully appreciate the world of wine if you are risk-averse. If you are unsure how a wine will age your best bet is to buy a case of twelve. This allows you to drink a bottle every year to assess its progress. When you establish that the wine is at its peak you will still have enough bottles remaining to repeat the experience!

Notes

1. Approximate - Varies by producer and vintage and certain wines (particularly old vine wines) will exceed the period indicated.

2. Drink very young for the aromatic fruit or wait several years for nutty complexity. If oaked, wait 5 years.