8 Notes on Cellaring Wine

1. We have to let go of the “older is better” notion when it comes to wine. Every wine has its consumption moment, and it doesn't necessarily reach its prime years from now.

2. Simply storing a young wine doesn't mean it will transform into a magnificent reserve... Most likely it'll turn into vinegar! Not all wines are meant to last—while some might lack structure, others are supposed to shine in their youth.

3.As a general rule, a wine takes twice as long to turn “bad” as it took to make it. For example, a crianza wine (minimum of one year barrel aging, plus one year in bottle) will peak after about 6 years (take its vintage, add two years for the winemaking process and multiply by two, which equals four).

4. It is important to keep acidity, tannins and alcohol content in mind, because these factors make a wine more resistant. For example, fortified wines are almost immune to the passage of time.

5. The vintage factor is very important, both in terms of estimating a wine's lifespan and knowing the characteristics of that particular year. An excellent vintage extends the life of a wine.

6. Size matters too: cellaring a standard-sized bottle of wine (0.75 liters) isn't the same as doing so with a half-liter bottle or a magnum (1.5 liters). Why? The ullage, which is what we call the space between where the wine ends and the cork begins, is the same in all three formats: approximately one centimeter. As a result, wine matures faster in a smaller bottle. In other words: drink your small bottles quickly and store the bigger ones!

7. Rosé wines without oak aging are best drunk within a year, so it’s a good idea to buy and consume each vintage as it is released. The same goes for young reds and whites that are meant to be drunk in the season in which they’re sold. The reds will last a year longer thanks to their higher tannins and alcohol content.

8. Think of wine as a lover: The young ones are fruit-driven, daring and extroverted. And the mature ones have refined tannins and are more aromatic and well rounded.

Meritxell Falgueras