How to Store Wine: Time Needed for Proper Aging of Red Wine

People often ask for tips on how to store wine, specifically how long each wines needs for proper aging. This is a little bit of a tough question, since you first need to ensure a proper storage environment first. If you want to learn more about proper storage, read my article with eight tips for proper wine storage to learn more.

The majority of the wine on the market is okay to drink young or within the first year after purchase. I have read that is it 80% of the wine. I have also read a figure that said it was as high as 90% of the wine. Either way, the consensus is that the majority of the wine on the market today is best at a young age. The number also seems to be increasing.

I recently traveled to Bordeaux. We did a lot of wine tasting with people in the industry. During the tastings, we discussed the aging of wine. I was curious to see if Bordeaux and other French wine regions are following the trend of releasing wine that is drinkable at an early age. Several of them confirmed that France is releasing more and more wine that is drinkable at an early age.

During my how to store wine conversation in Bordeaux, the people in the industry mentioned that France is moving in this direction due to a decrease in some of its market share over the last few years. My analysis of it is that the world is moving fast and expects things a little faster than before. So, why would we wait 5, 10, or even 20 years for a wine to age before we drink it? I do not think most consumers want to wait that long, so the wine industry needs to meet the demands of its consumers.

With this in mind, how long do you need to store a bottle of red wine? The more serious wines are the ones that usually need some aging. You can usually tell it is a serious wine by the price point. Many wines that are more expensive usually need some aging, as it is something you will probably drink only on a special occasion. The aging time frame for these might vary, so make sure you ask the person you buy it from what the aging criteria is for the wine. They will give you the best estimate (as most people purchase these directly from the winery itself) on its aging potential.

How to Store Wine: Tips by Red Wine Type

This section gives you some high level guidelines on how to store wine by red wine type. These do not work for all wines in the category, but they are a good estimate for wines you may have in storage already or are planning to store for a special occasion.

Wines with more density such as a Cabernet Sauvignon wine or Syrah wine are usually the ones that need a little aging. Storing them for around 2 to 5 years brings out more of the flavor and complexity of the wine.

Storage for heavier Merlot wines and Zinfandel wines also helps bring out their flavor. They are also best when stored from around 2 to 5 years. This is also true with many of the medium to lower priced Bordeaux fine wine you find on the market today.

As the wines get lighter, usually the time frame for storing is slightly less. Pinot Noir wine and Bourgogne wine, from the Burgundy region in France, need one to two years to age.

Even lighter wines, such as Beaujolais Nouveau or Beaujolais wine do not need any aging at all.