Step 5
of 6
Age
Stainless, oak, or concrete — each builds a different wine. Stainless steel is fast and neutral, keeping the wine fresh and fruit-forward. Oak barrels are slow and transformative, adding vanilla, smoke, mocha, and softening tannins over months.
Concrete and amphora are increasingly popular — some texture and oxygen exchange like oak, but no wood flavor.
A typical Argentine icon Malbec spends 18–24 months in oak plus another 6 months in the bottle. From harvest to release: about two and a half years.
