Collecting wine should be fun, but it’s all too easy to find yourself worrying about whether a wine from your cellar has missed its perfect moment. None of us need any additional anxiety in our lives, so here are a few tips so you can relax and enjoy your wines.
Learn about yourself. Do you like your reds young or with a bit of age? The best way to do this is to experiment: there is a correct answer, but only your answer matters.
If you hope to age wine at home, make sure you have a place where the temperature is consistent, and the light is dim. Ideally 55 degrees is the goal, but what is much more important is avoiding temperature swings.
Know what wines have aging potential. Roanoke Vineyards produces a portfolio of “long arc” wines that we believe have the quality and structure to continually improve over ten years or more. We also produce a portfolio of “short arc reds” that are designed to be consumed when they are young. Occasionally a short arc red from a great year will gain in complexity and depth over the years, however these wines are generally meant to be enjoyed within a couple years after their release.
We’ll only release a wine when we feel it’s showing grace and elegance. Our long arc wines over the last five or six years have proven especially beautiful in their youth. Would you be wrong to open a young wine that has the potential to greatly improve over ten years? Absolutely not.
Keep in mind our Site Specific Rosé will age beautifully over a five year period (if you can keep yourself from drinking it!). Our Provence style Roanoke Vineyards Rosé is meant to be enjoyed during the summer of its release.
What about white wines? Should I age those? The Wild! and Infinite Possibility are wines that will prove delicious for a couple years after their release, but these wines are not intended for aging. Our Rhyme and Meter Chardonnay will soften, turn slightly creamy, and gain depth over a three to five year period.
Most importantly! Don’t worry! Collecting wine is fun, and you should remember that a well made wine has beauty and nuance in almost any period of its life. Keep in mind that wine is alive, and is always changing. A great wine is one that brings pleasure after the cork is pulled, and that may be the final word.

