Aging Suggestions

All WineHaven wines have been bottle or barrel aged at the winery before they are available for retail sale. We are often asked, "How long do these wines age?" The following list serves as a general guideline of how long you could wait to drink the wine... of course, you don't have to wait!

• Fruit Wines (Raspberry, Cranberry): 12 to 18 months
• Deer Garden® Blush, Ice Wine, Deer Garden® Red, and LaCrescent: 12-24 months
• Riesling, Chardonnay, Marechal Foch, and Honeywine: 2 to 3 years
• Nokomis, Marquette Reserve, Merlot: 3 to 5 years

"What happens if I have a bottle of Fruit Wine or Deer Garden® Blush that is 5 years old?"
These wines are meant to be enjoyed young, fresh and fruity. Past 2 years, they will lose their perk and some of the fruit will disappear. The wine will appear sweeter and ultimately a little bit dull because the acids have softened.

"Should I dump it?"
No! Not unless it has oxidized from, for instance, sitting upright in sunlight or unless it tastes like vinegar, (also a result of oxidation).

What should I do with the 5 year-old Fruit Wine or Deer Garden® Blush?
Use it in cooking-marinades! Here's a basic recipe for wine marinade: For red marinade for meat: 2-3 cups red wine, 1-2 cups water, salt, pepper, 1 T. olive oil, or other, 2 bay leaves, 1 chopped onion, 1 t. Italian seasoning. Marinate overnight. This same marinade can be made into a sauce by reducing it and thickening it with flour.

For white marinade for fish: use white, semi-dry or even blush wine instead of the red and substitute lemon juice for the oil.