Aging of wine

In Greece, early examples of dried "straw wines" were noted for their ability to age due to their high sugar contents.

Most of the wines produced in northern Europe were light bodied, pale in color and with low alcohol.

By the 16th century, sweeter and more alcoholic wines (like Malmsey and Sack) were being made in the Mediterranean and gaining attention for their aging ability.

One was the development of the cork and bottle which again allowed producers to package and store wine in a virtually air-tight environment.

The added alcohol was found to act as a preservative, allowing wines to survive long sea voyages to England, The Americas and the East Indies.

In regions like Bordeaux, Oporto and Burgundy, this situation dramatically increased the balance of power towards the merchant classes.

[3][5] In general, wines with a low pH (such as pinot noir and Sangiovese) have a greater capability of aging.

Wines with high levels of phenols include Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Syrah.

[4] The white wines with the longest aging potential tend to be those with a high amount of extract and acidity (such as Riesling).

Similarly, the minimal skin contact with rosé wine limits their aging potential.

[1][2][5] After aging at the winery most wood-aged ports, sherries, vins doux naturels, vins de liqueur, basic level ice wines, and sparkling wines are bottled when the producer feels that they are ready to be consumed.

[5] The ratio of sugars, acids and phenolics to water is a key determination of how well a wine can age.

Grape varieties with thicker skins, from a dry growing season where little irrigation was used and yields were kept low will have less water and a higher ratio of sugar, acids and phenolics.

Pigmented tannins, anthocyanins, colloids, tannin-polysaccharides and tannin-proteins not only influence a wine's resulting color but also act as preservatives.

Exposure to oak either during fermentation or after (during barrel aging) will introduce more phenolic compounds to the wines.

In general, a wine has a greater potential to develop complexity and more aromatic bouquet if it is allowed to age slowly in a relatively cool environment.

Professor Cornelius Ough of the University of California, Davis believes that wine could be exposed to temperatures as high as 120 °F (49 °C) for a few hours and not be damaged.

The ultra-violet rays of direct sunlight should also be avoided because of the free radicals that can develop in the wine and result in premature oxidation.

[12] As red wine ages, the harsh tannins of its youth gradually give way to a softer mouthfeel.

The resulting wine, with this loss of tannins and pigment, will have a paler color and taste softer, less astringent.

This is the point when the wine has the maximum amount of complexity, most pleasing mouthfeel and softening of tannins and has not yet started to decay.

Developed by the British Master of Wine, Clive Coates, the principle states that a wine will remain at its peak (or optimal) drinking quality for a duration of time that is equal to the time of maturation required to reach its optimal quality.

In Ancient Rome a smoke chamber known as a fumarium was used to enhance the flavor of wine through artificial aging.

Amphorae were placed in the chamber, which was built on top of a heated hearth, in order to impart a smoky flavor in the wine that also seemed to sharpen the acidity.

[14] Modern winemaking techniques like micro-oxygenation can have the side effect of artificially aging the wine.

[4] More recently, experiments with artificial aging through high-voltage electricity have produced results above the remaining techniques,[15][16] as assessed by a panel of wine tasters.