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Stabilizing and aging
Each type of quality wine requires special treatments to stabilize and mature it before it goes into the bottle. Many white wines and some reds to be sold young are settled and clarified in large containers of cement or fiberglass or, prevalently, in stainless-steel tanks. The process usually takes about six months.
For wines of depth and complexity, whether red or white, the best containers for aging are usually wooden casks or barrels. Italian winemakers increasingly prefer oak barrels of limited size. Wines are clarified naturally by racking, periodic pumping into clean barrels, which leaves behind the solid particles that settle to the bottom. |
| The aging process stabilizes and harmonizes wines which extract from oak noble tannins that enhance flavor. The wood's permeability permits minuscule amounts of oxygen to enter the wine, favoring development of secondary aromas which are more refined and elaborate than primary aromas. Wood aging may last from four months to a year for white wines in small barrels and up to three years, sometimes more, for reserve wines in casks. |
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