As far back as antiquity, the ancient Greeks were producing straw wine, which was capable of aging because to its high sugar content, and humans have acknowledged the advantages of wine aging ever since. Falernian and Surrentine wines were highly appreciated by the ancient Romans because they could be kept for decades in a cool environment.
Aged wine is also mentioned in the Bible in Luke 5:39, which states: “And no one after drinking old wine craves new, because he believes that “the old is excellent.” “And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he believes that “the old is good.”
As a result of a complicated chemical process that takes place between sugars, acids, and chemicals known as phenolic compounds, wine tastes better with age. After some time has passed, this chemical reaction might have an effect on the taste of wine, imparting a pleasant flavor to the beverage.
Along with changing the color and flavor of the spirit, chemical reactions may also modify the way wine tastes and smells while it is in your tongue. Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, and Syrah are just a few of the wines that have high phenol levels.
As wine matures, how does it improve in flavor? In example, the tannins in wine play an important role in shaping how the wine tastes after it has been aged.
Tiny tannin molecules contained in the stems, seeds, and skins of the grape give wine its dry texture; they are also responsible for the dry aftertaste that many red wine drinkers experience after a glass of red wine is consumed.
“Do all wines improve in flavor as they age?”
you may inquire. That isn’t the case at all.
Tannins may be found in both white wine and red wine, although red wine has a substantially higher concentration than either. A tiny quantity of tannins is extracted from the grapes, and the wine is further enhanced by the addition of time spent in wooden vats. The inherent acidity in white wine contributes to the development of its taste over time.
When it comes to wine tasting better with age, wines with a low pH, such as Pinot Noir and Sangiovese, have a greater chance of doing so than wines with a higher pH.
A natural preservative, tannins are capable of keeping a bottle of wine drinkable for up to forty years or more. Wine has a harsh and astringent taste when it is young because of the tannins present.
When the tannins in the wine evaporate, the body of the wine develops its own “bouquet,” or scent and character, as a result of its own fermentation.
Eventually, the scent becomes more complex, and the taste becomes richer and more complex without exhibiting any of the bitterness associated with more youthful wines.
Tasting wine as it ages does not rely just on the presence of tannins; temperature plays a significant role in the appropriate aging of wine as well. A delicate and perishable commodity, wine.
When exposed to high temperatures, it starts to oxidize. This implies that the wine molecules absorb more oxygen, become unstable, and begin to degrade. Wine ages and becomes undrinkable as a result of oxidation, which occurs before it should.
Wine storage facilities must maintain consistently low temperatures and regular humidity levels in order for the flavor of the wine to improve over time. Wine should be stored at temperatures ranging between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or 10 and 13 degrees Celsius, for the optimum aging results.
In order for wine to mature at the optimum pace, the humidity must be precisely perfect. Mold may build up in the cork if there is an excessive amount of dampness. When there is insufficient humidity, the cork crumbles, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle and causing oxidation to happen.
Taking the time to age wine correctly gives it the opportunity to create a smooth, complete taste that increases the enjoyment of drinking it. To learn more about aging wines, speak with your favorite wine merchant.
Is There a Reason for That? Why Do Some Wines Taste Better With Age?
Take for example the situation when you have two glasses of wine in your hands: Wines from the same vineyard, but harvested at different times over a 10-year period, were produced for each. In contrast,
when you take a drink out of the glass on the left, the tangy sharpness of the wine fills your tongue with luscious berries and leaves you wanting more. The air you breathe seems dry and tight in your mouth.
IMAGE THAT YOU ARE SITTING WITH TWO GLASSES OF WINE IN YOUR HAND. Wines from the same vineyard, but harvested at different times over a 10-year period, were produced for each.
In contrast, when you take a drink out of the glass on the left, the tangy sharpness of the wine fills your tongue with luscious berries and leaves you wanting more. Swallowing results in a dry, somewhat gritty sensation in your mouth.
You can smell soil and leather in the glass on your right. The fruitiness is still there, but it has been subdued and blended with other flavors like as chocolate, licorice, leather, and roasted nuts.
The sensation of swallowing is hazy and warm in your mouth. It takes a while for the tastes to go off.
You will notice a significant difference between a well-aged wine and a younger one even if you are a beginner wine connoisseur.
When it comes to wine, why is it that certain wines improve with age while others degrade? What’s even more crucial is how in the world can you detect the difference between them before it’s too late.
Although a bottle of wine seems to be a closed system on the outside, the interior contains complicated chemical reactions that scientists are still trying to figure out how to happen.
