Fine wines continue to bloom and improve their flavor while they age or when stored for longer periods. But wines are very sensitive and perfect conditions must be present for wines to be stored properly. Thus it is important that wines are kept in cellars, whether the cellars are specially built in the home, wine cabinets and other forms of wine storage.  Even if wines can be stored for a few years, there is still a maximum number of years wherein different wines can only be cellared and still maintain their flavor.

Given that fact, it is important to know the number of years that each wine can be cellared so that you can enjoy them when they are fully mature. Although it is best to check the actual number of years that each type of wine can be stored by checking with the winery, the guide below will give you a good idea on how long you can keep each type of wine in your cellar. You can also check with the wine store where you bought the wine or better yet, check the bottle. The number of years for proper storage of a particular wine is usually printed on the label.

The storage period differs because it is dependent on the high tannin and acid levels of the wine. The higher they are the longer they can be stored. Wines coming from Europe are higher in acid content, have low sugar or alcohol level and low fruitiness since the grapes have shorter growing season than the wines coming from America, Australia and New Zealand. Also, wines from Europe are not readily available as they can only be consumed after several years for the delicate flavors to develop. In general red wines can be stored longer than white wines.

Here is a run down of how long some of the fine wines can be cellared.

Type of Wine                                                Number of Years

Bordeaux, Red                                                          5 – 20

Bordeaux, White                                                      4 – 10

Cabernet Sauvignon                                                3 – 10

Non-vintage Champagne                                        0 – 2

Vintage Champagne                                                 5 – 8

Chardonnay                                                              0 – 5

Chianti                                                                       0 – 7

Merlot                                                                        2 – 5

Pinot Noir                                                                  2 – 5

Riesling                                                                      0 – 8

Rioja                                                                           4 – 10

Non-vintage Port                                                      0 – 5

Vintage Port                                                              5 – 20

Gewurztraminer                                                       0 – 4

White Zinfandel                                                       0 – 1

Red Zinfandel                                                           5 – 10

Sauternes and other sweet white wines                5 – 15

Sangiovese and Barolo                                            5 – 10

Shiraz                                                                         5 – 10

Sauvignon Blanc                                                      0 – 2

As all wineries use different wine-making methods, this is just a guide. Low-quality wines won’t cellar for the same length of time as with high quality wines of the same grape variety. Wines from the good wine-making years will last longer than wines from the poor years. More specific wine cellaring recommendations are available from various online resources such as Wine Spectator and merchant websites.