Refinement, a question of style

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In the creation of a wine, the fermentation phase is as important as the post-fermentation phase.
At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, a series of processes begin that allow the product to reveal its aromatic potential, to find its organoleptic balance and its own “personality”.
Malolactic fermentation and the use of tannins as well as other refining aids contribute to the evolution of the product, shaping the wine according to a canon of style and taste and representing, ultimately, the producer's signature.
Far from being a simple (inter)mezzo, aging reveals itself to be a real moment of growth that has become crucial in recent years, a symptom of belonging to one school of thought or another – just think of the debate barrique versus barrel, drinkability versus long-term aging, which characterized the revolt of the Barolo Boys at the end of the 1980s.

From the mid-90s until today the wine world has been overwhelmed by a real cultural revolution, which has seen the transition from a concept of winemaking “subtractive” to that of oenology “additional”.
The “subtractive” philosophy aimed to eliminate everything that was potentially unstable in the wine, to favor conservation, and in general everything that was excessive even at an organoleptic/gustatory level (excess color, tannicity, acidity, etc.).
The main weapon of subtractive oenology is clarification, which serves to improve the wine's clarity and filterability, but above all allows the removal of unwanted or excess substances.
This modus operandi, which guaranteed an effective stability of the wine, however led in most cases to a flattening of the quality level and depersonalization of the product.

In order to protect the quality of the wine over time, most of the varietal and territorial differences were practically eliminated, making the finished product uniform and anonymous.
Additional oenology is instead characterized by the desire to maintain, as far as possible, some constituent elements of the wine thanks to the contribution of other components.
This process is carried out both through technological processes (skin maceration, pre-fermentation maceration, prolonged maceration of red grapes, refinement sur lie, etc.), both thanks to the contribution of external components (enological tannins, yeast derivatives, etc.).
To use a simile, we could say that given a rough wooden surface there are two ways to make it smooth: sand it by eliminating the excess ridges (subtractive oenology) or fill the pits with resins and fillers (additive oenology).
The additional oenology, today widely used for the production of medium-high range wines, would never have been possible without the great leap forward made by grape processing technology.
Soft presses, delicate destemmers, newly designed winemakers are just some of the tools that have enabled this revolution.
Their effectiveness, however, would have been insufficient without the significant progress in viticulture, capable today of bringing mature and balanced grapes to the cellar.

The philosophy that arises from the “additional” approach has thus allowed a greater qualitative differentiation of wines, also allowing small producers to emerge, enhancing the territorial typicality and the expertise of the winemakers.
Today, the concept of wine as a product resulting from a wise management of the grapes through fermentation processes combined with an ability to interpret the potential of the young product and subsequent treatments during the evolution and refinement phase is widely accepted. This has led the world of winemaking to reflect.
Considerations that not too long ago seemed abstract are now shared by the majority of technicians in the sector.

THEoxygen itself, previously considered an enemy from which to protect oneself in every possible way, is today often considered in a positive light in evolution and refinement strategies.
It has been discovered that several molecules such as tannins, anthocyanins, sulphur compounds – once considered harmful to wine – if associated with a wise and careful management of oxygen, they can instead evolve into more complex compounds, acquiring stability over time and contributing to a increase in structure, softness and organoleptic complexity of the wines.
The technique of microoxygenation It thus not only allows for the resolution of some problems related to the aromatic balance of wines (for example, aromatic closure-reduction), but also and above all allows for a more careful and rational management of the refinement by integrating into the structure of the wine those less stable substances that would otherwise have to be removed with clarification processes.

The evolution of taste towards softer, velvety and complex sensations has led to an increase in attention towards wine refinement processes.
Over time, it has therefore acquired an increasingly important role and oenological science has also evolved in consideration of this specific phase of the winemaking process, developing new technologies linked to the use of tannins, alternative woods (read article) and also of yeast derivatives used to integrate or replace the refinement sur lie.
This winemaking technique, often confused with the actual refinement of a wine, represents only one aspect of it.

But what exactly is theaging sur lie?
This is a technique initially adopted in some areas of France (Burgundy, Loire) for the conservation and evolution of both white and red wines.
Consists in keep the wine in contact with the sediment of dead yeasts at the end of alcoholic fermentation (fine lees) for a period that can vary from a few months to a year.
The dead yeast cells at the end of fermentation begin a process of autolysis (self-digestion) which leads to the partial breakdown of the cellular part of the yeast which is rich in mannoproteins, mannans and other polysaccharides which play an important role both at the organoleptic level and at the level of stabilization of the wine.

As autolysis progresses, other cellular components such as polypeptides (small portions of proteins) and nucleic acids are also released into the wine, which play a very important role in the taste component of the wine.
The refinement sur lie It is a complex, demanding and not risk-free technique – for example, it can induce malolactic fermentation in wines where this is not desired.
Therefore it cannot be widely used. Furthermore, there is no way to separate the various effects and use only those that are really necessary for the individual wine.
Oenological and biotechnological research has made the advantages of refinement available sur lie for all wineries, minimizing the risks associated with the technique.
In fact, there are many biotechnological products derived from yeast that can achieve different effects on the treated wine, contributing significantly to the qualitative increase of the wine.

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