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Contact usWine aging techniques: wood, concrete, and terracotta
What is wine aging?
Wine aging is a crucial phase in the winemaking process, following fermentation. The aging process allows the wine to mature, improving its taste, aroma, and structure, while harmonizing all of its components.
Aging has a profound impact on a wine’s characteristics, resulting in a softer and more complex taste, more developed and refined aromas, and rounder, less aggressive tannins.
What are the main wine aging techniques?
Among the main techniques are aging in concrete, wood, and terracotta amphorae — each contributing uniquely to the final result of the wine.
The length of the aging process depends on the type of wine. For young wines, a few months may be sufficient, whereas for more important wines, the period can be significantly longer. The aging of a Chianti Classico Riserva, for example, lasts at least 24 months, as established by the Chianti Classico Consortium regulations, but can extend to 30–36 months.
Wine aging in wood
Aging in wood, especially in oak barrels, is a traditional practice that gives the wine complexity, smoothness, and structure. Wood has a natural porosity that allows for micro-oxygenation, but unlike concrete, the staves release toasted and spicy aromas that enrich the wine’s profile.
This process — ideal for full-bodied red wines and complex whites — also enhances tannic structure and roundness. Key factors that influence the final result include the type of wood, the size of the barrel (the smaller the barrel, the greater the aromatic impact), its age, and the length of aging.
Wood aging for Chianti Classico Riserva and Gran Selezione
For wood aging in the historic cellars of Villa Le Corti, we use various types of barrels. Cortevecchia, our Chianti Classico Riserva, is aged in large, untoasted French oak barrels with a capacity of 25 hl. Don Tommaso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is aged in second- or third-use tonneaux of 5.6 or 7 hl, while Zac Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is aged in second- or third-use barriques.
The choice to use “used” barriques and tonneaux allows us to produce wines that truly express the terroir and varietal characteristics of our grapes.
Wine aging in concrete
Concrete, being a porous material, allows for micro-oxygenation that promotes balanced maturation of the wine without significantly altering its aromatic profile.
There are two types of concrete vats: coated concrete and raw concrete. Coated concrete vats, lined with fiberglass, are more inert and provide less micro-oxygenation. Raw concrete vats, on the other hand, enable longer aging while preserving the authenticity of the wine and terroir, with greater oxygen exchange — ideal for wines with long aging potential.
Concrete aging at Villa Le Corti
At Villa Le Corti, we use both types of concrete vats for aging: fiberglass-coated concrete vats with a capacity of 150 hl for Le Corti, our Chianti Classico “Annata,” and since 2022, raw concrete vats in which we complete the aging of our two Gran Selezione wines, Don Tommaso and Zac. These wines, after long aging in wooden barrels, rest in concrete for a few months as the final step before bottling.
In general, concrete provides a stable environment for wine aging and is also one of the most cost-effective materials.
Wine aging in terracotta for Fico
Aging in terracotta amphorae is an ancient practice that is making a comeback, especially for biodynamic wines. Thanks to its porosity, terracotta allows for micro-oxygenation similar to that of wood, but without imparting its own aromatic notes.
Wine aged in amphora maintains a strong connection to the terroir and develops a purity that reflects the authentic character of the grape and the land. This method is especially suitable for those seeking pure wines not influenced by external materials. Because of its respect for the intrinsic characteristics of wine, we chose two terracotta amphorae from the Trentino-based company Tava, which we use for the final months of aging for Fico IGT Toscana Sangiovese.
