🍷 Wooden vat
A large open wooden vat for fermenting red wine.
A wooden vat is a large open wooden vessel in which red wine ferments. It usually has the shape of a truncated cone, with a wide base and a narrow top. Vats are made of oak, and their volume can range from a few hundred litres to several thousand.
The vat is open on top, and a "cap" collects on the surface: a layer of skins and seeds lifted by fermentation gas. To give the wine colour and tannin, the cap is pushed down from time to time, by hand or by a machine. This is called punch-down, or pigeage. The work is not easy and needs care, because fermenting wine releases carbon dioxide.
Such vats are a traditional method used by many estates. Wood lets in a little air and gently affects taste. Today stainless steel is often used instead of wood, as it is easier to clean. But the wooden vat remains a favourite of those who want to keep an old style and a soft taste.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Wooden vat → kind of → 🍾 Wine containers, glassware and serving → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Punch-down (pigeage)
- Part of
- 🍾 Wine containers, glassware and serving
Frequently asked questions
What is a wooden vat?
A large open wooden vessel in which red wine ferments.
What is pigeage?
Pushing the cap of skins back into the fermenting wine to extract colour and tannin.
How is a wooden vat different from a steel one?
Wood lets in a little air and gently shapes taste, while steel is easier to clean.
Similar
🍷 Concrete vat · 🍷 Canned wine · 🍷 Demijohn · 🍷 Bag-in-box · 🍷 Wine in carton · 🍷 Stainless steel tank