Which wines to age

The ageing of wine is an important element in getting the most from it but, contrary to popular opinion, only a small subgroup of wines benefit from extended bottle ageing. The great bulk of wine sold today, red as well as white and pink, is designed to be drunk within a year, or at most two, of bottling.

Wines which generally do not improve with time spent in bottle, and which are usually best consumed as soon as possible after bottling (although after a few weeks in bottle has eliminated any bottle sickness) include the following—although the following is only the most approximate generalization: wines packaged in any containers other than bottles—boxes, for example; most basic wine without geographical indication in the EU, jug wine in the US, and their everyday, commercial equivalents elsewhere; almost all branded wines, with the possible exception of some red bordeaux; most wine coloured pink; all wines released within less than six months of the vintage such as those labelled nouveau and the like.