60. Wine Tasting Series: - Lees Ageing in Wine: What It Is, Who Uses It, and Why It Matters

Wine Educate: Wine Tasting, Wine Tips, Wine Enthusiast, WSET

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Episode Summary In this episode, Joanne dives into the concept of lees aging—a winemaking technique that can add texture, flavor, and complexity to a wine. You’ll learn what lees are, what autolysis means, and how lees contact shows up in both still and sparkling wines.

Joanne also covers why some winemakers use lees aging and why others avoid it, depending on the wine’s intended style. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what to look for in the glass and how to taste the difference for yourself.

In This Episode:

• What lees are and how they form during fermentation

• The process of yeast autolysis and what it does to wine

• Three key impacts lees aging has: added body, flavor, and stability

• Why winemakers choose to age wines on the lees

• Examples of wine styles that do and do not use lees aging

• A side-by-side tasting recommendation:

  • Without lees contact: Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough or Pinot Grigio

  • With lees contact: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Sur Lie” from the Loire Valley

Tasting Series Reminder This is tasting exercise number nine in the summer mini-series. You can download the full tasting sheet with prompts and guided questions from the newsletter at: www.wineeducate.com/newsletter-signup

Next week’s episode will be the final tasting in this 10-part series, and then we’ll shift gears to cover more WSET Level 3 material.

Thank you for listening to the Wine Educate Podcast. Until next time!