How old is vintage wine

Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions , from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends!

I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. How many years past the vintage date is considered an "older wine"? This results in less astringency and a mellowing quality. Oxygen plays a role as well: The right amount of oxygen, which comes into a bottle over time through the pores of the cork, helps promote that same mellowing process. Too much oxygen, though, can result in excess oxidation, where a wine ends up turning brown and tasting weird.

Think of what happens to a piece of cut fruit left out on the kitchen counter. But there is also a whole world of wine — from toasty Champagne to brooding cabernet to perfumed pinot to complex, reflective chardonnay — that can benefit enormously from a bit of time in the bottle. Certain grapes are especially well known for their complex aging properties. Nor is aging a guaranteed way to improve any and every wine; some wines actually lose their appeal with age.

But there are some commonalities among aged wines. How this plays out in a specific bottle goes back to the endless variables and choices made by the winemaker. A bottle of white Burgundy from the Meursault made with the chardonnay grape , for example, will age differently than a California chardonnay, but both might lose a bit of their lemon chardonnay-like tartness across the decades, replaced by flavors of honey and yellow plum.

A pinot noir from Oregon or New Zealand might start with young, brash notes of raspberry and cherry before decaying pleasurably into something more like violets, cassis, and the water at the bottom of a flower vase. Speaking broadly, vintage wine tastes like the wine itself, with an added wrinkle of mystery and quantum complexity. Think of how a nice Sunday braise grows more layered and delicious the longer you let it simmer.

Finding vintage wine has never been easier, thanks to our all-internet-everything world, along with a surge in online wine buying during the pandemic. And the stuff has never been more popular, says John Kapon, chairman of the wine auction leader Acker Wines , who tells me his auction house is doing record numbers. For the rest of us, approachably priced vintage wines have never been easier to obtain. At Parcelle Wine on West 58th Street in Manhattan, vintage wine is available over the counter as well as from its online store.

When exactly should you pop that special bottle your colleague gave you for the holidays? How do you store this case of California Cabernet you bought on your last trip to Napa? This guide discusses when to drink mature wine, what you need to know about cellaring, and how to approach aging wine depending on its style. Click on a wine below to learn more or return to the Guide on Aging Wine.

Severe drought and extreme flooding can destroy an entire harvest. Whilst in the last couple of years the wine world has witnessed hauntingly devastating wildfires blaze through vineyards and wineries. These bad vintages are arguably the true test of a good producer, for it is their knowledge and experience, through manipulation of the vinification process and skillful blending, that extracts the best possible performance from the grapes.

It is said that a great winemaker can create a good wine from poor grapes; but a mediocre winemaker will only ever make an average wine, even if they achieve a harvest of perfect grapes. The elements test even the most superior of winemakers. Unlike beer or whisky production, where multiple batches can be made at any time throughout the year, a winemaker has only one harvest and thus one opportunity to make their wine, and their living, for that year.