If you are a wine lover you might be interested in learning how to age wine. You must first prepare the appropriate storage conditions. Vino Bellezza offers the most suitable environment for wine aging with its stylish and high quality wine coolers. Vino Bellezza’s modern wine cabinets not only become a part of your decoration, but also store your special wine that you choose to age in its ideal environment.
There are many misconceptions about wine. The perception that only aged wine is good mistakens people. However, less than 10% of the world’s wines are produced in accordance with aging. Those that fall into the aging wine category, on the other hand, need to be consumed within an average of 3 to 5 years. So what does aged wine mean? Which wines are suitable for aging and what is wine aging?
In this article we will talk about how to age wine.
What is Wine Aging?
Wine is produced by fermenting grape juice. The common point of fermented beverages is that they are alive! Let’s answer right away for those who are wondering how old wine is. The oldest wine in the world is a 1700-year-old wine thought to have been produced in 350 AD. The wine, which still has not lost its liquid form, attracts the attention of both historians and oenologists.
There is no single answer to the question of at least how old the wine must be. A wine reaches its ideal taste within 2 years on average. The time from the first stage of winemaking to the consistency to drink is largely completed within the first few months. If we rate this time, the first few months correspond to 80%. A very large part of the remaining 20% is completed two years after production. As a result, there is a 5% change in the flavor of the wine during aging. This 5% waiting period is called aging. During wine aging, chemical reactions continue. Therefore, the taste, smell and color of the wine changes.
While waiting for a wine suitable for aging to reach the peak of its potential taste, there are some risks. Among these risks; including keeping the wine waiting longer than necessary and not being able to store it in the right conditions. Preservation conditions are very important in the answer to how to age wine!
Do All Wine Ages?
Before we examine how to age wine, let’s talk about what it means to age wine. A chemical reaction is required for a wine to age. Wine oxidizes when stored under suitable conditions. If the wine preserves its properties and offers a soft and balanced flavor after oxidation, it is said to be aged. At this point, the issue that should not be overlooked is that every wine that has been stored for many years without turning into vinegar is not considered an aged wine.
If you are wondering how long red wine is stored, we should mention that the answer to the question is hidden in the grape from which the wine is made. Because whether the wine will be suitable for aging is determined in the vineyard. Not every grape variety is suitable for aging. Grapes that are suitable for aging make it possible to make wines that are suitable for aging. Among the best wine grapes there are varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Chenin Blanc.
Chardonnay, which is grown in eastern France and is the best type of white grape, can be kept for up to 10 years. The most preferred Riesling in German wines can be aged up to 30 years. The most popular grape type, Cabernet Sauvignon, is used to make wines more suitable for aging.
It is stated that the wines obtained from grapes grown in Turkey are not very suitable for aging. However, among the wines of boutique producers, which have increased recently; It is possible to find the 2008-2009 harvests. For this reason, it is possible to choose local wines regarding how to age wine!
Table wines, i.e. young wines are produced to be suitable for fast consumption. Soaking these wines only causes them to age. However, for an ideal drinking, attention should be paid to the preservation of table wines and their temperature during service.
How Is Wine Aged?
Grapes are the main character of the wine. The fact that wine is made from grapes has to do with the 3 ingredients in it. The sugar in grapes creates a highly alcoholic beverage. While the acid supports the preservation of wine, tannin is the most important factor in the aging of the wine. This phenolic component determines the color and balance of the wine. The balance between these three creates the ideal wine.
As an answer to the question of how to age wine, the issue of acidity is very important. During the aging process of wine, the acid content decreases. During the waiting period, chemical reactions in the wine continue. The new molecules that emerge with the combination of acid and alcohol take the wine from its original state to a completely different level. At this point, the wine has a completely different taste and a different smell. At the end of the aging period, the wine reaches the peak of its taste. However, it still takes a gourmet palate to understand this difference in taste and smell.
If the wine is left to stand longer than necessary, the new molecules break up and the acidity starts to rise again. After this point, the acid balance is not the same as before and continues to increase. After this irreversible phase, the wine begins to turn into vinegar.
What Kind of Environment Is Required to Age Wine?
Storage conditions are among the most important factors when it comes to how to age wine. Considering that wine needs to be stored for years, ambient conditions must remain stable. If you want to create a suitable environment in your home for wine aging, you can achieve this in the most comfortable way with wine coolers. When buying a wine cabinet; performance, ease of use, design and ergonomics are important. Offering all factors at high standards, Vino Bellezza wine coolers are among the first choice of wine lovers and those who want to age their special wines.
Vino Bellezza wine cabinets are offered with three different concepts: Decanter, Vintage and Reserve. Cabinet capacities starting from 21 bottles extend up to 56 bottles. Supported by quality materials and an aesthetic design, wine coolers can be used in many different areas. The specially designed rubber engine mounts are specially prepared so that the wines are not affected by vibration.
The cabinet temperature can be adjusted practically, and the digital display makes it easy to monitor the cabinet temperature. Red pine shelves, an inner and outer body made of stainless steel offer both durable use and a stylish visual. The most important factors in the wine aging process are heat, light and humidity. Low-E argon smoked glass found in wine coolers protects wine from room and sunlight.
How Is Aged Wine Made?
In order to get an answer to the question of how to understand the quality of wine, there are some features that should be known about wine. Wines are not always successfully aged. However, a wine that is aged under the right conditions and in the right time is also at the peak of its taste. The characteristics that can be observed as a result of wine aging can be listed as follows.
- Wine becomes darker as it ages.
- When the aged wine in the glass is viewed from above, a town close to brown should be seen, and when the same glass is viewed from the side, the color should not be different.
- Its texture is smooth.
- Aged wine has less acidity and is perfectly balanced with tannins.
- In a delicious aged wine; instead of fresh fruit flavors, dried aromas of figs, grapes and plums come.
- The scent of dried fruit, herbs and earth is dominant in aged wine.
If you decide to open a wine you prefer to age early. You must ventilate after opening. You can use a carafe during this process, so it airs faster and its aroma stands out. A wine that has been aged for a long time should be decanted after opening. Decanting can be done just before serving.
In this article, we answered the question of how to age wine. You can reach our previous article at http://vinobellezza.com/how-to-store-wine/.