Tools / Free, no sign-up
When should you drink it?
Most wine is ready when you buy it. Knowing which bottles are the exception is the whole skill.
Around 90% of all wine is made to be drunk within a year or two of release and will not improve with keeping. Ageing rewards a small minority of bottles with the structure to survive it: high tannin, high acidity, concentration, or sugar.
Age itself is not the qualification. A soft, low-acid wine at ten years old is a tired soft wine, not a mature one. What lets a bottle develop is the same structure that makes it slightly awkward when young.
Published 24 August 2026
| Style | Typical window from vintage | What it needs to go longer |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp whites — Pinot Grigio, Vinho Verde, most Sauvignon Blanc | 1-2 years | Nothing. Drink them young; freshness is the point |
| Sparkling, non-vintage | 1-3 years from purchase | Vintage Champagne ages for a decade or more |
| Oaked whites — Chardonnay, white Rioja | 2-5 years | Good acidity and a serious producer |
| Riesling | 3-15 years | High acidity, and sugar in the sweeter styles |
| Light reds — Gamay, simple Pinot Noir | 1-4 years | Cru Beaujolais and village Burgundy go much further |
| Medium reds — Chianti, Rioja Crianza, Merlot | 3-8 years | Riserva and Gran Reserva bottlings double it |
| Full reds — Cabernet, Syrah, Malbec | 5-15 years | Tannin, concentration and a cool cellar |
| Nebbiolo — Barolo, Barbaresco | 10-25 years | It is built for this; young Barolo is hard work |
| Sweet wines — Sauternes, Tokaji | 10-30 years+ | Sugar and acidity are natural preservatives |
| Vintage Port | 20-40 years+ | The longest-lived category most people will own |
Windows assume proper storage: cool (10-15°C), stable, dark, and on its side for a corked bottle. A bottle kept upright in a warm kitchen ages several times faster and rarely well.
What actually ages
Four things extend a wine's life: tannin, acidity, concentration and sugar. Tannin acts as a structural preservative and softens over time; acidity keeps the wine fresh as fruit fades; concentration gives it something to lose; sugar preserves outright, which is why dessert wines outlive almost everything.
What does not extend it: price, reputation, or a famous appellation on the label. A cheap Barolo will outlive an expensive Pinot Grigio because of what is in the glass, not what is on the label.
Storage matters more than the window
Heat is the enemy. A bottle kept at 25°C ages perhaps four times faster than one at 12°C, and not in a good way — heat produces stewed, flat flavours rather than mature ones. Temperature swings are worse than a stable temperature that is slightly too high.
Then light, then vibration, then position. A cork needs contact with the wine to stay sealed, so lay corked bottles down; screwcaps do not care.
The honest answer for most people without a cellar: buy closer to when you want to drink, and use the money you would have spent on storage on better bottles.
Questions people ask
How long can you keep an unopened bottle of wine?
Most wine is at its best within one to three years of the vintage. Structured reds, Riesling, sweet wines and vintage Port are the exceptions, and they need proper storage to deliver on it.
Does all wine get better with age?
No — the large majority gets worse. Ageing rewards tannin, acidity, concentration and sugar; a soft, fruity wine simply fades.
How should I store wine without a cellar?
Somewhere cool, dark and stable — the bottom of a wardrobe on an interior wall beats a kitchen rack every time. Avoid anywhere near an oven, a radiator or a window.
How do I know when a bottle is ready?
Buy two or three of anything you plan to keep and open one early. There is no substitute, and a producer's own guidance is a range rather than a date.
Keep the answers in your pocket.
SomeWine tracks what you own, when to open it, and what to eat with it. Free to start.