If a bottle label says ‘drink now or cellar for 5-10 years’, when is the wine really at its best?

Wine labels often say something like, “Drink now or cellar for five to 10 years.” Does this mean it won’t get better if you keep it for longer than 10? Or will it get worse?

—D.D., Bundeena, NSW

A friend who recently celebrated his 70th birthday decided that he hadn’t yet reached his use-by date: he was still just “best before”. Wine is similar.

Like humans, wines age somewhat unpredictably. Take two seemingly similar bottles of cabernet. One is fully mature, while the other may be just getting into its stride. The only way to be certain is to taste them, but it’s not practical to open a bottle just to see if it’s ready.

Therefore, wine critics and label writers make predictions, which are usually vague because it’s hard to be precise. When a wine is at its best depends on the cellaring conditions: warm cellars age wine faster than cool ones.

The idea that all wine improves with age is a myth.

The label blurb you quote is saying the wine is fine to drink straight away but that, if you want to cellar it, the best drinking window will be between five and 10 years. But from when? The vintage date or the date you bought it? It’s a fair question. The label-writer probably means from the date of vintage.

People ask, “Surely, the longer the wait the better – or is that just for good wine?” The idea that all wine improves with age is a popular myth. Most wine doesn’t because it’s inexpensive stuff for quaffing and not meant to be aged. So yes, generally speaking, the better the wine the more it will reward the drinker who saves it.

Many wine books and online publications feature guides regarding the ageing potential and best drinking times of the world’s various wines, which we don’t have room for here. It suffices to say that wine, also like humans, tends to decline gradually and (we hope) gracefully, not suddenly falling off a cliff.

Got a drinks question for Huon Hooke? thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au