“Does wine get better with age?” GOLDEN QUESTION from everyone indeed. In fact, still, so many people believe that every wine that they bought improve as they age it!

But unfortunately, only 1% of wines produced in the world is meant to be aged and get better with age. Then how about the rest? Well, 99% of them are actually meant to be drunk right away and enjoyed immediately. It simply means even if you purposely age it, it won’t develop any benefit in terms of flavor and complexity. In fact, it’s not really meant for long-term cellaring. By aging the wine any longer instead of consumes it within 3-5 years, the wine can actually start to lose its qualities such as fruity, refreshing aroma that you supposedly able to enjoy when you drink it right away.

Thus, what kind of wine that suitable to be aged? How to tell?

It’s not from how classic and vintage the label design is. It’s not from how famous and often you heard the wine brand. They have no guarantee haha. Well, some wines will taste too harsh, too tannic, and not enjoyable prior to aging (You know its actually still need some time to sit in a cellar). Psst. In other words, it is still too young and need some time to mature itself haha

Fyi, most of the wines aged in a cellar are red wines. As you know, red wine has tannin that it gets from the skins, stems, and seeds of the grapes which produce a dry-bitter sensation in your palate (try to put a tea-bag in your tongue if you are curious with how it tastes like).  Over some time, the tannin will become a sediment in the bottle (smoothen the taste) and the complexity of the wine will come into a greater balance as the sugar levels, tannins, acidity and alcohol influence how the wine ages.  i.e. Most of the finely aged Wine has a perfect balance, in terms of aroma and palate instead of a harsh, young and robust feeling on the palate (Well, that is the purpose of aging right, to transform it into a more enjoyable wine!). Anyway, do not be surprise that a really ageable red wine can easily be kept for up to 30 years! (wow!)

Ah! If you know the famous dessert wine like Sauternes, or other late-harvest, botrytis-affected wine, fyi it also gets better and more delicious and enjoyable as it aged. (I feel like having a glass of Sauternes with a small plate of foie gras right now ops!)

Anyway, let me know if you ever accidentally drank a wine that is still “not ready” and what do you think about it. Cheers!

xx