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 some of these cultures in a "hug" attitude. When the Romans met the Gauls, they found that they used wooden barrels to transport beer, while the wooden boards were tied together with metal hoops.

The Romans also learned about the early civilization using palm barrels to transport wine. Greek historians noted that ancient Mesopotamians used palm barrels to transport wine along the Euphrates River. Nevertheless, before they met the Gauls, amphora had always been the first choice for the Romans to transport wine.



So what makes oak stand out and gradually replace palm wood?

For many reasons, oak has become the material of choice for wooden barrels. First of all, oak is softer, which means that it requires less baking and can be bent into a traditional barrel shape more easily than palm wood. This ease of use means that the total production time of oak barrels is significantly reduced compared to palm barrels. In addition, oak used to be a very rich resource in the forests of the European continent, which means that the production of oak barrels requires less transportation costs. Finally, oak has a tight texture and is a water-tight storage medium.



By the first century BC, the wine trade spread throughout the Mediterranean. At this time, the Romans began to realize that the quality of wine stored in oak barrels for a long time would change: these oak barrels gave the wine a new and pleasant quality.

They wrote: Oak contact makes wine softer and smoother, and for some wines, oak also improves their taste. Over time, wine merchants, wineries and the army have found that the longer the wine stays in oak barrels, the more good quality oak gives the wine, which gradually established the status of oak barrels in winemaking.

Part 2 "Forest"

Generally speaking, there are three main sources of wood for the production of oak barrels: France, the United States, and several countries in central and eastern Europe.


Quercus Alba

In the United States, the oak species used to make oak barrels is American white oak (Quercus Alba), while in France and most of Central/Eastern Europe, the species is sessile oak (Quercus Patraea).

https://www.gezhuo.com/wooden-wine-barrel

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