of the original wine.
Maturation Once fermentation is complete,
the new wine is drained out of the
fermentation tanks to begin the work of
clarification and aging, in which the cloudy,
rough-tasting liquid develops into a clear,
smooth one.
Racking and Fining The solid particles of
grape and yeasts are cleared from the wine by
the process of racking: letting the yeast cells
and other large particles settle, carefully
drawing the wine off the sediment into a new
container, and repeating the process every few
months. Interesting exceptions to this rule are
wines intentionally aged for months or even
years sur lie, or “on the lees,” in contact with
the yeast sediment, whose cells slowly break
apart and contribute more flavor and body to
the wine. Champagne and Muscadet are two
wines that are aged on the lees.
The cool racking temperatures — less than