🏷️ Oak ageing

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.