Tannins, on the other hand, are universally acknowledged as the most important element in the aging of wine.
Tannins are a collection of chemicals found in grape stems, seeds, and skins that have anti-oxidant properties.
In the words of Jim Kennedy, an enologist at California State University, Fresno, “tannins are found in all grapes and are typically generated by the plant as defense substances.”
Despite the fact that tannins have anti-fungal characteristics, they also provide an unpleasant flavor to unripe grapes, at least until the seed is fully developed.
The bitter taste of tannins is due to the fact that tannins bind with the proteins that make saliva slimy, taking away the sliminess and leaving the mouth feeling dry, chalky, and ashen. In Kennedy’s words, “it’s like the way a green banana leaves your mouth feeling.” Astringency is a term used to describe this feeling.
tannins are more than simply salivary spoilsports, they are also a source of health problems. Aside from that, they’re also indirectly responsible for the scent of the wine.
However, although tannins alone do not produce scents, they react with the alcohols and esters (acidic alcohols) in the wine to progressively reduce the floral and fruity smells that are present in the wine during its infancy.
Besides that, they mix with other molecules to produce the more nuanced and delicate aromas that are distinctive of aged wines.
Small quantities of oxygen that slip in via the cap react with the tannins, assisting in the prodding of the tannins through their chemical transformations with the other molecules in the environment.
The tannins will be overwhelmed and the other molecules will be oxidized if the oxygen is introduced too rapidly, resulting in a skunky flavor to the wine if the oxygen is introduced too quickly (similar to how an exposed apple turns brown).
The acids in the wine act as preservatives, allowing the tannins to neutralize individual oxygen molecules while the wine is being oxidized at a fast rate.
Dealing with rogue oxygen molecules, according to Kennedy, causes tannins to change in a manner that influences how the wine feels in your mouth later on.
The mature tannins (together with the maturely fragrant molecules to which they are linked) stay on your gums, cheeks, and tongue rather than interacting with salivary proteins and drying out your mouth like young tannins.
The website Wineanorak.com contains a comprehensive scientific explanation of what scientists now know about tannins, in case you are interested.
Tanning is controlled by the winemaker, who largely controls the length of time that the mashed grapes are in touch with tannin-rich stems, skins, and seeds before being fermented and bottled.
Allowing wine to marinade in grape debris for an extended period of time can result in a bitter, dry juvenile that will develop into a rich, nuanced vintage that is highly sought for.
Wines that age well do so over a period of time, and there is a perfect window of time during which the tastes of youth and maturity are harmoniously blended together.
As an enologist at UC Davis, Andrew Waterhouse explains, “you’ll get a little bit of young fruitiness as well as some of the bottle fragrance.” While it is very desired to open a bottle of wine when it is at its optimum, doing so is quite difficult.
Besides the color of the wine, tannins have an effect on the taste. As Kennedy said, the pigments in the grape are responsible for the bluish-red hue of a young wine. “It takes a number of years for the first plant-derived chemicals to go away.”
Long polymer chains that bind the pigments in the grapes to the tannins progressively replace them with richer, brick-red hues that develop over time.
A large majority of long-lived wines are reds (their color is derived from prolonged contact with the grape’s skin, stems, and seeds), but only a few grape varieties have the correct combination of sugars, acids, and tannins to withstand extended storage.
The majority of the time, they are grapes that are cultivated in areas with long, warm summers and mild, but not freezing, winters, according to the climate.
It is commonly known that wines from either the Californian Napa Valley or the French Bordeaux area have a long shelf life.
According to Waterhouse, Cabernets, Merlots, and Malbecs are some of the most favored grape types for maturing.
The label, even if it specifies a specific area or variety of grape, will not provide a 100% accurate estimate of the wine’s shelf life in most cases.
A local wine store, or even your snotty, know-it-all relative, suggests that the best way to assure that your wine will age properly is to speak with them before buying it.
Consider purchasing a refrigerator that will maintain an even 55 degrees Fahrenheit for your maturing bottles. Too much heat may cause the wine to oxidize, so keep it cool.
Initially, the greatest aged wines are made from brash, thin-skinned grapes that get the flavor from contact with alcoholic waste, and then acquire depth and maturity over time that people will love.
This gets me to the most crucial lesson I’ve learned about wine: Before you start worrying about wine, be sure your friends and family are willing to put up with your inevitable tendency to transform everything into a metaphor for the beverage.