Have you ever opened a bottle of red wine that had turned brown? Or, seen a bottle of white wine that’s turned brown? Well, this is a real issue with wines - as they age.

As wines age, they can become oxidized especially if the cork is not entirely sealed in the neck of the bottle. When the pigmentation in wine gets exposed to oxygen, it turns brown.

White wines can get darker and turn a golden brown.

Reds wines can turn slightly orange, brown or brick color as they age. The red wine on the left is young and the one on the right is showing some signs of aging and oxidation.

As a wine ages, you’ll often also see color variations along the edges of the glass as you look down into a slight tipped glass. You may see the red and purple hues of the wine in the middle of the glass but you’ll also see the secondary colors of orange, brown or brick along the edge.

This is a phenomenon that’s most easily seen with Pinot Noir. As Pinot Noir ages you’ll see more brick-like color around the edges.

So, always look at your wine. You can learn a lot about its age. Cheers!