Ageing

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In contrast to bottle ageing, which tends to summarise only all positive changes during the development of a wine up to its peak, ageing also includes all negative changes up to the "end of life" (the tasting term is dead). Even in ancient times, attempts were made to produce wines that were resistant to ageing in order to achieve an improvement in flavour through longer storage. Artificial ageing by heating or smoking was also common, as reported by the Greek physician Galen (129-216).

Wine in antiquity

The Bible mentions that old wine should be preferred to young wine. In the Gospel of Luke 5.37, Jesus says: " And no one who has drunk old wine likes new wine. The Greeks and Romans recognised that wines with a high sugar content can be stored for a long time if kept cool. The best ancient wines, such as the famous Roman Falernian, were stored in tightly sealed clay amphorae and only reached their peak after many years. With the decline of the Roman Empire, the art of preservation fell into oblivion again.

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