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Weekend Wine Word - Barrel

Posted: November 21, 2008
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Author: James DeRosa
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Filed under: Weekend Wine Word
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Tags: barrel, fermentation, oak, storage

A barrel (also known as a cask) is a cylindrical container, usually made of wood staves and bound with iron hoops. The term “barrel” typically refers to wooden vessels that are small enough to be moved by hand, up to puncheon size. Someone who makes wooden, iron-bound barrels is known as a cooper. Barrels can also be made of aluminum and plastic but are not as popular as wooden ones when it comes to making wine.

Oak Wine Barrels

Oak is used when making wine barrels. The use of oak in wine plays a significant role in winemaking and can have a profound effect on the resulting wine, impacting the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of the wine. Oak usually comes in contact with wine in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods. It can be introduced to the wine in the form of free floating oak chips or as wood staves (or sticks) added to wine in a fermentation vessel like stainless steel. Oak introduced in the form of a wine barrel can impart other qualities to the wine through the process of evaporation and low-level exposure to oxygen.

Creovino!

Weekend Wine Word - Barrel

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