One of the biggest influences on the flavour of wine is whether it has been matured, or even just stored, in oak. There are people who are prejudiced against oaked wine and will complain of even the slightest hint of oak, but many experts agree that if a wine has been carefully oaked it does not taste of wood, but more like a wine that has had its flavour subtly enhanced.
Oak aging of wine occurs when the wine has been fermented and/or aged in oak casks so that the flavour of the surrounding wood infuses some of its woodiness into the liquid. The resulting wine will usually taste richer, with creamy vanilla undertones and sometimes a little woody or even sawdusty. The oak is a type of seasoning for wine and getting the optimum level of oaky flavour is vital if a wine is to taste good at the end. Oak aging usually takes place in small oak barrels that hold 225 litres, being replaced every two or three years as newer barrels give the best flavour.
Oak is considered to be the most ideal wood for this aging as it not only has superb watertight qualities but gives the right sort of flavours,aromas and textures to enhance the wine. But there are different types of oak that offer certain distinctive flavourings. The most commonly used are the highly-prized, tightly-grained French oak which gives a subtle hint of oakiness, whilst American oak gives a more obvious vanilla character to the wine. Consequently wines that are more powerful in flavour tend to be stored in American oak such as Rioja, North and South American and Australian varieties. Other factors that allow oak aging to affect a wine's taste are the size of the barrels, (larger ones giving less flavour), the age of the wood used, the actual time the wine spends within the cask, and whether the barrels have been toasted (i.e. lightly burned on the inside).
Now the fashion is for lightly oaked wines and winemakers are producing more subtle, elegant flavours. Red wines are often aged in oak, which add the required extra body and richness, with hints of wood-spice, cream and tannin. Soft light reds such as Beaujolais are typically unoaked, but the richer more powerful styles such as fine red Bordeaux or Californian Cabernet Sauvignon are almost always aged in oak. Similarly Rioja is oak aged for a long time to give it a distinct mellow creaminess. Port and Madeira are wood-aged and have an obvious hint of oak, whilst even some Champagnes are aged for a short time in oak barrels, although they never taste very oaky, just a bit more full-bodied. Some premium sweet white wines are also oak aged.

About the Author

James Pendleton is a lover of the better things in life. For more information on wine visit
Wine Capital

Another short Pinot Wine review

Wine and Oak - A beautiful relationship


One of the biggest influences on the flavour of wine is whether it has been matured, or even just stored, in oak. There are people who are prejudiced ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Pinot Wine Items For Viewing

50 Additional Pages (Cellar Record)


Refill cellar album pages that are a perfect fit for the Deluxe Cellar Album or Signature Collection Album. 50 additional 3-hole punched pages that can be quickly inserted for continued note-taking.


Price: 12.95 USD



Headlines on Pinot Wine

If the Cranberry Lift variety is any Caffeine free green tea capsules

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:31:12 PDT
Mongolia clamps down after five killed in unrest. Build a Emphysema! Issues across the state and what is likely to be a crowded Low dose methotrexate field. May rise in Nasdaq trading today after the coffee retailer, which has doubled in size since, announced plans to retrench, including cutting percent of its workforce. Scary energy elixirs from the Far East. Updating the Original Alcopop Sparks Plus. For oily skin prone to shemale, try Korres Thyme amp. For scarred skin, massage in wild

Wine Festival at La Caasa Narcisi Winery

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:05:17 PDT
Yes, I often write about beer, I have some friends that are beer drinkers so I tend to be around more beer lovers than wine lovers. But this event is for the wine loving folks of this region. La Casa Narcisi winery is Allegheny County’s only winery and on August 30, 2008 they will be hosting their annual wine festival. The festival is free to attend. There will be food available or you can bring a picnic (this could be a great idea for a place to take your next date). Wine will be availabl

Tryvertising Wine Becomes A Game

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:27:40 PDT
Tryvertising Wine Becomes A Game by Joel Horowitz in Food & Drink Attempting to capture an audience for the ever-expanding wine market, the newly released (board) game, 4xProeven (Tastingx4) tests your party’s wine-tasting skills with four different brands and varieties of wine. Simply played, the label-covered bottles are shuffled, tasted, then compared to the descriptions of the four single grape varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz) included with the game. Sold

$910 For A Single Bunch Of Premium Grapes

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:19:06 PDT
A new variety of premium grapes debuted in Japan on Monday, with a single bunch fetching as much as $910. A Japanese hotel manager paid that amount, or about $26 per grape, for a 1 1/2 pound (700-gram) bunch of the Ruby Roman grapes to serve guests at an upscale hotel, officials said.

Move Over ‘Twilight’ Chocolate, Check Out The New ‘Harry Potter’ Candy

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:01:13 PDT
Twilight’s got a chocolate bar — big whoop. Sorry, but it’s just a pre-existing Godiva milk chocolate bar with a new wrapper. Don’t get me wrong — I love chocolate. I love the idea of it. I love giving it to people. I love smelling it. I love being around it. And despite being allergic to it, I still eat it (in small quantities). But please tell me where in the Twilight books did chocolate ever play a major part? Now, blood lollipops as a marketing tie-in for a vampire themed series, that I c

Move Over Twilight Chocolate, Check Out The New Harry Potter Candy

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:01:13 PDT
Twilight’s got a chocolate bar — big whoop. Sorry, but it’s just a pre-existing Godiva milk chocolate bar with a new wrapper. Don’t get me wrong — I love chocolate. I love the idea of it. I love giving it to people. I love smelling it. I love being around it. And despite being allergic to it, I still eat it (in small quantities). But please tell me where in the Twilight books did chocolate ever play a major part? Now, blood lollipops as a marketing tie-in for a vampire themed series, that I c

Bunch of Grapes Auctioned For 100,000 Yen

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:01:05 PDT
A new variety of premium grapes debuted in Japan on Monday, with a single bunch fetching as much as 100,000 yen ($910)


Wine Quotes
Wine Search
Pinot Grigio

Labels: Wine Lovers