Wine barrel

Wine barrel

“Barrel makes the wine” – this old saying reflects one of the main processes in winemaking. Wisrawa in barrel, the wine is enriched with countless aromatic and flavor elements that drastically change the flavor and color of the resulting beverage. Experts believe that the quality and the growth of the tree can change the final taste of the drink, as well as from grapes.

Reliable information on who exactly came up with the idea to “bring to taste” the wine in the barrel, no. In groups II and III Millennium BC, they were actively used as a convenient container for transportation of various goods (bulk, liquid). Only in the XII century by Europeans, it was observed the positive effects of wood on alcohol. Unlike any other material (clay, metal, glass), wood is able to breathe.

To create a wine barrel often use chestnut, beech, fir, pine and oak. Definitely king in this list is the oak. It is able to give the drink a noble bouquet and excellent taste.

The process of making wine barrels

The process of turning wood into a vessel requires a lot of time and effort. So oak staves could be a design element, it is kept in the open air for 1.5-3 years, naturally reducing moisture content to 15%. Further, the design is contracted and sintered. Depending on the purpose, the roasting can be strong, medium and light. This process enriches the future wine barrel aromas of vanilla and mocha, eliminating the smell of dust. Finished in oak the wine goes capacity for aging. Maturation can last from 3 months to 7 years, depends on the desired result. The duration of exposure depends on the size of the barrel. In small barrels, the process happens fairly quickly, whereas in large, on the contrary, slows down.

This wooden capacity able not only to breathe but to live. Barrels, like wine, tend to age. The age of the barrel itself is another factor in creating the perfect drink: the younger, the richer the flavor and richer color. Aging, the capacity is covered with a black coating to rejuvenate the upper black layer is polished and the barrel can be re-used. But often after the “rejuvenating” it takes away from the wine.

Today in the world share 4 basic types of wine barrels:

• traditional, a volume of 700 to 1000 liters for red wines from Italy and Spain, and for white German wines.
• German stuck, a volume of 1200 liters, is used for wines from the Rhine district.
• Pipa. Traditional option for aging of port capacity from 420 to 630 litres.
• Barrick. The classic version, a volume of 225 liters.