Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Aging of Wine


Contrary to popular belief, not all wine is age-worthy or gets better with age. Some are meant for the short haul and need to be consumed young. Others definitely require or benefit from some bottle age and will evolve becoming more harmonious and supple. So what is required for a wine to age or evolve? It needs reasonable fruit, alcohol, balance between the fruit and acid (sweet and sour), solid structure, and for reds, some tannin. Sometimes components in a particular wine are not married and need time to harmonize. With enough wine education and tasting experience, one simply gets to know which grape varieties, wine styles and particular wines will generally stand the test of time or get better in the bottle.

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