Barrel and Bottle:
How Wine Ages at Henry of Pelham
Whether it’s a rich red or a structured white, aging plays a key role in how our wines evolve in both barrel and bottle. From the type of oak we use to the balance of acidity, tannin, and fruit, each choice we make in the vineyard and cellar contributes to the wine’s ability to develop complexity and character over time. Here’s a look at how aging works and what makes a wine worth waiting for.
The Role of Oak: More Than Just a Container
Aging wine in oak barrels is about far more than tradition. At Henry of Pelham, oak is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape a wine’s flavour, texture, and age-worthiness.
We use a combination of French and American oak, both new and previously used (also known as "neutral oak"), depending on the wine and the vintage.
- French Oak tends to impart more subtle, refined flavours like baking spice, cedar, or toast, and it enhances the wine’s structure without overpowering its fruit character. At Henry of Pelham we use French Oak in our chardonnay production, building complexity and texture that does not overpower the wine.
- American Oak is bolder, lending notes of vanilla, coconut, and sweet spice. It can be a beautiful match for fuller-bodied reds like our Baco Noir. This wine is aged in new and 1-2 yr old American Oak barriques and 5000L Oak foudres for a combined 12 months.
- New Oak offers more pronounced flavour and texture. When wine is aged in new oak barrels, the tannins in the wood leach into the wine, influencing its characteristics.
- Neutral Oak (used barrels) offers less flavour influence but still allows slow oxygen exposure, softening the wine over time and letting its own personality shine. These barrels are ideal for chardonnays that want less oak influence but a more mellowed structure.
By carefully selecting the type of oak, how long the wine rests in barrel, and whether we use new or old barrels, we guide each wine toward its ideal expression.
What Makes a Wine Ageable?
Not every wine is meant to sit in a cellar for years. But some wines, many of which are part of our portfolio, are built to improve with time. So, what gives a wine aging potential?
It comes down to structure and the balance between:
- Tannin: Found in red wine from grape skins and oak, tannins act as a natural preservative and soften over time, creating a smoother mouthfeel.
- Acidity: Wines with good acidity age more gracefully. Acidity keeps a wine fresh as it matures and prevents it from becoming flat or tired.
- Alcohol: Moderate to high alcohol can support aging, but too much can throw the wine out of balance if not matched by other structural elements.
- Fruit Concentration: Bold, concentrated fruit flavours are more likely to develop into interesting secondary and tertiary notes (like leather, dried fruit, or forest floor) over time.
At Henry of Pelham, many of our estate-grown reds and barrel-aged Chardonnays are crafted with this balance in mind. These are wines that drink beautifully now, but with patience, can evolve into something even more layered and expressive.
At Henry of Pelham, we craft wines with aging in mind, but also with balance, so they can be enjoyed now or later. From the decisions we make in the barrel cellar to the care taken in bottling, our goal is to create wines that tell a deeper story with every passing year.
So whether you’re popping a cork tonight or setting a bottle aside for a milestone moment, you’re experiencing a piece of that story, one that evolves with time, just like the wine itself.
BOOK YOUR OWN EVENT
Birthday party? Bridal shower? Business meeting? Be the host with the most.
Intimate spaces for special occasions
Henry of Pelham offers several spaces for formal and informal events and meetings, with room for up to 30 people. We've helped host anniversaries, office parties, showers, birthdays, annual general meetings and more. Our light-filled ballroom, which is also a beautiful gallery space featuring work from Canadian artists, is a bright venue for daytime events and an elegant room to host evening gatherings. Our barrel cellar is a cool retreat from the summer heat and cozy space for fall and winter events for smaller groups. Catering is available from the Coach House Café.
And with anything from Henry's wine list available to event organizers, the drinks are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers.
WHEN:
September 25-26, 2017
TIME:
1 -4 p.m.
COST:
1 -4 p.m.
JOIN CLUB HENRY.
A Classic membership gets you complimentary tastings for two on every visit to the winery, 15% off regularly priced non-wine items in our retail store, and advance notice of special release wines, events and contests—all for free! We'll even mail you a membership card.
