In the oenological field, all the processes to which the wine will undergo from the moment of its production – therefore once the vinification is finished – including short, long or very long rests, will represent evolution that wine will do in the course of its life.
Then, carry out the vintage , the destemming and the crushing, the must it will have to ferment in special containers called “Fermenters” to become wine, but before it can be tasted, it will be necessary that rest for “Stabilize” , for to mature in the color, aromas and flavors typical of the grape of origin, or of several grape varieties, in the case of a blend.
The materials commonly used in its evolution are steel , wood , concrete, terracotta and glass and the oenologist will have the delicate task of choosing the material that he deems best performing for that type of vine and for the type of wine he will want to obtain.
These containers are i wine vessels , are used to accommodate the wine during the stages of its maturation and differ from each other for the material of which they are composed, theirs size and in some cases the age.
Therefore, being in direct contact with the element they guard, they will be of fundamental importance in the evolution we are talking about, precisely because of the interactive exchange that will be created and which will lead to different results depending on the container used.
It is therefore imperative that the winemaker have experience and the right acquaintances of the mutations that the wine will undergo, once put in contact with some materials rather than others, in order to be able to choose the composition of the wine jar, the size and the residence time , necessary to avoid the risk of making the wine banal or impersonal.
Some types of wine, some grape varieties, will have to submit to the laws to which they are subordinate, the so-called disciplinary , more or less rigid depending on the product to be obtained, which establish the minimum path that a wine must follow in order to be able to boast a certain denomination. Following this, the oenologist, at his sole discretion, could extend the permanence of the wine in the wine vessels or in the bottle, for a period even longer than that indicated by the regulations.
Given the vastness of the topic, today we will limit ourselves to dealing with it alone aging in wood , referring to the next “notes”, the illustration of the other materials.
The wood , as opposed to the younger one steel , is a material that it interacts a lot with wine with which it is in contact, releasing substances and allowing good micro-oxygenation through its pores.
The containers created with this material, the barrels, require particular general maintenance and, before use, also require a typical treatment called “Subscription” , necessary to conform them to the hygienic reception of the wine.
The most used essence is the oak , in particular oak , which is an excellent quality material capable of withstanding processing and treatments, pre and post use, as well as being particularly suitable for storage and long aging.
The best essences come from the forests of Slavonia in Croatia, from the French ones of the Massif Central, from the Alsatian Vosges and from central Europe which, before being used, will be subjected to dehydrating treatments that can last from 2 to 5 years.
The barrel, once filled, will give the wine many aromas such as: vanilla, cloves, white pepper, black pepper, licorice, tobacco, coffee, dried rose and others, in proportion to the level of roasting achieved that, based on the request, it may be light , average or strong .
It is important to underline that the wood, placed in contact with the wine, will be able to enhance its characteristics at best existing properties , but nothing more, will never improve it, if it were a disappointing product in itself.
Regarding the size , if the barrel is small , there will be a greater percentage of the wine surface in contact with the wood, so a good and faster evolution will occur, on the contrary, if the barrel is large , there will be a smaller surface of wine in contact with the wood, and therefore a smaller and slower evolution.
The most used wooden barrels
The BIG BARRELS , they have a capacity that varies usually from 3,000 to 5,000 liters and even more, and are used both for the fermentation of the must (creation of wine) and for maturation or long aging.
The use of the large barrel does not absolutely mean that you want to obtain wines of not high quality, on the contrary, the contact between wine and wood is less than the smaller ones, therefore the scents tertiary (those coming from maturation), will be very delicate, letting those emerge primary (of the vine, of the grape) and the secondary (of the vinification, of the fermentation of the must).
By reducing the size of the barrel, we find the TONNEAU , from 500 liters, even if some even reach 700 liters; the contact between wine and wood is greater than in large barrels, but less than in smaller ones such as barriques , therefore the oxygenation and the contribution of tertiary scents, will be more intense than in large vats and more delicate than in barriques.
By further reducing the size of the barrel, and consequently also its capacity, we find the most widespread and preferred in the world, the BARRIQUES , with a capacity of 225 lt.
The contact between wine and wood is greater than in tonneau and large barrels, therefore oxygenation, the transfer of wood tannins and hints of toasting will be greater than the previous ones and the contribution of aromas tertiary , it will be more vigorous, partially overlapping the hints primary And secondary .
The smallest of all are i BARRELS that never exceed 15-16 liters, are usually used for those wines that do not require any bottling and it is customary to pour them directly into jugs, to then be served at the table. They do not have a great commercial resonance, except for being used as furnishing elements in typical places due to their captivating appearance.
In conclusion, the last aspect to be evaluated in order to have a controlled maturation is given by age of the barrel, or better still, if it has been used previously or is at its first “ride” of wine.
If the barrel is new, therefore in its first “passage”, there will be a fair phenomenon of transfer of tannins and aromas from the wood to the wine, enriching with appreciable sweet and astringent notes that will fade over the years.
It is good to reiterate that the goal is not to give a new flavor to the evolving wine, you do not want to flavor it, but you try to do so. interact with the external environment that surrounds him, which will lead him to a transformation in color , in aromas It is in the taste .
From the point of view sensorial , the passage in wood will accompany the wine from a phase of immaturity, in which it will be acrid, pungent, unripe, to a phase of complete maturation, therefore soft, round, polite.
The color will gradually pass from red with violet reflections to garnet shades up to orange ones, or from a straw yellow with greenish reflections, to golden reflections, up to golden.
The sense of smell it will develop with the increase of the scents of spicy notes of jam and of roasting , with references to leather , cocoa , tobacco .
In taste , a gradual will occur overall softening , with a weakening of the acids and the approximation of the tannins of the wine with those of the wood. The best results are obtained from refinements between 18 and 24 months which allow a full and gradual aging of the wine.