Oak wine barrels

Storing wine in barrels has at least two advantages:

1. It allows a slow transfer of oxygen into the wine, which enables maturational processes; and

2. It imparts flavors such as vanilla, "toasty notes," and tobacco into the wine.

However, barrels are expensive. They're not so very "green," as they require old oaks to be chopped down. They get leaky and they can become infected. They only last a few seasons, then they're trash.

Long ago, I decided to put the oak into the wine, instead. I have oak staves from an old wine barrel (a good one, from France--mine was used at Argyle), and I plane those off and toast the wood curls, then put them into my wine, which I age in glass carboys. What's not to like about that? It uses a lot less oak and is greener, and it's also more sanitary and can't leak.

However, I've noticed that my oak staves, after a few years, have dried out and no longer impart much oak flavor or aroma. Hmmm--so I checked with some winemaker friends and learned that over time, oak tannins break down. Mystery solved (partly); now I'm trying to learn if there is a way to preserve the oak tannins, or must I buy white oak every few years? (I could use American; white oakgrows here in Oregon--never use red oak or else your wine will taste and smell like cat pee. Fun facts to know and tell.)

Here are some extracts (pardon the pun) from this article:

The chemistry of the oak barrel can impart differing amounts and qualities of flavor and

texture depending upon the barrel manufacturing techniques and type of oak used.

American oak (Quercus alba) versus French oak (Quercus robur), sawn versus hand-split,

air-drying vs. kiln drying of the staves, and the use of boiling water, steam, natural gas, or

wood fire to bend the staves are among the most important variables in the manufacturing

process. As you can imagine, the barrel makers and wine makers all over the world hold

widely differing opinions on the best way to make a barrel! One thing we can all agree on is

that barrel making is an extremely complicated craft - there are no amateur barrel makers!

The Cooper’s craft

The word “cooper” originates from the barrel makers of Illyria and Cisalpine in Gaul,

where wine was stored in wooden vessels called “cupals,” and the maker was a “cuparius.”

If your surname is “Cooper” or “Hooper” you can bet that some of your ancestors were

employed in the time-honored craft of cooperage.

Organized coopers’ guilds originated in Rome well before the Christian Era. They grew and

flourished throughout medieval Europe and reached the apex of their membership in the

late 19th century, before dwindling rapidly in the years following World War I, as other

materials, first metals and then synthetics, replaced the wooden vessels formerly used

throughout the household for washing, churning, eating, cooking, and storage.

To understand why this profession is so highly skilled and specialized -- with an

apprenticeship even today of seven years’ duration -- let’s go through the steps required to

make a wine barrel. Keep in mind that both the procedure and the tools have remained

relatively unchanged for the past three thousand years.

(and the article goes on to describe barrel making)