Aging of wine

Aging improves the quality of some wines. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids and phenolic compounds can alter the aroma, color, mouthfeel and taste of the wine in a way that may be more pleasing to the taster.

The ability of a wine to age is influenced by many factors including grape variety, vintage, viticultural practices, wine region and winemaking style.
The condition that the wine is kept in after bottling can also influence how well a wine ages and may require significant time and financial investment.
The quality of an aged wine varies significantly bottle by bottle, depending on the conditions under which it was stored and the condition of the bottle and cork.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0