🏷️ Oak ageing
Wine matures in oak barrels and gains aromas of vanilla, toast and spice.
Oak ageing is the maturing of wine in oak barrels. The wine picks up aromas of vanilla, toast and spice from the wood and becomes softer.
Why oak? It is dense but lets in a little air. A very small amount of oxygen enters the wine through the wood, which softens tannins. Compounds from the wood pass into the wine and give vanilla, roasted nut, coconut and spice. The flavour depends on the barrel's toast: the heavier the toast, the more noticeable the toasty note. It also depends on where the oak is from and whether the barrel is new or used.
Most often wine is aged in barriques, barrels of 225 litres. A cheaper alternative is oak chips, which are added to a tank. Oak ageing does not suit every wine: for light, aromatic whites it may be too much. For reds and some Chardonnay whites it is seen as a standard step. The term is tied to the general idea of wine ageing and to barrel making.
How it connects to Wine
🏷️ Oak ageing ← then ← 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🍷 Wine
How it connects to Spirits
🏷️ Oak ageing → kind of → ⚗️ How spirits are made → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🏷️ Barrique, 🍷 Barrel toasting
- Previous step
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🥃 Hors d'âge cognac
- Part of
- 🏷️ Aging of wine, ⚗️ How spirits are made
- Similar and different
- 🏷️ Aging of wine, 🏷️ Barrique
- In other topics
- 🥃 Straight bourbon whiskey, 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Straight rye whiskey, 🥃 Corn whiskey, 🥃 Tequila classes, 🥃 Cask Strength Whisky, 🥃 Irish Grain Whiskey, 🥃 Burgas Muscat Rakia (Bourgaska Muscatova rakya), 🥃 Loveshka slivova rakya, 🥃 Troyanska slivova rakya
Frequently asked questions
What does oak give to wine?
Aromas of vanilla, toast and spice, and softness.
What is a barrique?
An oak barrel of 225 litres.
How do chips differ from barrels?
Chips are a cheap substitute, simply added to a tank of wine.
What to read next
- 🥃 Straight bourbon whiskey — Straight bourbon whiskey is bourbon aged at least 2 years in new charred oak barrels, with no colouring, flavouring or neutral spirits added. Look for “straight” on the label.
- 🍷 Barrel toasting — Heating an oak barrel from the inside over a fire, which bends the staves and gives the wine vanilla, toasty and smoky notes.
- 🥃 Loveshka slivova rakya — Loveshka slivova rakya is a Bulgarian plum brandy with an EU PGI from Lovech municipality: Stanley and Burya plums in equal parts, without stones, K5 column still, at least 2 years in oak, from 38% ABV.
- 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky — Single Grain Scotch Whisky is Scotch from one distillery that is neither single malt nor blended: malted barley with wheat or maize, usually column-distilled, 3+ years in oak, 40% ABV or more.
- 🥃 Straight rye whiskey — Rye whiskey to the US standard: at least 51% rye in the mash, aged 2+ years in new charred oak barrels, no additives, bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV) or more. Plain “rye” has no minimum age.
Similar
🏷️ Solera · 🏷️ Bottle ageing · 🏷️ Biological ageing · 🏷️ Spanish ageing categories · 🏷️ Oxidative ageing
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.