How long can wine be stored?

superflyninja

HI all,
Thinking of buying some wine now for use next March.
Thinking o some red shiraz and pinot grigio.
I have a constantly cool room in a garage.
Was thinking of just getting screwtop bottles.
Should the wine last? any detrimental effects?

thanks all

SBWife

It should be fine.

BaZmO*

superflyninja wrote: »

HI all,
Thinking of buying some wine now for use next March.
Thinking o some red shiraz and pinot grigio.
I have a constantly cool room in a garage.
Was thinking of just getting screwtop bottles.
Should the wine last? any detrimental effects?

thanks all

Are you asking if screwtop bottles store well, or just wine in general?

I think the jury is still as to whether or not screwtops can compete with natural corks when it comes to really long aging. But in your instance of keeping a wine for a year, you’ll have no problems as long as the temperature is fairly constant.

It’s also worth noting that some wines are supposed to be drank young, so storing for a long time is not advisable.

superflyninja

ah cheers, I did hear some are supposed to be drank young. would ye know of any guide for this? how to tell?

Bearhunter

superflyninja wrote: »

ah cheers, I did hear some are supposed to be drank young. would ye know of any guide for this? how to tell?

Not really, it depends on the style and the grape variety. In your case, I'm not sure keeping pinot grigio for a year is going to improve it. Most grigios are best served young and lightly chilled to preserve that nice racy acid. Oak-aged whites tend to last longer, as they are not dependent on intense acidity to maintain their flavour profiles. It goes something like this for the main white grape varieties:

Sauvignon blanc - if oak-aged, will keep for 4-5 years. If not, drink within a year, two at most.

Chardonnay - most will keep for 3-4 years with no problems, some more expensive, better made ones will go a lot longer. Unoaked chardonnay can be thrown out straight away, because it's ****e.

Riesling - will keep for a decade.

Gewurztraminer - depends; the lighter styles should be nailed fairly quickly, but the more intense (and therefore more expensive) ones will still be good after 4-5 years.

Pinot gris - in the grigio style, drink young, the Alsace style can last longer, although I wouldn't leave too many of them past three years.

Viognier - will keep for quite a while, easily up to five years and will continue to develop in the bottle.

Chenin blanc - depends on quality. The crap ones will be crap from day one, while the best will age gracefully for decades.

Semillon - sadly, most semillon is an overcropped blender, but good semillon can be exquisite and I've had great barrel-aged versions from the Hunter Valley that have been 15 years old and still astonishing.

Red wine

Most reds will last for years, again it's a case of quality=longevity but only under the right conditions. that said, light wines like beaujolais are made to drink early and don't reward cellaring.

Whether wines are under cork or stelvin closures is moot for 99% of people who aren't serious collectors anyway and will have ripped through their winer within months if not weeks of purchase. Even the scientific trials on ageing have come up with minuscule differences in how the wines develop.

enda1

Bearhunter wrote: »

Not really, it depends on the style and the grape variety. In your case, I'm not sure keeping pinot grigio for a year is going to improve it. Most grigios are best served young and lightly chilled to preserve that nice racy acid. Oak-aged whites tend to last longer, as they are not dependent on intense acidity to maintain their flavour profiles. It goes something like this for the main white grape varieties:

Sauvignon blanc - if oak-aged, will keep for 4-5 years. If not, drink within a year, two at most.

Chardonnay - most will keep for 3-4 years with no problems, some more expensive, better made ones will go a lot longer. Unoaked chardonnay can be thrown out straight away, because it's ****e.

Riesling - will keep for a decade.

Gewurztraminer - depends; the lighter styles should be nailed fairly quickly, but the more intense (and therefore more expensive) ones will still be good after 4-5 years.

Pinot gris - in the grigio style, drink young, the Alsace style can last longer, although I wouldn't leave too many of them past three years.

Viognier - will keep for quite a while, easily up to five years and will continue to develop in the bottle.

Chenin blanc - depends on quality. The crap ones will be crap from day one, while the best will age gracefully for decades.

Semillon - sadly, most semillon is an overcropped blender, but good semillon can be exquisite and I've had great barrel-aged versions from the Hunter Valley that have been 15 years old and still astonishing.

Red wine

Most reds will last for years, again it's a case of quality=longevity but only under the right conditions. that said, light wines like beaujolais are made to drink early and don't reward cellaring.

Whether wines are under cork or stelvin closures is moot for 99% of people who aren't serious collectors anyway and will have ripped through their winer within months if not weeks of purchase. Even the scientific trials on ageing have come up with minuscule differences in how the wines develop.

Firstly, the vast majority of wines are not meant to be aged at all and will degrade in quality from the day purchased.

Only a low percentage will improved over time from purchase by the consumer. And to achieve this, good conditions are necessary. The OP may get lucky, or may not, its impossible to tell without more information. Chances are that both wines will at best stay neutral but more likely will dis-improve but remain fine.

My other major comment would be about Viognier. It is meant to be drunk young and suffers from ageing. I've had some smashing Condrieu wines which would have lost all their fruit and flowery sparkle after dulling in a bottle.

In my opinion though, grape is only one element in the process. Terroir, maker, year, etc. are all vital, so hard and fast rules are extremely and notoriously difficult.

Though its quite a good indicator I guess.

Bearhunter

I should have pointed out that my cellaring guidelines are from the date of vintage, not purchase.