Definition: Old wines

The same applies to wines: not all of them are made to acquire additional qualities with age. Let us immediately correct any hasty conclusions that this sentence might lead to. Not all good wines are those that age well. A wine that is reputed to be drunk young can still be a good wine. It is simply made differently. Just under 20% of all wines produced have the right constitution to be considered wines for ageing. All other wines, whether white or red, are made to be drunk young, when they are at their best. The production of this type of wine requires specific actions to ensure it is suited to this purpose. For example, short maceration of the grape juice with the skins may be preferred, and stainless steel vats should be used to avoid any contact between the wine and wood. These wines are sought after for their freshness, as well as the primary aromas and flavours of fruit, flowers and other plants that characterise young wines. As they age, these pleasant primary characteristics disappear and are replaced by less pleasant oxidation characteristics, such as those found in an apple that has been cut into pieces and exposed to air for a few hours.

In the case of other wines, known as wines for ageing, we benefit from the combination of certain grape varieties with essential characteristics and a suitable growing location (terroir). Their production, which usually involves more or less prolonged contact with wooden barrels, includes processes that will produce a more concentrated and complex wine, but which may have the disadvantage of a certain harshness when young.

How can you tell the difference between wines that are best consumed young and those that are best consumed after ageing?

Wines for ageing must combine certain components in order to transition harmoniously from primary characteristics to secondary characteristics (such as wood, mushrooms, etc.) and even tertiary characteristics (such as animal notes). The essential elements for both white and red wines are:

• a more concentrated flavour, which makes the wine appear thicker;

• an imposing structure, which makes the wine seem full-bodied;

• fairly pronounced acidity, which makes the wine seem livelier.

To these must be added a good presence of tannins in red wines and possibly a certain amount of sugar in sweet white wines, such as Sauternes, or fortified wines such as port.

It is unlikely that a wine for ageing will be light; it will always have a good concentration of the elements mentioned above. To develop their full potential, these wines almost always need to be aged for several years. Fortunately, to help us wait for them to reach their peak, and above all because there are many opportunities to enjoy the attractive characteristics of young wines, we have all the other wines.

A wine for ageing requires optimal storage conditions: humidity, constant coolness, horizontal storage, darkness and no vibrations.