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Wines are living products containing more than 900 identified substances to date. Many reactions take place in the bottle, some of which are sought-after for the aromas that they create. However, the aging of a wine depends on two factors: first, what is in the bottle, and second, the conditions in which the bottle is kept. In other words, the richer, more powerful, acidic and tannic the wine, the greater aging potential it possesses. Strangely, following this logic, a Gaillac Primeur would age for a much longer time than a Saint Estèphe Grand Cru Classé, which is not what is expected out of a fragrant, approachable nouveau wine.. | In addition, dry whites generally age less well than most red wines as they have no tannins, while sweet wines age much longer than most reds due to their aromatic power an their sugar content. As for the second factor of aging, the cellaring of the bottle itself, temperatures higher than 14°C (57°F) speed the aging process. So does direct sunlight, which increases the reactions. But extreme temperatures are the most destructive to wines. Keeping a fine bottle of wine for two years in a kitchen cupboard where the summer temperatures climb to 85 degrees will age it prematurely. |
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| Less than 1 year: | Beaujolais and other AOCs that produce nouveau wines
Nouveau Vins de Pays
| | 1 to 5 years: | Champagne, Alsace, Beaujolais, Jura, Savoie, Provence, Corsica, Languedoc Roussillon
Southwest: Bergerac, Gaillac, Fronton
Loire Valley: Touraine, Anjou, Muscadet sur Lie, Sancerre
AOC Sparkling wines: Crémants, Blanquette, Clairette de Die
Regional Appellations of Burgundy: Macon, Burgundy, Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Regional Appellations of Bordeaux: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieurs, dry Bordeaux Blancs
Regional Appellations of the Rhone Valley: Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Villages, Rosé de Tavel | | Up to 10 years: | Communal Appellations of Burgundy, whites and reds: Chablis, Pouilly Fuissé, Gevrey Chambertin, Beaune, Volnay,
Bordeaux. Regional Appellations of the Left Bank: Médoc and Haut Médoc, Graves
Communal Appellations of Bordeaux: Saint Emilion, Pomerol,
Rhône Valley: Communal Appellations
Languedoc-Roussillon: Vins Doux Naturels, Maury, Banyuls, Muscat de Rivesaltes
Loire Valley. Touraine reds: Chinon, Bourgueil
| | Up to 20 years : | Burgundy: Premiers Crus and Grands Crus
Rhone Valley: Red Crus - Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, Cornas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas
Bordeaux: Communal Appellations of Médoc and Graves: Pessac-Léognan, Margaux, Pauillac, Moulis. Grands Crus, Crus Bourgeois.
Loire Valley: Off-dry and sweet whites: Côteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux | | Over 20 years : | Jura: Vin Jaune and Vins de Paille
Languedoc-Roussillon: Banyuls Grand Cru
Southwest: Sweet wines: Jurançon, Monbazillac, Pacherenc
Bordeaux: Sweet wines: Sauternes, Barsac, Loupiac, and also some Grands Crus from Médoc and Graves |
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