new ▁wine " ▁( ). ▁The ▁Greek ▁phys ician ▁Gal en ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁" t aste " ▁of ▁aged ▁wine ▁was ▁des irable ▁and ▁that ▁this ▁could ▁be ▁accomplished ▁by ▁he ating ▁or ▁sm oking ▁the ▁wine , ▁though , ▁in ▁Gal en ' s ▁opinion , ▁these ▁artificial ly ▁aged ▁w ines ▁were ▁not ▁as ▁health y ▁to ▁consume ▁as ▁naturally ▁aged ▁w ines . ▁ ▁Following ▁the ▁Fall ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire , ▁appreci ation ▁for ▁aged ▁wine ▁was ▁virt ually ▁non - ex istent . ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁w ines ▁produced ▁in ▁northern ▁Europe ▁were ▁light ▁bod ied , ▁pale ▁in ▁color ▁and ▁with ▁low ▁alco hol . ▁These ▁w ines ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁much ▁ag ing ▁potential ▁and ▁bare ly ▁last ed ▁a ▁few ▁months ▁before ▁they ▁rapidly ▁d eter ior ated ▁into ▁vin eg ar . ▁The ▁older ▁a ▁wine ▁got ▁the ▁che aper ▁its ▁price ▁became ▁as ▁mer ch ants ▁eager ly ▁sought ▁to ▁rid ▁themselves ▁of ▁ag ing ▁wine . ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁swe eter ▁and ▁more ▁alco hol ic ▁w ines ▁( like ▁Mal m sey ▁and ▁S ack ) ▁were ▁being ▁made ▁in ▁the ▁Mediter rane an ▁and ▁gain ing ▁attention ▁for ▁their ▁ag ing ▁ability . ▁Similarly , ▁R ies ling ▁from ▁Germany ▁with ▁its ▁combination ▁of ▁acid ity ▁and ▁sugar ▁were ▁also ▁demonstr ating ▁their ▁ability ▁to ▁age . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁two ▁innov ations ▁occurred ▁that ▁rad ically ▁changed ▁the