What type of oak is used in wine barrels?

American White Oak
American Oak There are many types of oak trees in America, but the species used for oaking wine is American White Oak (Quercus alba). Quercus alba grows throughout the Eastern US and is commonly found in Missouri. American cooperages predominantly produce barrels for the Bourbon industry.

What is the best wood for a wine barrel?

Oak
Oak is the gold standard when it comes to making wine barrels. However, not all oak is the same. Most of the wood used to make wine barrels comes from two countries: the United States and France.

Can red oak be used for wine barrels?

Oak is uniquely suited to aging wine because of its tight grain, which means it doesn’t leak, and the flavors it imparts are well understood (and commonly sought by winemakers and consumers).

What does adding oak chips to wine do?

Oak barrel aging also improves a wine by simply adding its own flavor to the wine. The oaks used to produce wine barrels are carefully chosen based on the flavor qualities they posses. There are many different flavor compounds in oak that influence the flavor in wine, the most influential being vanillin.

How much does an oak barrel cost?

An oak barrel can range in price from $900 all the way up to $2,000 depending on if it is made from American Oak or French Oak. An oak barrel will only continue to give your wine that oak flavor for, at most, 8 fills. Over the course of 30 years you can spend, at least, $4,500 replacing that barrel.

What kind of oak is used to make wine?

There are many types of oak trees in America, but the species used for oaking wine is American White Oak (Quercus alba). Quercus alba grows throughout the Eastern US and is commonly found in Missouri.

What kind of trees are used to make wine barrels?

American oak barrels are made in both sizes and hold all types of wine. The most prized oak trees grow in the French forests of Tronçais, Vosges and Nevers, where the forests are cool and dry. This type of environment produces trees with tight rings, which allow the flavors of the oak to come out gradually as the wine is aged.

What kind of wine is in a French oak barrel?

They are are used for many types of wine, but for cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Bordeaux in particular. French oak is also used to make Burgundy barrels, which hold 60.2 gallons, and to age pinot noirs and Burgundies. American oak barrels are made in both sizes and hold all types of wine.

How much does an oak wine barrel cost?

Cost: American Oak barrels cost a minimum of $360-$500 a barrel, depending on quality. Hungarian and Eastern European Oak is the same type of oak tree as French Oak (Quercus robur). More and more Eastern European Oak barrels are being used at wineries for oaking wine.

What kind of wood is used for wine barrels?

In the 19th-century, the very tight-grained Slavonian oak was among the most sought-after wood for large oak barrels and oval vats, especially by producers in northern Italy. But Slavonian oak has taken a backseat in recent years to French oak, which is the standard-bearer for fine wines, and most wines around the world.

Can a French oak tree be used for a wine barrel?

The takeaway here is that only about 25 percent of a French oak tree can be used for a barrel, while in American oak at least 50 percent of the tree is used. In wine: The most tell-tale sign of American oak is the aroma or flavors of banana, coconut or pronounced vanillin. Additionally, you might pick up brown sugar and cream soda notes.