A guard wine is kept for a few years for a few years at sometimes over 20 years. The objective is to ensure the aging of wine to reveal its aromatic profile. But not all wines are able to age, and childcare wines have their own characteristics.
What are the characteristics of guard wine?
A guard wine, whether it is a red wine, a white wine, or a rosé wine, is distinguished by its grape variety, its terroir, its vintage, but also the work of winemaker. There is not a wine of childcare, but several types of childcare wines.
The grape variety of wines
Certain varieties of grapes are more conducive to producing guard wines. Thus, each color of wine has more capables capable of age.
- The grape varieties of red guard wines: these are the most rich and acidity grape varieties, such as Syrah, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Malbec or Tannat that will give red guard wines;
- The grape varieties of white guard wines: grape varieties rich in aromas will be preferred, such as riesling or white Chenin;
- The grape varieties of rosé guard wines: if most pink wines are consumed in the year, certain grape varieties allow a longer guard time, as is the case of Mourvèdre, which gives a refined and structuring rosé wine.
The terroir of guard wines
In general, the terroir has a major influence on all wines, and especially for childcare wines. Thus, even if sometimes the grape variety is not conducive to the aging of wine, the quality of the terroir can intervene and make it possible to age a long guard wine. This is, for example, the case of red wines from Burgundy made from Pinot Noir.
Concretely, the more dense the soil, the more the water can infiltrate it and increase the concentration of nutrients. The vines will then be intensely fed, which will have an impact on the sugar and tannin content. The clay-limestone, limestone and clay soils are particularly famous for giving wines.
The vintage of guard wines
All years do not give the same quality of wine. Thus, good years - good vintages - will be more able to age. This explains, among other things, the price of the biggest vintages. A happy new year will especially depend on the climate and the weather, and an excellent vintage will offer complex tastes very popular with amateurs.
A year with a fairly cold winter and a sunny summer makes it possible to obtain quality grapes, which influence the content of tannins and sugars of wine. The more a wine is rich, the more it is able to age.
The work of the winemaker
Finally, the ability to age with a wine will also depend on the work of the winemaker. From the care granted to the vine, to the vinification technique, through the harvest, each step influences the quality of the wine, and therefore its childcare potential. The essential step remains the vinification method, which includes:
- Fermentation: the longer the grape skin remains in contact with the juice, the more the wine will be tannic;
- The vinification duration: the higher the wine, the longer it can be kept;
- The addition of sulfites: even if the technique is controversial, it strengthens wine, allowing it a longer guard.
The characteristics of the Côtes de Provence rosé de guard
The Côtes de Provence's designation of origin controlled comes from the region which provides the largest production of rosé wine in France. If most of them have to be young bus, some have a daycare capacity of up to 10 years.
Rosé wines have a particular aromatic palette, easily recognizable. If we are only in the beginnings of rosé guard wine, we can already say that it is complex, and has aromas and typical floral and camphor notes. We also recognize exotic notes, as is the case of the Château des Bertrands, a rosé wine in Côtes de Provence complex.
Far from the rosé that invites itself to the barbecues in summer, we imagine with greedy a pink guard wine to accompany an exotic sweet and savory dish, or a Provencal cuisine.
The pink guard wine is essential where we did not expect it, and we can now say that it has everything of a large red or white wine.
