Drinking Windows on Sommo — AI Wine Scanner, WSET Prep & Wine Journal App

How Long Does Burgundy Age? A Drinking Window Guide

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Burgundy is the region people most often get wrong on timing, in both directions. They cellar a humble village wine for fifteen years until the fruit is gone, or they crack open a Grand Cru a decade too soon and taste tannin and oak instead of magic. So how long does Burgundy actually age? It depends on three things: whether it is red or white, where it sits in the hierarchy, and what kind of year it came from.

How Sommo Estimates Drinking Windows (And Why I Rebuilt Them)

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I build Sommo on my own, in London, and the wine cellar is the part I think about most. Not because cataloguing bottles is hard. Plenty of apps do that. The hard part is the question every collector actually asks, standing in front of the rack on a Friday night: which one of these is ready, and which one will I regret opening too soon?

This week I rebuilt the way Sommo answers that question. This is what changed, and why I think it is now the most honest drinking-window engine in any wine app you can put on your phone.

What Is a Wine Drinking Window? When to Drink and When to Wait

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A wine drinking window is the span of time during which a bottle is at, or near, its best. Open it before the window and the wine can taste tight, hard, or closed. Open it long after, and the fruit has faded and the wine is on its way out. Hit the window, and you taste the wine the way its maker hoped you would.

The single most common wine mistake is not buying the wrong bottle. It is opening the right bottle at the wrong time. This guide explains how windows work, what moves them, and how to tell when a bottle is ready.

When Is Barolo Ready to Drink? A Drinking Window Guide

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Barolo is one of the great age-worthy reds, and also one of the easiest to open too soon. Pull the cork on a young one and you can meet a wall of tannin and acid that makes you wonder what the fuss is about. Wait, and the same wine unfurls into one of the most haunting things you can drink. So the question matters: when is Barolo actually ready?

The short answer is that most Barolo needs at least eight to ten years from the vintage, and the best examples from structured years can drink beautifully for two or three decades. The longer answer depends on the grape, the year, the producer, and how the bottle has been kept.