There are a number of factors that determine the suitability of wine for aging. As a collector the first and best place to determine this suitability is from the Vineyard that produced the wine and the indications on the label. There are four principles characteristics that vinyards will consider to determine if a wine should be cellared prior to be consumed. A wine that ages well for 10-15 years will not have had a chance to develop in the first few years and so will not have the same depth of character immediately after production. The four traits that wine producers look for in an age-worthy wine are acidity level, tannin structure, alcohol percentage and residual sugar.
