Do all wines benefit from cellaring?
All Penfolds wines will reward careful cellaring. However, the optimum bottle maturation period will depend upon whether the wine is red or white, its ‘style’, the format (size) of the bottle and the vintage. Some wines are deliberately made for earlier consumption, whereas others are crafted for the long haul.
As a rule of thumb, red wines generally enjoy longer and more predictable cellaring than white wines. However, the evolution of the screw-cap closure has had a positive impact on maintaining freshness and quality, especially with white wines. Indeed, some styles of white wine can evolve with ease for a decade or more.
Poorly stored wines may not retain their original freshness and will most likely develop faster and less predictably than bottles that have enjoyed a constant, steady maturation process in a temperature-controlled cellar or wine cabinet. Wine is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in temperature. It is always best to transport wine in cool conditions and to store wine in an environment that minimises temperature variation.