White wines are not usually aged like red wines BUT there are exceptions! Usually, white wines are produced to be enjoyed as 🍋fresh, crisp and ripe/fresh fruity drink and ageing them tends to diminish these qualities. Sometimes winemakers produce white wines that will benefit from further ageing and then specific grape varieties and the winemaking techniques are chosen to facilitate the positive development of these wines.
Grape varieties like Chardonnay, Semillon, and Riesling are among the most famous grapes to age. Most of the white wines that producers encourage to age are best drunk within 5 to 10 years (as opposed to the next 24 hours of purchase!) however there are wines that have the right acidity and right tannins (from being oaked or from skin contact) to last 15 years or longer. As white wines age they tend to darken in color (from lemon / gold color to amber) and develop aromas and flavors like cinnamon, dried fruits, 🌰nuttiness and even petrol (a signature of aged Riesling).
I had the chance to try this 2011 White Chateau Musar ( it was a decade old when I tasted it) on a 10-year anniversary and it has developed beautifully. It is produced from two local Lebanese grape varieties: “Obeideh” and “Merwah” and it was kept in oak barrels for 9 months and kept in Musar cellars for 7 years after harvest before it was released. Different than any other white wine I’ve ever tasted.
thewineofthings.com 