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Why are oak barrels? The history, types and basic ingredients of oak barrels

For 2,000 more than years, oak barrels have been the production, wine transportation and closely related to maturation of . Originally , oak barrels were only containers used by wine merchants to transport finished wines , and its ability to mature wine and affect its flavor was actually discovered accidentally during transportation. Some choices related to oak during the brewing process often have a significant impact on the style of the wine. However, the question is not only as simple as whether to use it or not, but also often involves: Where is the origin of the oak used? How toasted is the oak? New or old? Big or small? Wait for a series of questions. The journey of oak barrels from forest to wine cellar is often little known. It is an intricate story, a story about nature, craftsmanship and science. Part 1 "History" With the expansion of the Roman Empire on a global scale, it came into contact with many different cultures, and the Romans chose to embrace so

After 5 years, this Chinese whisky distillery released the world’s first rice wine barrel

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  "The biggest difference between this time and the last time is that all the equipment is here, and the factory has gradually shifted from the overall equipment debugging to the production feed." After half a year, Weijiu entered the Laizhou Distillery again. This time this production capacity has completely unveiled the mystery of the world's top whisky distillery. On October 19th, the Laizhou Kaiyuan Barrel Filling Ceremony with the theme of "Laozhou·Future Has Been" was held in the factory area of ​​Laizhou Distillery. It is worth noting that the first batch of yellow wine barrels of Laizhou Distillery were officially filled, which is the first innovation in the world. Some people in the industry believe that the combination of rice wine barrels and whiskey not only opened the first year of Laizhou whiskey, but also marked the creative integration of Laizhou whiskey and Chinese culture, and represented Laizhou’s technological innovation and it

Do you know why wine is stored in oak barrels?

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  The fate of oak barrels and wine is not a deliberate arrangement, but an inadvertent encounter, and this encounter has to be talked about two thousand years ago. At that time, the Romans were expanding the territory of the Roman Empire on a large scale in Europe. During the march, they not only needed to carry a lot of food and weapons, but also a lot of wine, because under the conditions at the time, drinking wine was not only safer than drinking water directly, but also provided calories for marching soldiers. At that time, people often used amphora to transport wine over long distances, and occasionally palm barrels from Mesopotamia. Clay pots are made of clay. Although they have good sealing properties, they are heavy and not easy to carry; while palm barrels are lighter, but palms are not easy to bend and are expensive to manufacture. With the expansion of the Roman Empire, neither of the above-mentioned containers can meet the needs of so

The effect of oak on wine taste

  Oak trees have two growing seasons a year, in spring and summer. The slower the oak tree's growth rate, the tighter its texture. In general, in Europe, where the climate is cooler, the texture of oak will be more compact; while in the warmer United States, the texture of oak will be looser. The wine's contact with these texture loops determines what kind of taste and aroma, as well as the tannins of the wood, will be "passed" into the wine.  Generally speaking, loose-grained American oak will give wine a more "aggressive" aroma, such as the typical vanilla or cumin flavor. The tight-grained oak (French oak), due to the more denser and denser annual ring in contact with the wine, will bring more tannins to the wine, as well as some more subtle creamy and caramel flavors. Winemakers will choose French oak or American oak based on the style trend they want. For example, Silver Oak Winery in Napa Valley, California uses 100% American oak barrels

What did oak barrels do to wine?

The use of oak barrels by humans can be traced back to the 5th century BC, when the ancient Celts creatively made oak into wooden barrels to store water and ale and other liquids. In the dark Middle Ages, after the craftsmanship of oak barrels spread to Western Europe, it naturally became the first choice for Europeans to store wine. Sealed oak barrels are ideal for the transportation of wine. They are not only large in capacity, easy to move, strong in structure, but also reusable.  For thousands of years, the identity of oak barrels was merely a container for storing and transporting wine; but in the last 100 years, people began to care about the impact of oak barrels on the taste and maturation of wine. For a while, "oak barrel aging" has become a very important part of the entire winemaking process, and not only the winemaker, even ordinary consumers will be very concerned about the role of oak barrels. "Before the 20th century, oak flavour had always