How long does sparkling wine keep?

Sparkling wine does not have a best-before date, and how long it lasts depends primarily on one thing: how long it spent on the lees at the producer. With the disgorgement date, proper storage, and a stopper for the remainder, you will know which bottle can be left to age.

Flasche XV Triumvirat Grande Cuvée Brut 2015 von Raumland

It’s always there, somewhere in the cellar: the bottle from last New Year's Eve, from that anniversary, or from the birthday that ended up being celebrated differently. You won't find a "best-before" date on the label. There is a reason for that, and the answer to the question of how long sparkling wine lasts is simpler than you might think. It primarily depends on one thing: how long the sparkling wine spent on the lees at the producer's.

Does sparkling wine have an expiration date?

No, and that is not an oversight. According to Annex X of the Food Information Regulation, sparkling wine does not require a minimum shelf life date, nor do wine or beverages with 10 percent alcohol by volume or more. Even so, it doesn’t last indefinitely. Over time, the taste changes and carbonation is lost. Lebensmittelklarheit, the consumer advice center portal, therefore advises keeping sparkling wine for only a few months up to a maximum of 3 years, stored upright, cool, and in the dark.

The label doesn't always reveal how old a bottle is, as the harvest year is also a voluntary declaration. According to wine regulations, only "Winzersekt" (grower sparkling wine) must bear a vintage. If you are unsure, the simplest test is to pour it, look at it, smell it, and take a sip. If it looks, smells, and tastes normal, you can drink it.

Can you still drink sparkling wine after 10 years?

Whether a bottle lasts that long is decided in the producer's cellar. Sparkling wine is created through a second fermentation: the yeast breaks down added sugar into alcohol and carbonation. This can be done in a large tank—in which case at least six months of production time is sufficient—or in the bottle. In traditional bottle fermentation, the sparkling wine remains in the same bottle from fermentation until sale and matures there on the lees for at least nine months.

This time on the lees is the key. As long as the yeast remains in the bottle, hardly any oxygen reaches the sparkling wine, and it develops for the better. The yeast cells slowly die off and release substances like amino acids into the wine. According to the experience of the Raumland sparkling wine house, aromas reminiscent of brioche and yeast dough only become noticeable after at least 36 months on the lees. Only disgorgement ends this phase: the yeast is removed from the bottle neck, and from that moment on, the sparkling wine ages slowly.

From this, Raumland has derived a rule of thumb that is easy to remember: after disgorgement, a sparkling wine can be stored for about as long as it matured on the lees. A young sparkling wine that spent only a few months on the lees belongs in the glass in the coming weeks or months. A sparkling wine with years on the lees has years ahead of it.

Of course, not all sparkling wines are suitable for long storage, but the producers we feature work according to the principle of traditional bottle fermentation, meaning the second fermentation takes place in the bottle and not in a tank. In my opinion, the resulting quality is more stable and can mature for years. As it does, the primary aromas diminish and the tertiary aromas move to the foreground. This is very exciting. These sparkling wines are often exceptional food companions where the gentler mousse is a pleasant feature.

The XV Triumvirat Grande Cuvée Brut 2015 from Raumland, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, shows how far this can go. It lay on the lees from the tirage in May 2016 until April 2024—nearly eight years. The mousse becomes so fine that it is perceived more as texture, and it smells of brioche, nuts, and toast. With 2 grams of residual sugar per liter, there is no sweetness that would need to mask anything.

Is sparkling wine from 2019 still drinkable?

That depends less on the vintage than on the disgorgement date—that is, when the yeast left the bottle. Some producers note it on the label, often with the protected term "Récemment dégorgé," especially with high-quality sparkling wines. Raumland advises noting this date, as the rule of thumb starts from that point.

An example from our range: The Pinot Prestige Brut Nature 2018 from Griesel Sekt, a Blanc de Noirs made from pure Pinot Noir, was bottled in July 2019 and not disgorged until May 2022. Nearly three years on the lees, and since disgorgement, the clock has been ticking for the second half. It was bottled without dosage, has 7.2 grams of acidity per liter, and because it lacks any cushion of sweetness, it pairs perfectly with braised pork cheek or pan-fried zander.

Raumland describes what happens over time using two bottles of the same cuvée: the freshly disgorged one appears fresher and tighter, while the one disgorged years ago is gentler, with softer mousse and a more mature taste. A long-stored sparkling wine does not necessarily become undrinkable. It loses some zing and becomes somewhat more "wine-like," and that is exactly what can suit a meal better than the young bottle. The prerequisite is storage free of heat, light, and temperature fluctuations.

