Should you age your wines? The safe bet is no as most wines are meant to be consumed when released or shortly thereafter (months). However, there are some potential benefits to the aging wines when stored properly. Namely, the improvement of aroma, color, mouth-feel and taste.

That being said, and knowing that most Naked Winery drinkers are anything but safe, we offer our quick guide on what wines to age and how to do it properly.

Wine Varietal's that can benefit from Aging

• Whites (acid aided aging)
- 2-6 years
• Chardonnay, Semillon
- 7-30 years
• Botrytized wines (Late Harvest), Riesling, Chenin Blanc

• Reds (tannin aided aging)
- 2-10 years
• Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
- 7-20 years
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah

Idea Storage Conditions for Aging Wines Properly

• Temperature - Constant 56°
- Cool temperatures slowdown chemical reactions
- Wine stored at 72° ages 8 times faster

• Light - Dark
- Sun and Fluorescent Lights => Bad chemical reactions with off flavors

• Humidity - 55-85%
- Medium to high humidity keeps corks in good sharp
- Low humidity increases ullage, ultimately leads to cork failure and bad wine

In summary, don't attempt to age wine above the refrigerator that you intend to drink.