How to Best Enjoy Aged Wine

Posted by Violet Grgich on May 7th, 2019

One of our favorite things about wine is the way it brings people together and the conversations that unfold around the dinner table. Whether it be about the varietal, farming techniques, or the style of wine each person prefers, conversations regarding wine are endless. One conversation that remains a strong debate is how to best enjoy aged wine.

If you have the wonderful opportunity to enjoy aged wine from a friend, or if you are patient enough to wait years to try a particular wine, there is always the debate of how to drink and prepare the wine. There are many theories and methods for how to open and prepare a bottle of wine that has been aged for a number of years. You’ll hear some mixed ideas of different techniques from wineries in Napa CA and we have our own thoughts on this too.

Opening an Aged Bottle

One way to open a bottle of an aged wine is the popular “Ah So” wine opener. The product is designed to open an aged wine and extract the old cork in the bottle without damage. Wineries in Napa CA can benefit from this tool. The two prongs of the opener go in-between the cork and the bottle without the harsh damage that can be caused by a corkscrew to the delicate old cork of this beautifully aged wine. What could be worse than waiting years to finally enjoy a special bottle of wine, only to have the cork crumble into the wine or half the cork stuck in the bottleneck? It seems that the “Ah So” wine opener is a win for anyone to enjoy their favorite bottles of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

To Decant or Not to Decant

That is the question. A hot topic for debate with aged wine is regarding decanting. There have been many articles written on this topic and a lot of mixed reviews. This makes it difficult for any of us planning to impress friends with an aged bottle – do we need to go buy a decanter or to just let the wine naturally aerate in the bottle? This is an important concern for us to get the most out of our Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. 

There is the popular opinion that decanting an aged wine will abruptly shock the wine and destroy some of the rich delicacies that have been created in the aging process. It does make sense of how the wine might be altered in this decanting process after waiting so long to finally enjoy. This opinion varies across wineries in Napa CA.

On the contrary, the other wine-loving population strongly agree and promote the use of decanting aged wine. During the process of decanting, the wine is exposed to oxygen more quickly which allows the wine to “open up” and become more drinkable. Another benefit to the decanting process is to try and eliminate the sediment at the bottom of the bottle ending up in your wine glass. Those against decanting will say to simply not pour those last few sips of that Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wine and sediment.

While there are so many different opinions regarding techniques for enjoying aged wine, there is no harm in trying a few different ones and seeing which you prefer. Wine is all about what you like and what wine tastes good to you. Only trial and error with the help you determine what best suits your palette when it comes to aged Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Zinfandel and any other wines from your favorite wineries in Napa CA.