Why is it that some wines can be enjoyed a few months after bottling, while others need time to mature and improve? The answer is kind of complicated! Every batch of wine contains its own unique blend of acids, sugars, minerals, tannins, etc. that determine how the wine will taste when it is young and in the future. Each element plays a part in the taste of the final product, marrying together and producing a great wine.
Did you know…? Wine stands as one of the few consumable goods that can improve with time under the correct set of circumstances.
Once bottled, wines should be stored sideways and kept in a cool, dark place such as the basement or even the back of your closet. Why? As we’ve determined, wine is a complex beverage. It is a combination of many chemical compounds which change when they interact with each other and their environment. During the aging process, reactions occur between all of the chemical compounds in the wine; they are what modify the aromas, color, and taste. Specifically, temperatures for storing and aging wine should be somewhere around 55 degrees with protection from direct sunlight. An increase of 15 or more degrees to the wine doubles the rate at which the chemical reactions happen. You might be thinking that increasing the speed at which the reactions occur is good; increase the temperatures and get a decade’s worth of flavor in just a few years. Don’t do it! Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts when it comes to aging. The perfect aging comes from a constant and stable temperature.
Aging wine is both a science and an art. One that EdenVale’s winemaker, Ashley Campanella, has perfected. All of our red wines spend at least two years in barrels before going on to bottle aging after that. We released a few 2007 vintages this year! Ultimately, it’s all about balance. There is no specific formula that can predict how long it will take to get perfectly aged wine. Just leave the work to us! We’ve done the aging and hard work for you… All you have to do is open up one of our bottles!
Stop by either of our tasting rooms to experience our beautifully aged wines. The tasting rooms are located at: EdenVale Winery in Medford at 2310 Voorhies Road or Enoteca by EdenVale in Ashland at 17 North Main Street.
