why does wine need to age to taste better, and how old should a red wine be to taste good?

Answer 1

I work for a winery on the bottling line. the reason for ageing is because when you put a finished wine in a bottle and vacuum cork it, it goes into what is called bottle shock, meaning you're giving it the last oxygen it will see untill you drink it. some wines need a little longer than others, typically a month or two is good. If you are really familiar with what wines you like to drink then you would know how long to lay them down for. For example- you buy three bottles, open one and don't think it's that good, wait another six months before trying another one. My best advice is to open a bottle 1-2 hours before you plan on drinking it.

Answer 2

Very few wines need to age after purchase. The vast overwheming majority of wines on the market are ready to drink and will not taste any better with age.

Wines change in bottle with aging. Whether they taste better after aging is a matter of taste.

What effectively happens is that harsh tannins which dominate fruity flavors soften with time, letting the fruit flavors come to the floor. The trick is to open the wine after the tannins soften but before the fruit fades.

Unless you are buying top red wines, I would suggest you do not need to age red wines.

However, it would be a good experiment to buy 12 bottles of your favorite red wine and open and drink one every six months. Make a note of what you think of its taste and how much you enjoy it. After 6 six years you will have an interesting record of the maturation of a red wine.

Also, join a wine tasting group that will give you the opportunity to taste old wines at reasonable cost.

Answer 3

When wine is aged, it is fermenting. Turning from juice into wine. The longer it ages, the more it changes. Then if you age it too long, you get vinegar.

The art of knowing when to drink a red wine is really complicated. It varies for every different type of wine. The best advice I would have would be to go to a wine store or something like that, and ask the person about the type of wine you have. I don't really think there is a set time that you can apply to all types of red wine.

Answer 4

Wine is aged after fermentation to allow it's flavor to stabilize. Many chemical reactions continue to occur slowly over time improving the wine's flavor. For example: Chardonnay a type of white wine, undergoes a second fermentation that gives it a smoother mouth-feel and sometimes a buttery flavor. In other cases such as with red wines, harsh flovored chemicals are naturally reduced or eliminted during extended aging.
Any aging in a bottle is subtle and very slow in development and so we "amatuers," would not likely detect (or care) about such changes. Most reds for our purposes are ready within 2-5 years after fermentation and aging. Many wineries do not release their reds until the wine maker determines it is ready. Yes! (lol) THEY WILL SELL NO WINE BEFORE IT'S TIME.

Answer 5

Not all wine needs to be aged to taste better. For example: Beaujolais is best drunk while young and fruity. Depending on the grape variety and area grown will tell you a lot for aging potential. Zinfandel does not gain from extended aging. Best drunk within a couple of years of bottling. Cabernet is a different story. If it is grown in an area that is known for high levels of tannin, then it will benefit from extra bottling aging i.e., Napa, while Sonoma is softer in tannins and would be ready to enjoy sooner. Some French wines like the LaFite Rothschild 2005 may not be fully mature until 2020 - 2050. Again, you will need to research so that you may maximize your enjoyment.

Answer 6

I used to make homemade wine when I was in college... and I would ALWAYS wait 7 days so it would age before I would drink it.

Answer 7

Remember, there isn't any reason to age those bottles of red wine you have on the shelf with the screw top caps. Time to open them up and pour away.......

Answer 8

less than a year from when u bought it