What happens after fermentation?
Once fermentation completes, the winemaker must decide what to do next. Wine is usually immediately bottled, aged, or held.
Ready-to-Drink wines like many Pinot Grigios or Proseccos are bottled for immediate consumption. These wines don’t need to age. This means the wine is already in its best state and ready to be enjoyed now. Holding on to them for long periods of time could even hurt their quality.
Age-worthy wines may be placed in oak barrels or other vessels because their tastes improve after they age. Some wines can age for years, or even decades before they reach their best potential! These are commonly premium wines, or wines specifically made to withstand an aging process (they have the right balance of fruit, alcohol, acid and/or tannin that help it to withstand its quality over time.) Most premium wine producers can indicate when the wine will probably reach its best potential.
Wines that are held in the winery may be bottled later, perhaps on demand or for large orders. These wines don’t improve during this time, they are simply held as-is.
Aging Wine In Oak Barrels
When wine sits in oak for long periods of time, it develops “oaky” notes of cedar, vanilla, spices, etc. These aromas and flavors naturally exist in oak and mix with the wine as it sits.
American oak barrels tend to have stronger flavors than French oak barrels. Barrels that are “toasted” or cooked may also add smokey flavors. Oak flavors are strongest in new barrels. But if these barrels are reused again and again, the oaky flavors become very faint, or may not be tasted in the wine at all.
Barrels play another role: they let small amounts of oxygen in through the wooden slots. When air mixes with wine over time, it creates flavors like toffee, butterscotch, or caramel.
Many delicate wines are not aged in oak barrels. In these cases, the oaky flavors would overpower their freshness and elegance, i.e., crisp Sauvignon Blanc or an ultra-light style of Pinot Noir.
However, oak is common for many red wines that require oxygen and time to transform the wine into the style the winemaker wishes to create13.
What Happens When A Wine Is Aged?
Young wines taste like fresh fruit, and aged wines taste like matured fruit. The bright and fruity notes fade into developed, complex flavors that truly show a wine’s potential.
For example, aged white wine can taste less like pears and peaches, and more like nuts, honey, or petroleum. Or aged red wine can taste less like cherries and plum, and more like prunes, mushroom, and game.
This magic peak time isn’t always easy to pinpoint because it can depend on the grape, vintage, and wine-making techniques.
