Cellaring wine: no regrets

Cellaring wine: no regrets


How long should you cellar your wine? And how long can you keep it once opened? Here's a rough guide. Your mileage may vary according to the vintage and the brand.

Wine type Style Example Cellaring Drink within
White Off dry, aromatic Sauvignon blanc 2 years 48 hrs

Dry, structured

Chardonnay, Riesling 5-10 years 72 hours

Sweet dessert

Noble sémillon, late harvest to 10 years 24 hours
Red

Off dry

Ella Semmler's Shiraz 2 years 24 hours

Lighter bodied

Sangiovese 3 years 24 hours

Medium bodied, structured

Touriga Nacional 8 years 72 hours

Full bodied

Shiraz, Tempranillo 10-15 years 48 hours

Monster

Durif, Lagrein, Petit Verdot 15-30 years 72 hours
Fortified

Apera, sherry - dry

Pale Dry, Amontillado Max 2 years 3 weeks

Apera, sherry, sweet

Cream, oloroso, black (pedro ximinex) Max 2 years 2 weeks

Fresh bottle aged

White fortified, Ruby Max 5 years 4 weeks

Vintage bottle aged

Vintage port to 30 years 24 hours

Barrel aged

Tawny, Topaque, Muscat 1 year 4 weeks

 

Hint: If you are uncertain whether your wine is still good, open it! You're better to enjoy it today than regret it tomorrow.