Which Oak Is Best For Making Wine?
Oak has been the wine-makers choice for barrels for many years. The use of wood in barrels can be found over 3,000 years ago. The marriage between oak and fine wine was established about 1,000 years ago. The use of oak became more prevalent in France, when the wine-makers had access to forests planted by Napoleon. The timber from these forests was used for ship-building. With the use of other materials in ship-building, these forests became available for other uses. There are five main forests that are harvested for the production of wine barrels. Each forest produces timber with different characteristics that can be exploited in the production of wine. The forests are known as Cosgues, Allier, Nevers, Limousin and Trancois and the current aim in forest management attempts to harvest trees about 200 years old. The tightness of the grain effects the amount of oak flavors that enter the wine.
There is of course American oak that is used in the production of barrels. American oak trees are felled at between sixty and one hundred years old and there does not seem to be any differentiation between the characteristics of timber from different forests. Barrels all over the world are generally made in the traditional French way, however there is often a difference in the way the oak is prepared for use. The French coopers only air dry the oak for up to two years, prior to use, whilst most other coopers kiln dry the timber. It is difficult to understand why one method is better than the other for barrel manufacture, since the end product is dried to the same moisture level, with air drying taking longer. There is also much discussion as to whether the timber should be split or sawn. The French copper only splits the timber. Nevertheless French oak barrels are usually at least double the price of American oak barrels. There are many other oaks used in barrel making, for example, Canadian oak and Hungarian oak.
In order to produce different effects on wine, the inside of the barrels a sometimes fired. When partially completed, the barrel is placed over a wood fire to partially char the inside. Oak barrels are made in sizes ranging from two liters to thousands of liters. It is becoming more common to ferment wines in stainless steel tanks, before being placed into oak barrels for aging. The new oak barrels will also impart more flavor into the wine than older oak barrels, so the wine-makers need to constantly be updating their barrel stock, irrespective of the type of oak used in the barrels.
As can be seen from this information, the type of oak is only a small component, but an important one, affecting the final product. Traditions die hard in the wine industry and perhaps the French oaks still has the wood on the others!
For more information on port and items relating to the consumption of port go to http://enjoyingport.googlepages.com
Wine Making For Beginners
If you are interested in wine making then you need to do a little homework before you get started. Wine making is not something that you can just plunge into and learn along the way, you need to do some research so that you know that you are not missing any vital wine making steps or processes. If you do miss these wine making your wine could very ...
Wine Coolers - Essential Wine Accessory
There are products that are designed to chill wine that are called "wine coolers." Some of these wine coolers are just buckets of ice while others may be expensive electric wine coolers. The other kind of wine cooler is an alcoholic beverage that is made of wine mixed with fruit juice or other beverages. Although I really do like the later form of ...
Wine Making Made Easy
You can start your own wine making right in your own home. Many people make wine in their basements. This practice has been around for many years and continues to grow today with the help of the Internet. Wine making is a hobby for wine enthusiasts who experiment with different types of wine making. If you want to make wine at home, you can buy a k...
An Insight Into Wine Making Juice For Great Home Made Wine
When making wine at home, beginning with the grapes may sound fine to start but unless you have a wine press, this may not be realistic. A wine press can be an expensive item to add to your equipment. Now, you may like to go in this direction to get the real feel of the wine making process. You may have even grown your own grapes but if this is ...
Basic Wine Making Equipment
Wines are usually made in prestigious wineries. However, there are many people who make homemade wines both as a hobby and a small scale business.The most expensive aspect in this hobby is the wine making equipment. Most of the wine making equipment is readily available and can be reused except for corks. One must remember, however, to purchase and...
The Popularity of Fruit Wine Making
The process of making wine requires using fruit, mainly grapes, but for some, fruit wine can branch out to other fruits in order to add variety to their hobby. Depending on your own personal tastes, fruit wine can be made from other fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, or even some wild berries. Although the process of fruit wine making may be f...
Table Wine Classification in Europe
Have you ever been invited to a formal dinner in a restaurant? As you sit at the table, the host or a waiter may pour some wine in the wine glass that is placed on your table. In fact, this wine is served before the food.This is called table wine. A table wine is a light wine that has very low alcohol content, usually around 14% in the US. Here, th...