Ever since the advent of “the French Paradox,” the discovery which brought to light the fact that although the French have a high percentage of fats in their diet, they also have a low incidence of cardio-vascular disease, the world of wines has dramatically changed. The report concluded that the reason for the lower instance of cardiovascular problems was primarily due to the amount of red wine that the French consume. As a result of this report, the sale of red wine, throughout the world, sky rocketed.

                And there, as Shakespeare would say, “lies the rub.” Today, wineries, to meet the increased demand, are releasing their red wines sooner than ever before. Red wine need time to mature and soften. There are elements in red wines that require them to be laid away for a period of time to blend and marry their internal chemistry. Under proper conditions, the longer the aging, the more mellow and complex the wine becomes.

                In times gone by, wineries would hold their red wines in aging cellars for several years before releasing them to the public. Even after the wines were released, it was often recommended that they be given some further bottle aging. Less expensive red wines use grapes, blends and methods of production that do not result in a high volume of these rough substances, the most common of which are fruit acid and tannin. Wines made from these grapes and in this manner can be released much sooner and without additional aging. It is these “other” constituents that add to the character and complexity to a red wine.

                Unfortunately, in the past, the public was often not aware of the necessity for additional aging and drank wine that was too coarse, too rough and much too young. Restaurants too were required to buy the wines ”young” and set them aside for aging, which incurred extra costs. This was, in part, responsible for the higher price of wine in restaurants.

                This is the point where the cavalry is supposed come riding over the hill to save the day. And so it did in the form of a naturally occurring process, found mostly in the production of white wines, called malo-lactic fermentation. To put it simply and to keep the science lesson at a minimum, malo-lactic fermentation is a second fermentation that takes place after the primary alcoholic fermentation and converts the harsh malic acid, which occurs naturally in grapes, to the calmer and gentler lactic acid. This technique, combined with the control of the tannin, reduced the aging time and permitted the wineries to release their wine significantly sooner than before.

                The question is, did it actually do the trick or did it not? There are now three types of red wines in the marketplace; the ones made in the old fashioned way and need considerable aging, the quick released wines that are soft, but lack depth and complexity and wines that lie someplace in the middle.

                Price will often indicate what type the wines you buy are. Since they can be released earlier, the quick release red wines are usually less expensive. These are good, affordable wines that sell in the $6 to $12 dollar category and will more than adequately fill the bill as an everyday mealtime beverage. These wines have a short life span of about three years. The classically made wines are more expensive, usually costing $25 and up, because of the use of premium grapes and longer aging in the barrel. They are also often given extra bottle aging by the producer prior to their release to the public. Those wines that lie within the huge gulf between the two extremes make up the bulk of the red wine we drink today. Without any noticeable detrimental effect to the finished wine, modern science has afforded the producers a technique to get their wines out to the public faster and at an affordable price.

                While this might turn off the wine snob, it certainly does not detract from quality of the wine; in fact, it permits a red wine to be enjoyed considerably sooner and without any further expensive cellaring or preparation. We feel that understanding more about the wine that our readers drink will aid them in their choices and enhance their enjoyment of the wine.