Summarising term for all work steps or processes after the pressing process, from fermentation to bottling of a wine. It can also refer to the sub-process barrel ageing or barrel ageing can also be meant. It can also include the common practice of storing the wine in the bottle for some time before marketing in order to give it a certain maturity. The process of bottle ageing until the wine is ready to drink can take many years or even decades for top products, but is generally no longer counted as ageing.
In connection with oxygen contact during fermentation and subsequent ageing in barrels or stainless steel tanks, a distinction is made between oxidative ageing (with contact) and reductive ageing (without or greatly reduced oxygen contact). The colloquial term traditional ageing means that a wine has been produced "in the old and traditional way" without the use of newer processes.
As a rule, this means that the wine was matured in large wooden barrels or perhaps in stainless steel tanks, but not in a "modern" way in barriques. Sometimes the term classic ageing is also used for this (see Classic). In the case of sparkling wine(sparkling wine, champagne), the term "traditional" explicitly refers to bottle fermentation. However, more precise information such as duration or special techniques cannot be derived from this.
For information on the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), Distillation (distillates), Speciality wines, Spirits (types), Winemaking (wines and wine types) and Wine law (wine law issues).
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden