1.   As red wine matures, tannin softens and it becomes more balanced and drinkable.

2.   It also provides some cash flow to the winery that normally would have to wait for the red wine to mature.

3.   The best German wines mature as well as or better than many Burgundies and clarets.

4.   Wine matures in the bottle because of the oxygen that is found in the wine itself and in the small space between the wine and the cork.

5.   Futures are sold while the wine is still maturing in the barrel or, in rare instances, while the grapes are still on the vine.