To top up

To top up means to add liquid to a container to fill it to the top. In the case of wine, this is done to eliminate the spacing of air that could cause oxidation. Actually, the wine stored in a barrel gradually evaporates due to the porosity of the wood, so occasionally the barrels are topped up with wine (of course the same vintage, the same grape variety, and the same vineyard) to prevent air from mixing of entering it.

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