How to store sparkling wine correctly?

Keep the bottles upright. With sparkling wine, the excess pressure and carbonation in the bottle neck keep the cork moist, even without contact with the liquid. The German Sparkling Wine Association (Deutscher Sektverband) recommends storing it upright, in the dark, and at a constant cool temperature; for this reason, Raumland also stores its sparkling wines upright after disgorgement. Only those who have been storing their bottles horizontally for a long time are better off leaving them that way, as frequent changes in position can cause the cork to shrink.

For high-quality sparkling wines, Raumland suggests about 8 to a maximum of 15 degrees, darkness, and about 70 percent humidity. A cool cellar is ideal; the cupboard next to the stove is not, because heat causes sparkling wine to age faster. According to the association, sparkling wine sealed with natural corks tends to keep longer than that with plastic stoppers, and large bottles like magnums are better suited for long maturation due to the different ratio of air to sparkling wine.

Before opening, the bottle should go into the refrigerator; about two hours are sufficient. The German Wine Institute recommends 6 to 8 degrees for white and rosé sparkling wine, while the Sparkling Wine Association suggests 6 to 10 degrees. It does not belong in the freezer. For matured sparkling wines with their tertiary aromas, the association recommends slightly more bulbous glasses that taper towards the top.

Which sparkling wine can be aged, and which wants to be drunk?

That depends on whether the customer needs an aged sparkling wine for a special occasion or simply to broaden their horizons, or whether they want to set aside a young sparkling wine that also has the potential to mature. It is also simply a question of taste: what do I expect from a sparkling wine? If you are looking for something fresh and fruity with a lively mousse, you should prefer a younger sparkling wine, such as an Andres & Mugler Fleur d’Emely. If you like it crisp and a bit sparer, go for a Riesling Tradition from Griesel or a Langenloiser Große Reserve from Loimer. If you want to experience true maturity in sparkling wines, it is advisable to pour the Raumland Chardonnay Réserve, well-chilled, into a larger wine glass and enjoy it.

For what	What happens in the glass	Available from us
Drink soon, fresh and fragrant	yellow peach, passion fruit, elderflower, lively mousse	Andres & Mugler, Fleur d'Emely Brut 2024
Young and straightforward	fresh citrus aromas from traditional bottle fermentation	Andres & Mugler, Riesling Sekt Brut 2023
Tight and spare, can still be aged	over 36 months on the lees, no dosage	Loimer, Langenlois Große Reserve 2020
Long-matured, without any sweetness	54 months on the lees, hand-riddled	Weedenborn, Chardonnay Sekt Brut Nature 2017
Matured, for oysters and raw fish	cool year, high acidity, long maturation	Raumland, Chardonnay Réserve Brut 2013
For the main course, nearly eight years on the lees	brioche, nutty and toasted, mousse like texture	Raumland, XV Triumvirat 2015

The Große Reserve from Loimer stands on the highest tier of Austrian sparkling wine with a protected designation of origin: according to the Austrian Sparkling Wine Committee, it requires grapes from a single municipality, hand-harvesting, and at least 36 months on the lees using traditional bottle fermentation. The Langenlois Große Reserve 2020, made from 85 percent Chardonnay with Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, was disgorged in October 2025. It is therefore young on the market and, according to the rule of thumb, still has time.

The Chardonnay Réserve Brut 2013 shows why some vintages bear the long wait. 2013 was cool and low in sun, the acidity remained high, and with 8.5 grams of acidity and only 3.0 grams of dosage per liter, it doesn't lose its freshness even after years. With oysters, sashimi, or a young goat cheese, it shows what maturity does to a sparkling wine.

What do you do with old sparkling wine?

An open bottle gets old faster than any sealed one in the cellar. With a sparkling wine stopper in the refrigerator, it will keep for one to two days without loss of quality, as the cold further binds the carbonation. Volker Raumland advises against placing the bottle in the refrigerator door because more carbonation escapes with every movement. And according to him, the silver spoon in the bottle neck is a myth.

We rarely have leftovers in the bottle; if we do, we seal it with a sparkling wine stopper, which keeps the carbonation well at least until the next evening. Otherwise, the next pasta or creamy meat dish will appreciate a splash of wine and its acidity in the cream sauce.

And that forgotten bottle from the cellar? Chill it, open it, and pour it into a slightly larger glass. If it has lost its carbonation and tastes more like wine, but remains clean, it belongs with dinner instead of for a toast, or as a dash in a cream sauce. Then your New Year's Eve bottle from back then has become a food companion, and that is not a bad ending for it.