The rise and fall of the wine barrel
Most of us have a clear idea of what a barrel looks like. This is true even for those who have never given wine a single thought. This is because the barrel is part of our shared consciousness as much as any object in history. The barrel is not a common site today, but until the 20th century it was as ubiquitous as a FedEx envelope is today.
In the days of the Great Ships plying their sails across the oceans, the barrel was the shipping container of choice. The shape makes it easy to move, by either rolling, tipping it up on its edge and then rolling, or even by using a technique of making the barrel bounce. They stacked well, and were used to ship everything from nails to fabric.
A barrel is relatively easy to make. You just take air dried wood and bend it after applying steam or direct heat. You then hold these planks of wood together with a hoop or three, and you have a barrel (my apologies to any coopers out there for over simplifying your artistry).
While wine had been stored in barrels for centuries, the barrels used were neutral, in that they did not impart any real flavor to the wine (except bad flavors from dirty, over used barrels). Then a funny thing happened, or really, a number of things. One of these was a age of experimentation in the 19th century, where everyone was trying everything that was remotely related to science. Another pivotal event was the invention of the steam engine. While not directly related to barrels, it did lead to steel hulled ships, and the demise of the wooden war ship. Without warships to build, the great forests of oak trees in Europe that had been planted and maintained for so long, were no longer were necessary. The oak went to other uses, including making barrels.
Oak wine barrels today are made from dense oak, the same type of oak once used to make sailing ships. These oak barrels and careful experimentation led to the adoption of oak aging wine. It turned out that the right oak allowed the wine to mellow a little, as well as pick up some flavors and in the case of white wines, a little color.
For the next 100 years or so the wine industry (which rarely changes quickly) experimented with oak barrels, finding those that worked best, and narrowing it down to a few forests in France. As well, a specific type of American oak and Eastern European oak was also found to have benefits when used to age wine.
Barrels have some down sides. Not the least of which is cost. A French oak barrel runs about $800 and an American oak barrel is about $300, with the Eastern European type in the middle. Another problem with barrels is that they lose their ability to improve wine with time. The most expensive wines are aged only in new barrels, to impart the most flavor. Most other wineries mix up the number of new barrels with some that are a two or three years old. Finally, the most noticeable problem with barrels is that they can become moldy, especially when stored without wine, and can impart an off flavor to wine (that is all too common).
One of the technical more reasons to use barrels, is that they allow a small amount of air to pass through to the wine, allowing the wine to develop aromas (secondary oxidative aromas) and other character. Storing wine in a steel or concrete vat (the most common types of vats - larger containers for fermenting and storing wine) does not allow the wine to develop these aromas and so the wine does not attain the same level of quality.
Enter 21st century technology. By adding oak chips, or staves (big hunks of wood) or even powdered oak, wine can be given an oaky flavor without the drawbacks of actual barrels. Of course, the wine maker has to be careful about how much oak flavor they add, it is easy to over do it. The transfer of oxygen that barrels add to the process can also be mimicked in a process called Micro-Ox (micro-oxygenation) where oxygen is actually passed through the wine directly.
These technologies allow a winery to short cut a process that usually takes years and costs thousands of dollars, but does it create wines that are as good as those aged in barrels? Certainly large and medium sized wineries think so, they are adopting these techniques in record numbers (adding oak is not legal in Europe). Smaller wineries continue to hand craft wine, but expect to see a steady drop in the use of barrels by wineries that produce moderately priced wines.
If you want to try a wine that has been touched by this new technology, check out the wines of R.H. Phillips. Always one of my favorite producers for value priced wines, they are leading the charge into the future.
In the days of the Great Ships plying their sails across the oceans, the barrel was the shipping container of choice. The shape makes it easy to move, by either rolling, tipping it up on its edge and then rolling, or even by using a technique of making the barrel bounce. They stacked well, and were used to ship everything from nails to fabric.
A barrel is relatively easy to make. You just take air dried wood and bend it after applying steam or direct heat. You then hold these planks of wood together with a hoop or three, and you have a barrel (my apologies to any coopers out there for over simplifying your artistry).
While wine had been stored in barrels for centuries, the barrels used were neutral, in that they did not impart any real flavor to the wine (except bad flavors from dirty, over used barrels). Then a funny thing happened, or really, a number of things. One of these was a age of experimentation in the 19th century, where everyone was trying everything that was remotely related to science. Another pivotal event was the invention of the steam engine. While not directly related to barrels, it did lead to steel hulled ships, and the demise of the wooden war ship. Without warships to build, the great forests of oak trees in Europe that had been planted and maintained for so long, were no longer were necessary. The oak went to other uses, including making barrels.
Oak wine barrels today are made from dense oak, the same type of oak once used to make sailing ships. These oak barrels and careful experimentation led to the adoption of oak aging wine. It turned out that the right oak allowed the wine to mellow a little, as well as pick up some flavors and in the case of white wines, a little color.
For the next 100 years or so the wine industry (which rarely changes quickly) experimented with oak barrels, finding those that worked best, and narrowing it down to a few forests in France. As well, a specific type of American oak and Eastern European oak was also found to have benefits when used to age wine.
Barrels have some down sides. Not the least of which is cost. A French oak barrel runs about $800 and an American oak barrel is about $300, with the Eastern European type in the middle. Another problem with barrels is that they lose their ability to improve wine with time. The most expensive wines are aged only in new barrels, to impart the most flavor. Most other wineries mix up the number of new barrels with some that are a two or three years old. Finally, the most noticeable problem with barrels is that they can become moldy, especially when stored without wine, and can impart an off flavor to wine (that is all too common).
One of the technical more reasons to use barrels, is that they allow a small amount of air to pass through to the wine, allowing the wine to develop aromas (secondary oxidative aromas) and other character. Storing wine in a steel or concrete vat (the most common types of vats - larger containers for fermenting and storing wine) does not allow the wine to develop these aromas and so the wine does not attain the same level of quality.
Enter 21st century technology. By adding oak chips, or staves (big hunks of wood) or even powdered oak, wine can be given an oaky flavor without the drawbacks of actual barrels. Of course, the wine maker has to be careful about how much oak flavor they add, it is easy to over do it. The transfer of oxygen that barrels add to the process can also be mimicked in a process called Micro-Ox (micro-oxygenation) where oxygen is actually passed through the wine directly.
These technologies allow a winery to short cut a process that usually takes years and costs thousands of dollars, but does it create wines that are as good as those aged in barrels? Certainly large and medium sized wineries think so, they are adopting these techniques in record numbers (adding oak is not legal in Europe). Smaller wineries continue to hand craft wine, but expect to see a steady drop in the use of barrels by wineries that produce moderately priced wines.
If you want to try a wine that has been touched by this new technology, check out the wines of R.H. Phillips. Always one of my favorite producers for value priced wines, they are leading the charge into the future.
