🍷 Pièce (Burgundy barrel)

Pièce (Burgundy barrel) is a 228-litre oak barrel traditional in Burgundy. A pièce is a Burgundian oak barrel of 228 litres. It is the standard barrel size for Burgundy wine. The Bordeaux barrel, the barrique, holds 225 litres. The difference is small, but the shapes differ: the Burgundian one is a little wider and shorter, which affects the ratio of wood to wine.

Wine is aged in such a barrel from a few months to two years. The wood gives the wine tannins and flavours of vanilla, spice and toast, and a little oxygen enters through the pores. As a result the wine becomes softer and more complex. For Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, where elegance matters, French oak with a moderate toast is often used. New barrels are not used for all the wine: part is aged in barrels used once or twice before.

The pièce is a kind of oak barrel and is similar to the barrique. The name often appears in descriptions of Burgundy wines. In other areas barrels of the same size are sometimes called the same. What counts for a barrel is not just volume but the quality of the wood, its age and its toast.