Right now, young wines all over the Northern Hemisphere are acclimating to their new homes in towering stainless tanks and full French oak barrels. The hustle and bustle of the 2021 crush has subsided, and it is now time for Cab Franc, Pinot Gris, Tannat and more to evolve in place for a peaceful but crucial stretch in the winemaking calendar.

This stretch is full of mostly invisible changes to the state of the wine, but they can certainly be tasted and smelled. In the end, it’s all about integration and creating a sense of balance.

The Vessel

The type of vessel a winemaker chooses fully rubs off on the wine. To maintain the clean and bright characteristics of a wine, a vintner may opt for stainless steel. New oak may be employed to lend some rich and woody notes. A neutral oak barrel is often called up to offer a more delicate touch to an aging wine. Concrete may be used to preserve the wild aromatics and juicy flavors of a wine, a material that allows for ample micro-oxygenation. Or, a producer may select amphora to maintain the purity of flavors and honor an age-old vilification tradition.

There’s no real formula for the task, as each vintage throws a new set of wine traits at the winemaking crew. Often, a combination of the above will serve as the winemaking philosophy for a particular vintage, drawn up to bring out the very best in the wine and that particular growing season.

The Reasoning

Think of the aging process as a classroom for young wines. This is where a wine goes to become more sophisticated, well rounded and articulate. There are changes to the chemistry of the juice, sure (like adjusted pH levels), but really it’s about fusion. Tannin, alcohol, acid and fruit function as peers working on the same group project. The outcome, after aging together, can be a remarkable sum of its many unique parts.

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