Lumen Autumn 2024 - Flipbook - Page 36
Wines
Should I drink it now?
Why not everything ages well.
Some wines can age gracefully, while
others have a brief but beautiful lifetime.
By Sue Bastian
I’m of an age to remember the advertising
line “Where do you hide your Coolabah?”
Being a child at the time, I was amused
by, but did not understand, the adverts with
beautiful people at jolly parties who seemed
so concerned about hiding their box of
fruity lexia from others.
For those of more tender years, the wine
cask invention in 1965, by Thomas Angove
of the Riverland, was extremely novel,
offering consumers the ability to purchase
wine in bulk with the convenience of them
having one or two glasses without the need
to open a bottle (which could rapidly go
brown and possess unpleasant bruised
fruit aromas after 24 hours).
These are known as the primary aromas
derived from grapes and fermentation.
With ageing they convert to the
attractive, developed or tertiary characters
of aged wine. This is because acids
chemically react with alcohols and produce
a variety of compounds that introduce a
new aroma spectrum.
Furthermore, under acidic conditions
other reactions occur where sugar molecules
can be cleaved of flavour precursors and
impart layers of flavour notes in old wines.
Lying bottles down keeps the cork moist,
preventing it drying and shrinking and
compromising the seal. The move to
screwcaps in the early 2000s has
circumvented this problem (plus many
faults) and means a wine will age
even longer. Some winemakers and markets
demand cork as they believe cork has a long
history and reputation as a high-quality seal
and screw caps indicate low quality wine,
respectively. The latter is generally nonsense.
There is a wide-ranging notion that wines
with age are better, but that is not always the
case. It depends upon a number of factors
including, but not limited to, grape variety,
wine style and structure, winemaking
processes and storage.
Most white wines will cellar for two to
three years as they contain little tannin due
to limited skin contact. Others, notably
Champagne, Semillon, Riesling,
Chardonnay, and sweet botrytised
dessert wine, between 5-30 years due
to their makeup.
A wine with higher ageing potential must
have decent fruit intensity to start with.
Many red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon
and Shiraz, due to their higher tannin, acid
and alcohol content, will age 20-30 plus
years. Pinot Noir and Grenache, less so,
two to eight years, as they have lower
tannin content.
Storing wines to age assumes the lack of
sunlight and that the closure is integral, and
requires cool constant temperature,
particularly for wines under cork. This slows
the natural oxidation with ageing, prevents
maderisation, and places less pressure on
cork seals due to them drying out, or the
glass bottle expanding and contracting.
Often the cask is stored in the kitchen
fridge. This is sensible, as cooler
temperatures reduce oxygen uptake that
causes premature development. But beware,
cask wines usually have an expiry date of
one year.
There has been a lot of conversation
about phytonutrients within super
foods. Wine tannins (phenolics) are a
phytonutrient and are the anti-ageing cream
for wine. They help prevent microbial attack
and, along with acid and alcohols, will escort
a wine into graceful dotage.
time will alter and soften, but will become
apparent again when any fruity aromas and
flavours present disappear, and tannin
complexes precipitate out. This is probably
when a wine is beyond its peak. However,
if a wine does not have sufficient flavour,
tannin and acid, then it is not likely to fare
well with the vagaries of time.
Red wines made for early consumption
are usually fruit forward, less opulent, with
softer tannin, lower alcohol and bright acid
styles. More robust red wine with overt
tannin, that will polymerise and give way to
a softer mouthfeel and paler less red more
orange/browner colour with age, will
last longer.
I remember, from another life as a
medical scientist preserving various animal
organs in alcoholic solutions, that alcohol
is a preservative. Acid, like tannin, with
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The nuances of aged wine do not appeal
to all consumers. Luckily there are plenty
of wines of all ages to suit diverse palates.
Some wines can age gracefully, while others
have a brief but beautiful lifetime and
should be appreciated in their fresh and
vibrant youth.
Our reviewer, Sue Bastian, is Associate
Professor in Oenology and Sensory Studies,
Manager WIC Sensory Laboratory, and
Deputy Head of School, Agriculture, Food
and Wine (International).
