"mdginzo" wrote in message
ups.com...
I understand that it ages the wine - but what does "aging" by itself
mean? What does "aging" do to the wine itself? I had understood that
aging added additional flavors through the wood it was stored in - but
if steel imparts no such flavor, what is the point of aging in steel?



Wine aromas come from the grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon wine smells like
Cabernet Sauvignon because of specific aromatic materials in that particular
variety of grape. The grassy aroma so characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc
wine, is a consequence of the grape variety, not the winemaking process.

Wine bouquet, on the other hand, results from the winemaking process. The
yeast, bacteria, barrels, winemaking procedures, etc. all contribute to
produce wine bouquet. Wine bouquet components may decrease, remain constant
or increase in intensity as the wine ages.

Some bouquet components are prevalent soon after the completion of
fermentation. For example. by products produced by the yeast contribute to
the fresh, fruity nose so typical of white table wines such as
Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Chenin Blanc. However, these odor components
are short-lived, and they often disappear in less than a year or so.
Consequently, these types of wines are best consumed when they are young and
the nose is still fresh and fruity.

Other bouquet components develop more slowly. Wines stored in oak barrels
slowly accumulate vanillin and other substances from the wood. Byproducts
produced by lactic bacteria can give wines a lasting buttery attribute. Wine
acids react with alcohols and slowly produce volatile esters. During bulk
storage, oxidation slowly changes the odor characteristics of many different
wine ingredients. All these materials contribute to the bouquet of the
wine, and some bouquet components require several years to develop fully.

Lum
Del Mar, California, USA