Why should wine be brewed in oak barrels?

Incubating in oak barrels for a wine that has a delicious taste like a premium wine, is not shocking. That’s also the reason oak barrels are the most popular wine incubating until now

Origin of oak barrels

The oak barrel was invented about 2000 years ago by the Romans. The first wine to be aged in oak barrels is wine.

The quality of oak barrels depends mainly on two factors: the age of the wood and the origin of the wood.

Age: The best age to harvest oak for making casks is 80-120 years when the grain is mature enough.

Origin: The best oak wood is imported from France and America.

French oak is grown mainly in Central and Southwestern forests such as Allier, Limousin, Nevers, Troncais, and the Vosges. When incubating wine, French oak is sweet and has a clear vanilla aroma. Because French oak has a strong grain and is easy to split along the grain, doesn’t need to saw. So the wine is toughed along the grain and has a strong vanilla aroma.

American oak is grown mainly in the northern regions such as Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. When incubating American oak wine has an intenser taste due to the 3-4 times higher amount of lactic acid in the stem. When processing American oak, it is usually sawed into small bars. At this point, the wine is more toughed to the lactic acid in the wood.

In Vietnam, the majority of oak barrels originated from the US and Russia, processed according to European technology.

The wines are usually soaked in oak barrels such as Rum, Whiskey, Sake. In our country, oak barrels are also used to soak rice wine, wine, ginseng wine…

Why should wine be soaked in oak barrels?

Oak barrels have been favored for soaking for thousands of years. And so far, there is no more optimal item to replace it. So why is that?

Soaked wine in oak barrels for a better taste

Oakwood contains organic compounds such as tannins and fusel oils that help accelerate the aging process of wine. Soaking wine after a while will have a delicious taste and eye-catching color. The different aging times is depending on the type of wine.

Wines soaked in oak barrels smell like smoke, toast, or vanilla. Because the inside of the wooden barrel is lightly burned before aging, it helps to convert the organic matter from the wood to the wine faster.

Reliability

Oak is a wood that can withstand high compressive forces, so it also has a much longer life than barrels made of other woods.

Environmental friendliness

Ordinary wine barrels need to use glue or beeswax to attach the wooden panels, which can affect the flavor of the wine. There is no need for standard oak barrels, so they are very eco-friendly.

Bringing luxury and class beauty

It can be seen that the oak barrels have a very luxurious appearance. It enhances the beauty and class of the house.

Oak barrels make the wine taste better