It created the possibility of aging wine. Natural cork closures appeared about 250 years ago, displacing the oiled rags and wooden plugs that had previously been used to seal bottles. There are three major closure options available: natural cork and technical cork, its low budget brother made of cork particles, the screw cap and synthetic corks. This sounds like a tiny bit, but after two or three years, the cumulative amount can be enough to break down the sulfites that winemakers add to protect the wine from oxidation. A typical cork will let in about one milligram of oxygen per year. The actual amount is the key to a closure’s performance. But all wine bottle closures admit at least a smidgen of oxygen. Glass is a hermetic material, meaning zero oxygen can pass through it. That will directly affect the aging trajectory and determine when that wine will be at its “best.” Stick a cork in it? The way a bottle is sealed will directly affect how much oxygen passes into the wine each year. Oxidation products also react with the red anthocyanin molecules from the grapes to create stable pigments in red wine. Many wines develop undesirable aromas under anaerobic –no oxygen– conditions a small amount of oxygen will eliminate those trace thiol compounds responsible for the aroma of rotten eggs or burnt rubber. However the oxidation process provides benefits along the way to that unwanted endpoint. Get the Wine 101 Course ($50 value) FREE with the purchase of Wine Folly: Magnum Edition. This is a desired taste for sherry styles, but quickly compromises the aromas in fresh white wines.Ī red wine browns (much like an apple) and looses it’s intense red pigment as it ages. ![]() When oxygen interacts with a wine, it produces many changes – ultimately yielding an oxidized wine that has a nutty aroma. The complex oxidation process is the second aspect of aging. This process reduces sourness in the wine, but it’s really only important for very tart wines, the ones coming from cold climates. One aspect of aging has to do with the reaction of fruit acids with the alcohol. Winemakers know this, and work to control the aging process including decisions they make about how to bottle up their product. What a taste! But the exceptions to this rule are the many wines that actually need some aging to taste their best. I remember picking peaches at my grandfather’s ranch in Northern California and eating them on the spot. ![]() Most foods are best as fresh as possible. Corks Seal a Wine’s Fate:Īging Wine in Natural vs. Andrew Waterhouse, professor of Enology at UC Davis, elegantly explains the importance of bottle stoppers and aging wine. Want to start a wine cellar? Believe it or not, choosing the right bottle might be just as important as what’s inside.
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