What is sur lie aged wine?

What is sur lie aged wine?

lees
Sur lie ageing is when wine is kept in contact with its lees during the ageing process. Although it may sound odd, this method of ageing can actually provide a handful of added benefits to the wines which use it, as long as the process is done carefully.

Are red wines aged on lees?

Red wines are usually racked off their lees earlier than white wines (though not always). This is called lees aging. As these dead yeast cell (lees) break down, they release all sorts of compounds such as mannoproteins, amino acids, polysaccharides and fatty acids, which interact with the fermented wine.

Why would you age a wine sur lies?

With sur lie aging – French for “on the lees,” – wines are kept in contact with these dead yeast cells and are not racked or filtered. The primary goal of sur lie aging is sylistic in nature as lees can be enriching and beneficial to the wine, giving it improved body, enhanced flavor, and aroma complexity.

What is sur lie Chardonnay?

The term sur lie is French for “on the lees.” By oak aging chardonnay sur lie, the wine develops more weight in the mid-palate, more creaminess and more complexity from being in contact with those lees, or yeast cells.

Does red wine darken with age?

As red wines age, they become lighter. For white wines, the opposite happens; they become darker as they get older. Red and white wines, given enough time, will both end up the same medium amber color.

How does carbonic maceration work?

What Is Carbonic Maceration in Wine, and Why Does It Taste So Damn Fun? But with carbonic maceration, a winemaker skips stemming and crushing and instead puts full bunches of grapes into steel fermentation tanks that are sealed and filled with carbon dioxide, creating an anaerobic atmosphere without any oxygen.

Is wine on lees good?

Lees can also lend richness and extra texture to some wines, as well as contributing to balance.

Which of the following wines may have sur lies aging?

Sur lie aging is traditionally used in Chardonnay and Muscadet production in France, but is also used for other white wines that are known to be light, crisp, and more neutral in flavor, such as Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Grigio (Gris), as well as some full-bodied red wines.

How do you know if a wine is aging?

Four Clues of the Age-worthy Wine

  • High acidity: Acidity adds to a wine’s vibrant, full-bodied texture.
  • Big tannins: Bold tannins give wine the structure to age well.
  • Great fruit: The ultimate ingredient for a fine age-able wine is fruit perfectly balanced in its acidity, tannins and flavors.

What happens during wine aging?

As the wine ages, they lose their charge and start to combine, forming chains and becoming larger and heavier. This reduces the surface area of the tannins, causing them taste smoother, rounder and gentler. Once these combined compounds become too large, they fall out of suspension as sediment.

How is chenin blanc wine pronounced?

Chenin Blanc = Sheh-nuh Blo* (The Sheh noise is like the beginning of the word shed. See Sauvignon, above, for blanc pronunciation.)

Should I age my Chardonnay sur lie?

Feel like that Chardonnay you racked after a week of fermentation last fall is a little thin, or is lacking aromatic complexity? The next time you make a batch of a similar Chardonnay, you may want to consider aging sur lie.

What is sur lie aged white wine?

Sur lie aging is traditionally used in Chardonnay and Muscadet production in France, but is also used for other white wines that are known to be light, crisp, and more neutral in flavor, such as Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Grigio (Gris), as well as some full-bodied red wines. The fruitiest white wines generally should not be aged sur lie.

How long should you sur lie age your wine?

By in large you have to determine the sur lie aging time as you go based on how your wine tastes. Again, always be on the look out for any hints of sulfur flavors or aromas. Some resources state that you can sur lie age wine on grape lees for years at a time if done correctly.

What does white wine taste like when aged on Lees?

White Wines: Still white wines will also have increased yeast-like flavors similar to sparkling wines. Additionally, lees aging in oak barrels will extract additional aroma compounds from the wood, including sweet, caramel-like notes, smoke-like flavors, clove flavors, and umami or meaty flavors vanilla. How long are wines aged on lees?