The process of aging or maturing cheese, wine, or other products to develop flavor and quality; the period during which this process occurs.
From French affinage, derived from affiner 'to refine or perfect,' which comes from Latin ad- 'to' + finīre 'to finish.' The term is especially used in French cheesemaking and winemaking to describe the careful aging process.
Master cheesemakers treat affinage like an art form—a French Comté cheese might spend two years in a cave where a specialist (called an affineur) turns and tends it daily, and the final cheese can cost hundreds of dollars because of this careful aging process.
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