Is it good to keep bottled (and corked) red wine for more than 10 years?

Question

I just bought a couple of bottles and was planning to start a collection for the future (like the next 10-15 years), but somebody told me that I should only keep them for 2 to 3 years b/c some acid in the wine will make it sour. I would love an expert, wine-lover, or anybody with experience to give me some advise as to how long to keep this wine. Thanks

Answer 1

Bullpuckey...Wine will last a LONG time. Keep it cool and out of sunlight. Don't store it standing straight up, but rather, on it's side like it sits in...(are you ready for this?) A wine cellar!

Answer 2

As in a few of the other answers, proper storage is the key. Many well made wines can be properly stored, and then consumed after decades. BUT, not all red wine is produced for the long term. Many wines will become flat and not very tasty 15 years after they are sold. Much of the massed produced "supermarket" wines are best in the first 5-6 years tops. The "acid" in the wines is what actually helps it evolve in the bottle. If you want to keep wines for a long time I suggest visiting a local wine shop and asking the helpful people there to help you make a selection. But proper storage is very important. Constant temperature of 55 degrees, no light, little or no vibrations, proper humidity are all important. Approximately 80% of all wines sold in the USA are consumed within 48 hours of purchase. Some people are not as fond of older vintages when compared to newer vintages. I'd start by buying wines to drink over the next 2 years, then as you get more interested in wines you can then decide if a WINE Cellar is for you.

Answer 3

depends on the wine (grapes). Basically anything under $50 a bottle needs to be drank in a few years w/ few exceptions. Cheap wines, which is anything you buy at a grocery store all contain sulfites (preservative). These wines do not do well with aging and basically defeats the purpose of them using a preservative. They will taste sour after a few years. The grapes are picked annually are mixed from others all over a field (don't get me started on Charles Shaw). So the wine ages at different times. If you get good Italian or French dark reds w/o these sulfites they can be aged for a very long time. Each season and grape variety has ratings for how long they should be stored for ideal taste. These nice wines "peak" at certain ages.

Answer 4

You have to ask yourself why you want to keep this wine for so long.

The only reason to keep wine for 10-15 years is in the knowledge that they will improve in flavor from what they are now.

99% of all wines are ready to drink on release, and although they will keep for some years, they will not be better in 10-15 years, they are almost certain to be worse.

The traditional wines to age are good red Bordeaux and similar Cabernet Sauvignon based new world wines. There are some others.

You also have to ask yourself -- will I like the taste of an properly aged old wine? You will lose the vitaility of fruit, the wines profile will have changed. Have you tasted and enjoyed many 15 year old wines?

You also have to consider whether you will like the style of wine in 15 years. Our tastes change with time. Speak to any wine lover -- we start off passionate about a certain type of wine and then gradually our tastes change and we find another we fall in love with.

You also need proper conditions to store these wines so that they will age - in the dark with a steady cool temperature.

I don't want to put you off. Old wines are expensive and one way to get old wines cheaply is to buy em young and age them yourself. So I suggest you keep some wines, and maybe buy a case (12 bottles) of one of them and open one bottle per year and make notes each time on how it tastes. The trick is to open the rest once it reaches a peak. Anyway, you'll have a record and an understanding of the maturation of a wine.

You don't name the wines you are thinking of keeping, but as a very rough rule of thumb they should be red, made for keeping and they will not cost less than $30. Check the winery websites for fact sheets and see whatthe recommended drinking window is.

I have been keeping wines since I first started many years ago and I have come to the conclusion that too many wines are drunk too old rather than too young.

Enjoy

Answer 5

The answer above mine is pretty spot on. Most supermarket wines are best drunk within 2-3 years. It all comes down to tannin levels (natural secondary compounds in the wine, the more tannin the dryer and more mouth puckering the wine will be) and acid levels (tartaric acid added during winemaking that is quite easily detected when tasting and can give the wine a 'tart' mouthfeel). Also, if the wine lacks fruitiness it's often a waste of time cellaring it as the fruit will decline in time and the wines drinkability will suffer. In short if you taste a young wine and it has lots of tannin, crisp acidity, and probably most importantly, LOTS of fruit, it's a safe bet that it will cellar for at least 7+ years.

Answer 6

That' so weird that you just asked that question.I have a new cleaning lady and she cleaned the top of the frig that I've ignored for about a year.3 bottles of red wine that I'd forgotten about are now front and center.I'll be standing by to hear the answers from the experts.I also found that there are 2 bottles of opened wine,corked,maybe a year old.Can i use this as vinegar for salad dressing?Thanks for your answers.

Answer 7

How long you are able to save wine relies upon at one among those wine, the grapes used, the winemaker, the 12 months and the situations wherein it truly is saved. solid high quality bordeaux lasts the longest and powerful high quality high priced medoc can actual final 2 an prolonged time and proceed to advance. inspite of the undeniable fact that, all wine - no count what it truly is existence time - will stick to a development of recuperating and then degrading. Chateauneuf du pape usually lasts 5-8 years even if if it truly is solid high quality. 1999 grew to become into an ok yet no longer recommendations-blowing 12 months, so drink now. i might propose the two letting it breath for 30 - 40 5 minutes or decanting heavily and eating after letting it breath for 15 minutes or so. With mature wine in case you enable it breath too long it is going to loose the complicated aromas it develops in the process the maturation technique. the bourgonge can final an identical lenght of time. yet is extra complicated. burgandy is a complicated component of wine makers and high quality can variety massivley with appellation and 12 months. V. solid high quality burgandy wine can final 20 yrs too yet extra many times it truly is barely genuine high quality wine from solid vintages. ordinarily 2001 grew to become into no longer an astonishing burgandy 12 months and till it truly is from an exceptionally solid domaine may well be previous its ideal. it truly is probable the case even if if it truly is a easy AOC Bourgogne. inspite of the undeniable fact that a Grand or greatest cru would be waiting to drink now probable, and the different burgandy appellation might desire to be ok (eg Gevrey Chambertin, Morey st denis, aloxe corton, savigney les beaune, santenay and so on) inspite of the undeniable fact that it continues to be truly properly worth beginning off to confirm. till the wine has oxidised (look for black lines of chlorification the dimensions of the cork and a musty smell or an exceptionally loose installation cork) the wine might desire to nonetheless be drinkable. wine which you keep might desire to be saved in cool situations around 10-12C and lay on its part, no longer status up. If the wine grew to become into left status up all this time it truly is possible the cork might have dried out and alter into loose wherein case oxidation might have occured and the wine grew to become bitter.

Answer 8

i have a wine cellar and i typically only cellar a handfull of wines long term..those are ...french bordeauxes,and red burgundies
itialian barolos and barbarescos and top level california cabernets. I try wines from all over thw world and drink many different types within a few weeks of purchase ...but only cellar the ones that need a good 15+years.

Answer 9

Hello!!! the oldest the wine the better. It will also increase in price. Start your collection ASAP

Answer 10

As long as they are airtight sealed and stored in the proper hnidity and temperature. Keep them out of sunlight too!