Ancient civilizations used clay amphorae (storage containers) as the main storage medium of choice for transporting oil and wine. But clay was very heavy to transport. So, as Romans began to transport wine, they used oak barrels both for storage and transport.
WineShop At Home says that, “The transition to wooden barrels was swift. In less than two centuries, tens of millions of amphorae were discarded.”
Wine Academy tells us that, “It wasn’t until the 1800s that producers realised their barrels could add flavour, aroma and complexity to their creations.” Wow.
Today, we’re going to explore all the great things oak does to our wine. Thank you to Wine Folly and WineEnthusiast for their help with this article.
How Do Oak Barrels Help Wine?
According to Wine Folly, “Oak offers three major contributions to wine:
- It adds flavor compounds–including aromas of vanilla, clove, smoke and coconut.
- It allows the slow ingress of oxygen–a process which makes wine taste smoother and less astringent.
- It provides a suitable environment for certain metabolic reactions to occur (specifically Malolactic Fermentation)–which makes wines taste creamier.”
How Does the Type and Age of the Barrel Impact the Wine?
Barrels are most commonly made from American white oak and French white oak. American oak is ideal for bolder, more structured wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, whereas European oak, which is denser, is ideal for lighter wines such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.
WineEnthusiast tells us that, “American oak (Quercus alba) imparts rounded notes of vanilla and coconut, while French oak (Quercus robur) brings hazelnut and smokiness. In white wines, particularly Chardonnay, American oak can come across as popcorn and toffee, while French oak results in gentle nuttiness and slight smoke. ”
It’s important to keep in mind that oak flavor extraction is reduced each time it’s used. While a new barrel will impart a lot of character, a used barrel will impart very little. Wine Folly gives us a great list of how some wines are treated:
- Pinot Noir 10 months in used French barriques (means oak barrel) (Raen Winery)
- California Chardonnay 13 months in ~50% new French barriques (Lynmar)
- Bordeaux 12 months in 50% new French barriques (Château Pontac-Lynch Margaux)
- Zinfandel 17 months in 20% new French, American and Hungarian barriques (Carol Shelton)
- Gran Reserva Rioja 24 months in 40% American and 60% French barriques (Valserrano)
Does Size of the Barrel Matter?
The smaller the barrel, the stronger its influence. With a large barrel, the wine receives much less flavor. A foudre is a giant barrel made from French oak.
Tablas Creek, one of my favorite wineries in Paso Robles, CA, says that, “Foudres are not much used for white wines in the Rhone. But for the last five years, we fermented Roussanne and Grenache Blanc in foudre, and have found that we like these lots enough each year to choose them for our Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc. One advantage of using the foudres over stainless steel tanks is that the shape of the barrels and the slight oxygen exposure facilitate aging on the lees, and we typically keep the whites on their lees until they’re blended six months after harvest. Three foudres are reserved for fermenting and ageing white wines (eighteen are reserved for ageing of our red wines).”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk down Barrel Lane 🙂
