The RIPENING AND AGING Wine

The RIPENING AND AGING Wine
One must keep in mind that there are wines that are ready to be drunk soon after its preparation, and others, for they evolve over time, should be kept to demonstrate its full potential: "wines guard." The best, most of the structure, can last up to 50 years.
The vast majority of wines consumed fits into the first category, and are the whites, rosés and light reds. Thus, Beaujolais, the Bardolinos the Valpolicellas (all light reds) and domestic wines in general, should be drunk in its youth, when they express all their freshness, attractive because only lose when stored.
It is at best a half-truth to say that "the older, the better the wine," as the expression is valid only for a small portion of them, like the great Bordeaux, the Barolos, the Brunellos, for example, all capable of ripening and they age well.
The ripening or thinning occurs during the manipulations that the wine cellar is still suffering: transfers, vats and aging in oak barrels. The wine is tuned, making it softer, as in removing the timber will tannins and suffering mild oxidation of primary air through the pores of the oak. Various chemical changes are processed at this stage, most of them related to oxidation. These phenomena were studied in depth, and only then understood, thanks to the research of Louis Pasteur, when, around 1863, Napoleon 3 asked him to study the subject.
Wine being a living being, he will move to a second phase, the aging after bottling. Practically, there is no more contact with oxygen, but the wine experience other chemical processes that cause their aromas and flavors gain greater complexity and richness. No concept equivalent to the French term vin de garde, wine must be stored to reach their maximum potential quality. Are, of course, wines of great tradition and high prices are justified by their longevity.