As wine lovers, we all know how important oak barrels are to wine. Even some people at the extreme end of the spectrum think that wine from oak barrels is bad. This view is certainly not entirely correct, but it does show the importance of oak barrels. For thousands of years, oak barrels have been used to ferment, store, and transport wine as it was born. Today, let’s discuss the impact of barrel size on wine and the differences between new and used barrels.
In order to discuss the effect of barrel size on wine, we must first discuss the role of oak barrels in winemaking so that we can use size-related factors (such as contact area) to extrapolate reasonable results.
The first function of oak barrels in winemaking is that the wine undergoes a slow and subtle oxidation. During this process, oxygen enters the wine through the crevices of the barrel and softens the tannins. Secondly, in the contact between the barrel and the wine, the flavouring substances of the oak blend and exchange with those in the wine, giving the final wine a more complex taste and rich aromas.
Therefore, from the above-mentioned function, the contact area of the barrel becomes very important. In the case of oversized barrels, although the barrel’s interior surface area is larger than that of a small barrel, it also contains more wine and the ratio of the barrel’s interior surface area to the amount of wine will be small. We can deduce that, in fact, the wine in a large barrel has less exposure to oak.
Likewise, we know for a fact that smaller barrels have more access to oak than larger barrels. Of course, infinitely small is not infinitely good. There is always a need to have the right size to best meet the needs of winemaking. Generally speaking, after so many years of winemaking experience, most winemakers choose the 225 liter barrels commonly used in Bordeaux (228 liter in Burgundy) to store and mature their wines to better capture the important role oak plays in wine. Around the world, barrels with a capacity of about 250 liters have become the standard.
Based on the above reasoning process, we can also deduce the difference in the impact of old barrels and new barrels on wine. Old barrels are soaked in white wine for a long time, and the oak aroma gradually disappears year after year, while new barrels are more suitable for winemaking due to their rich aroma than old barrels. Generally speaking, oak barrels can maintain a strong aroma for the first three years, and after three years, it may only satisfy the role of ventilation and oxidation.
In some winemakers’ practices, a certain percentage of the wine is stored in new barrels and the rest in old barrels where the aromas have disappeared, and then the two are blended to obtain the desired flavor. Of course, adding oak sticks, oak chips, oak powder, or even oak extract is also a method, but it feels a bit opportunistic.
From the above distinctions between large oak barrels, small oak barrels, old oak barrels and new oak barrels, it is easy to see that the cost of making wine from different barrels is different. Small barrels and new barrels are expensive, while large barrels and old barrels are cheap. This is why the price of a wine from the same barrel varies over time.
In addition, there is a unique method of barrel making that we can introduce to you, namely the fluted and square barrel technique of the famous Spanish winery Vasanzo. They use a special tool (similar to a grooving machine) to create grooves in the interior of the barrel, which is equivalent to a large increase in the contact area of the liquid in thin air. As a result, the wines of the Vaillantes de Sanssou have the same effect in barrels for six months (6 months) as those of other wineries for 8-12 months. There is also the square barrel technique. They make the barrels square. All oak staves can be replaced once every few years, saving the cost of throwing away old barrels and facilitating the barrel-making process.
