General Aging Tips

When you think about aging wine, there are a few common factors that may pop into your mind: the temperature it’s kept at, where to store it, how to store it, and most importantly – when will it be at its optimal stage for drinking? Our winemaker, Leo, will be sharing some of his tips on how to age the wines in your Barrel Select Club releases.

What temperature should you age wine at?

Red wines of all varietals, lighter or bolder, should be stored anywhere between 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. When wines are stored at higher temperatures, there is a greater chance of spoiling or cooking over time. Keeping red wine between that perfect threshold of 50-60 degrees also enhances the cork’s moisture for a longer period of time, which prevents the possibility of the cork being pushed out. As far as serving red wine goes – we recommend consuming anywhere between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do you store wine for optimal aging?

The basic components for storing red wine consist of how the bottle itself is stored and the temperature that it’s kept at. Let’s get into the details!

Position of the bottles: Whether you have a wine cellar/refrigerator or not, all red wines with natural cork should always be kept flat on its side or in a box with the necks of the bottle facing downward. If the cork is not kept moist by the wine, it may cause potential oxygen exposure which would detract from its overall shelf-life.

Where wine should be stored & obstacles to avoid: Those that have a temperature controlled wine cellar/refrigerator will naturally have a dark and cool area for red wines to be kept. For those that do not have a specific place for their wine to be stored, we recommend keeping your bottles in a dark closet or a cooler space in your home. A general rule of thumb is to always make sure to avoid any direct sunlight or artificial light exposure as this may keep your bottles from aging properly and may eventually damage them overtime.

What is the ideal range of time to age the different varietals of red wines in the Barrel Select Club?

Generally speaking, the bigger the red, the longer you can age it for. Tannins, which naturally occur in red wines from the grape skin, seeds, and stems, act as a natural preservative that helps to age the wine longer and softens its acidity – overtime making a more silky and smooth wine to drink.

Lighter reds such as our Barrel Select Club Pinot Noir’s have lower tannin levels. Although these Pinots are ready to drink now, the maximum time we recommend to age them for consumption will be anywhere between 6-8 years.

Bigger, bolder reds, such as our Barrel Select Club Cabernets, Syrahs, Blends or Primitivos, consist of much higher tannin levels making a longer lifespan for them to be aged. Like the Pinots, these bigger reds are ready to drink now – however, aging them anywhere between 8-12 years is our maximum recommended time frame for drinking.

How we would encourage you to age your three Barrel Select Club wines.

Our intention for your releases is to provide you with enough bottles to allow you to age your wines if you would like to. Your Barrel Select Club releases will now contain three of the same newly-released and limited-production barrel select wine. The idea is that you can open a bottle to get to know your release and then age the other two bottles as you see fit. Or you can drink them all now, we aren’t judging!

Wine Club

Our Barrel Select Club wine program is special to both our team and our winemaker, Leo. It consists of a variety of wines, both Pinot Noirs and bolder reds, that allow a sense of extra creative freedom for Leo and results in some extra special bottles for us to share with you.

As a thank you for taking the time to learn about our new Barrel Select Club structure and our tips on how you can best age these wines, please email our wine club manager, Brittany, with the subject as “Blog Post” to schedule a complimentary reservation for a day of your choosing. Cheers!