Is age just a number or does it actually impact the quality of your wine? In Episode #12, I dive into this topic of wine vintages and old wines and answer a lot of questions that you may have about the dates found on wine labels!

We first discuss that the vintage, or date you see on a bottle, is simply the year that the grapes were harvested to produce that wine. Not all wine bottles have vintage dates on them because winemakers may use grapes from multiple years (a blend of multiple vintages) to make a wine and then they cannot list a date. Rules around labeling can differ from region to region, but in general, you can assume that if a date is listed on the label, then the grape juice that made that wine was harvested in that particular calendar year listed on the bottle.

Now does it really matter if the grapes were harvested and fermented in 2014 or 2015? It does! Things like weather patterns, infestation of pests, or global pandemics that affect harvest dates can all affect the outcome of the crop. This in turn will affect the flavor of the juice and the final flavor of the wine.

The only way to really know if a vintage was a "good year" or not, is to research it!

And if a wine is older, does it mean it's better? Not always! Only wines that have high acid, high tannin, high alcohol, or high sugar content are great aged. Believe it or not, only 5-7% of wines should be aged, so the rest should be enjoyed within 2-5 years of the year they're released for sale.

Red wines that age well are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and high acid Tempranillos. White wines that age well are ultra sweet reislings and oak aged, tannic chardonnays.

If you are looking to age a wine, research the winemaker to ensure they have a history of making great wines that age well. Then store the bottle on it's side in a dark, temperature controlled room. (You don't want the wine to be exposed to sunlight or extreme changes in temperature.)

Be sure to listen to the full episode for all of the details on the above and don't forget to check out thewineceo.com for more wine related content or to book a virtual wine tasting!