A Few Notes on Aging Wine by Alex Holman

Winemaker

J. Rickards Winery

Let's be very clear, how long one cellars their wine in the bottle is a very subjective issue for the wine consumer and there is no set formula. In a nutshell, here is my opinion. If a wine is either tart, has drying tannins, or is hot in the finish, bottle aging will benefit the wine. Bottle aging will always help in mellowing a wine.

The other side of the coin is that a wine can lose some fruitfulness and freshness over time. But remember, even time will not make a silk purse out of a sows ear. However, if a wine tastes good now then buy several bottles. In that way you can be assured that the wine will be ready to drink now and into the future. Then drink them over time in order to see how they evolve.

Because the wine at J. Rickards Winery is unfiltered, it will have more complexity and flavor earlier while still having the potential to age. One of the hardest parts of buying wine is deciding how long to age the wine, if at all, prior to drinking it. You must remember an aged wine can be very different by the time you open it from when you purchased it. If you enjoy a big, bold, fruity wine then excessive aging might not be to your preference. However, a wine that is aged, at least a little while, is generally a better food wine providing it has the flavors that you want to complement the meal.