Do wines get better with age? What really happens in the bottle.

Most wine is made to drink young

The vast majority of wine is made to be enjoyed within a year or two, while its fruit is fresh. Keeping it for years will not make it better; it will slowly lose its charm.

Only wines with enough structure benefit from aging: high acidity, firm tannins, concentration and sometimes sweetness or high alcohol, as in fortified wines.

What happens as wine ages

In the bottle, slow chemical reactions change the wine. Tannins link together and feel softer, colors change (reds turn from purple to brick, whites from lemon to gold), and fresh fruit gives way to more complex aromas.

In WSET terms, primary fruit aromas evolve into tertiary aromas: dried fruit, leather, mushroom and earth in reds; honey, nuts and toast in whites. Some Rieslings develop a famous note of petrol.

Old is not always better

Every wine has a peak, a window when its fruit, structure and developing complexity are in balance. After that, it declines. And many people simply prefer the energy of a young wine.

In The Science of Wine, Dr. Jamie Goode visits the steep slopes of the Mosel, home of some of the world’s longest-lived white wines, to find out whether old wines are really better than young ones.

How to store wine for aging

If you want to age wine, keep it dark, cool (around 12–14 °C or 54–57 °F), at a stable temperature and with some humidity, and lay bottles with natural corks on their side.

Heat and big temperature swings are the biggest enemies of aging wine.

Go furtherWant to taste along? Find Dr. Loosen’s wines and where to buy them near you on Wine-Searcher. To explore the estates, vineyards and wines of the Mosel and Germany further, the wein.plus wine guide is a great resource.