One of wine’s most alluring properties is its ability to evolve over time. While some wines can age incredibly well — like red Burgundy — that doesn’t necessarily mean the older vintages are easy to find. Since these wines are often released young (generally one or two years after harvest), most aged expressions have to be purchased from a private cellar or the buyer has to put in the meticulous work of storing it themselves (resisting the temptation to open the bottle for years and years).
But some regions have strict aging laws, with requirements dictating how long the wine spends in barrels or in the bottle before it can be released. In those instances, when the bottle finally hits the shelves, it already has a few years on it. And since they are aged at the winery before release, customers can buy them straight from the source, as opposed to stalking auctions for wines with questionable provenance.
Read on to discover the regions best known for releasing wines with some age. While it’s by no means a comprehensive list, these are likely your best bets to keep an eye out for while shopping.
Barolo
From the small, prestigious region in northern Italy that shares its name, Barolo is a wine made from the local Nebbiolo grape. Known for having powerful tannins and intense acidity, it’s generally advised that wines made from Nebbiolo see some age before an eager drinker pops the bottle. For wines made in this area to achieve the official Barolo DOCG designation, they must undergo at least 38 months of aging — 18 in barrel and the remainder in bottle. The Barolo Riserva DOCG takes this aging a step further, with a required 62 months of aging before release. So if a shopper picks up a bottle of Barolo Riserva on release, the wine is already five years old at the time of purchase. The wine could certainly continue aging for decades, but the winemaker gets the aging jumpstarted for you.
Brunello di Montalcino
Just to the south in Tuscany, Italy’s other powerful, prestigious red wine also has some pretty stringent aging requirements. Brunello di Montalcino — made with a specific, highly regarded clone of Sangiovese in the village of Montalcino — is required to age for a minimum of four years, including at least two years in barrel and four months in bottle. To add the Riserva designation, the minimum requirement jumps to five years. Meanwhile, Montalcino’s Tuscan neighbor Chianti Classico, also made with Sangiovese, can be released after only one year (two years for Riserva). So for those interested in trying a Sangiovese with some age on it, without waiting several years for their Chianti to mature, look to Brunello.
Champagne
Most Champagnes on the market are non-vintage (NV) expressions, made as a blend of wines from several harvests, sometimes even going back decades. Only in the best years does the region decide to declare a vintage, allowing producers to bottle a singular expression of that year. Since these vintage-specific wines are often a Champagne house’s top cuvée, the winemakers tend to opt to age them for quite some time before release. For example, Billecart-Salmon just released its Nicolas François 2012 cuvée in 2025, with over 10 years of age on it. Though these wines might not be light on the wallet, it’s an easy way to find an older vintage fast. Celebrating an anniversary from 2012 but didn’t spend the past 13 years saving a bottle? Look to vintage Champagne.
Port
There are so many different types of Port — the fortified wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley — that it can get a bit confusing. While some of the styles are syrupy-sweet, bright, and ready to drink right now (with a slice of chocolate cake), others are built to age. Similar to Champagne, Port can declare a vintage in a particularly good year. Called “Vintage Ports,” these are the most prestigious offerings from the region. These are typically aged in barrel for a shorter period of time — just two to three years — but are really meant to age in the bottle. Great vintages that can still be found on shelves with relative ease include 2011, 2009, 2007, 2003, 2000, 1997, and 1994.
Tawny Port is another category that offers some seriously mature wines. These are wines blended from multiple vintages and aged in barrel for extensive periods of time. Aged Tawny Port can be released with the distinction of 10, 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years of age on it, which is typically noted on the front of the bottle. Other fortified wines, like Portugal’s Madeira, are also a good bet for finding older bottles.
Rioja
Rioja might be a shopper’s best bet for finding high-quality aged wines at a reasonable price. The region in northern Spain offers a range of classifications, from the entry-level Crianza (aged for two years) to the Reserva (aged for three years with at least one in barrel), and Gran Reserva (aged for five years with at least two in barrel). And it’s not just the red wines. The area is also known for its rich, opulent white wines and rosés that are bottled under similar aging requirements. Since the wines are released after so much time, it’s even easier to find older expressions on restaurant lists and at shops. It’s not uncommon to find a Rioja with 10-plus years of age on it at a wine-focused restaurant, and if you come across one, try it.
*Image retrieved from Hesam Wide Shot via stock.adobe.com
