Learning Goal - Wine ageing

5 important questions on Learning Goal - Wine ageing

Oak cask or not?

Wine aged in an oak cask is not necessarily better than one that has not been aged in an oak cask.

What is the purpose of wine ageing?

  • The wood should never totally conceal the aromas or flavor of the wine.
  1. Add extra organoleptic notes, aromas: coffee, vanilla, wood, smoke, burnt materials, cedar.
  2. Strengthens the structure of the wine; provides wood tannins (softer than grape tannins). 
  3. Slowly oxidize the wine. Oak is porous--> oxygen can go through and allow tannins and anthocyanins to combine. Consequently, the color of the wine is stabilized, and the tannins are softened.

What types are aged in oak?

Three types
  1. Full-bodied white wines--> a few months.
  2. Full-bodied red wines-->2 or 3 years
  3. Domplex sweet wines-->more than 10 years
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No aged for light wines

It would hide the aromatic notes of the wine.
lose its youthful, fruity character and will undo the freshness.

What are the 3 main factors impacting wine ageing?

Wine aged in 225-liter casks (barrels).
  1. Type of cask: French-->most great wines; American--> stronger aroma and sweetness (coconut aroma).
  2. Toasting of the cask -->heavy (woody, spicy, smoky, coffee, caramel). ; light (vanilla and helps to "pump" more natural tannins from the oak).
  3. New (more tannins from the wood and more aroma) or old cask (previously used for ageing other wines-->less tannins from the wood and less aroma).
Oak casks can be expensive-->wood chips for more woody notes.

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