When I first started getting in to wine, I remember being so confused as to why people were SO obsessed with the way a wine was aged.
What does it matter if they were aging wine in oak or stainless steel or concrete or plastic baggies?!
Apparently it matters a lot.
One of the first things they teach you when you start to dive into the mechanics of wine is how the way wine is aged can actually have an impact on the final flavor!
WHY AGING WINE IN OAK IS SIGNIFICANT
One of the reasons why aging wine in oak is so important is because wood is naturally porous.
This means that while the wine is sitting in there, it’s slowly incorporating bits of oxygen into the wine which helps develop the flavor and makes the wine smoother.
Aging wine in oak typically goes with red wine, but white wine such as Chardonnay (especially in CA) is known for being aged in oak, although that trend is becoming less popular recently.
The alternative is aging wine in non-porous containers such as stainless steel which will make a more crisp wine. This is usually used for whites such as Sauvignon Blanc where you want to keep the ripe flavors.
Another option that is quite common is to start the wine out in stainless tanks and then transfer them to oak for an allotted period of time to get the perfect balance of flavor.
So what flavors can you expect from aging wine in oak?
Most commonly, oak add flavors of vanilla, toast, baking spices, wood (duh) and even sometimes coconut!
NEW OAK VS NEUTRAL OAK
When you hear that wine is aged in “new oak,” this means that the wine is being added to a barrel that has never been used before.
Because of this, the wine is going to soak up all the flavors of that fresh wood which will impact the flavor more.
Neutral oak means that the wine has been aged in a barrel that has been used before. A barrel is usually considered neutral after just a few uses and will not add much extra flavor to the wine.
Why use neutral oak then if it’s not adding flavor?
You still get the benefits of oxidizing the wine! A lot of wineries will age their wine in a combination of new and neutral oak to get that nice consistency in flavor.
OTHER THOUGHTS
If you want to get even more technical, different species of oak from different parts of the world will naturally impart different flavors and more or less oxygen depending on the tightness of grain.
The most popular (and most expensive) oak barrels are made in France. Oak barrels from the USA and Hungary are also very popular.
Because of how much work it takes to make a wine barrel as well as the limited resources, a new French oak barrel goes for around $1200. Think about that next time you see rows and rows of them lined up in your favorite winery!
Are you a fan of oaked wines? Bet you never thought you’d care so much about the importance of trees in wine making!
Next time you’re wine tasting, be sure to ask what region they get their barrels from 😉
