READ · COMPARE · EXPLAIN
How to interpret maturation periods
Vessel, lees, surface contact with air, storage after racking. Add maturity process by year, and build a comparison of maturation.
Questions for this course
Even with the same '5 years,' do the wines undergo the same aging conditions?
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- 1↗
Italy
Differences between second fermentation in the bottle and the tank method.
Separate the stage when bubbles are produced during fermentation, and the stage spent on lees.
- 2↗
Italy
Franciacorta
Within the same appellation, check the types and individual specifications.
- 3↗
France
Champagne process breakdown
Read the sequence of secondary fermentation, aging on lees, and riddling (removal of lees).
- 4↗
France
Bollinger
Distinguish the ageing period for reserve wines from the maturation of the finished wine.
- 5↗
France
Jura
Consider the conditions in the barrel based on fortification and voile (yeast film).
READ · HYPOTHESIZE · RECONSIDER
Construct the timeline for both bottles.
When you select process dates, the time each bottle spends before and after racking is shown as a diagram. Even if the tasting date is the same, the allocation can differ.
The following are fictional processes for study purposes. They do not represent actual wines or minimum aging requirements for designations.
Assume A and B are tiraged (bottled for secondary fermentation) on the same day using the same base wine and undergo in-bottle secondary fermentation. Harvest was in September 2020. Calculate by months; ignore day-to-day differences.
| Record cards (in no particular order) | Date of record |
|---|---|
| Racking of B | March 2025 |
| A & B tasted on the same day | March 2026 |
| Tirage for A & B | March 2021 |
| Lees removal for A | March 2023 |
Each hypothesis or reflection can be up to 2,000 characters. You can save your answers even if you only select an option.
When you select four stages of the process, the number of months will be shown in a diagram.
The first stripe is before tirage, the middle is from tirage to disgorgement (including in-bottle secondary fermentation), and the final segment is after disgorgement. Since the end date of secondary fermentation is not set, only the months of aging on lees after fermentation ends are not calculated.
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Read the explanation for each question
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How many months after harvest is the common tirage?
From September 2020 to March 2021 is 6 months. Count the time spent in bottle including secondary fermentation from this period.
How many months after harvest does lees removal for A take place?
March 2023 is 30 months after harvest. There are 24 months from tirage to disgorgement.
Racking of B takes place how many months after harvest?
March 2025 is 54 months after harvest. From tirage to disgorgement is 48 months.
How many months after harvest is the standard tasting date?
March 2026 is 66 months after the harvest. It is 36 months after racking for A, and 12 months for B.
What can be concluded from this record?
You can compare the breakdowns of time. Aroma and qualitative ranking are not determined. Investigate other conditions that remain for comparison, such as temperature, closure, volume, finish, and oxygen exposure when racking.
Basis and sources for the exercise
Practice exercises in comparison
Assumption for learning: Two wines, A and B, made from the same base wine and same tirage. A is disgorged and stored earlier, B is left longer on the lees and disgorged later. When tasting them on the same day, what should be considered identical and which time points should be recorded separately?
Read examples of organizing comparisons
| Conditions for Comparison | A: Lees removal first | B: Racking is performed afterwards. |
|---|---|---|
| Standardized items | Base wine, tirage, tasting date | Base wine, tirage, tasting date |
| Lees contact | Relatively short | Relatively long |
| Post-lees removal storage | Relatively long | Relatively short |
| Additional recording conditions | Storage temperature, capacity, finish, etc. | Storage temperature, capacity, finish, etc. |
This is an organized study tool based on the designated articles for this course. You can check specific facts and sources in each article.
Explain in your own words
Rewrite 'long-aged' into information comparable for evaluation. Use examples from bottle fermentation and from Jura's sous voile maturation, also clearly stating what information is unknown.
Check after writing
- Did you indicate the number of years from when to when?
- Did you distinguish container, lees, and air contact?
- Are you determining aroma intensity or quality ranking based solely on aging period?
Reorganize using the comparison table
A comparison table listing processes and conditions lets you check for any missing explanations.
- Koshu × Albariño: Time with the Lees →
Japanese and Uruguayan whites. Read the winemaking procedures across grape varieties.
- Rutherglen × Vin de Constance →
Australia and South Africa: separate the processes that retain sweetness and the maturation stage.
Save response to explanation task
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