The long-standing relationship that wine has had with oak is worth investigating, especially since oak barrels have been used in wine fermentation and barrel aging for centuries. Oak is utilized somewhat like a "seasoning" to add flavor and palate appeal to a wine.

Which Wines are Typically Oaked?

Red wine varietals that tend to benefit from a good bit of oak include: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Chianti, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo and Syrah. White wine varietals that are receptive to oak's influence include: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and of course Chardonnay.

Oak provides flavor and aromatic support to the wine, while adding richer, fuller impressions and complexity. On the nose, oak's primary influences tend to accentuate aromas that center around the spice rack, with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and "allspice" being common aromas derived from a wine's time spent in oak. On the palate, oak's influence turns towards the rich flavors of caramel, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, smoke, tea, mocha, toffee and butter.

A typical oak barrel holds either 59 or 60 gallons (depending on where it's prototyped from - Bordeaux barrels or "barriques" hold 225 liters or 59 gallons, where a barrel from Burgundy sits at 60 gallons or 228 liters). Since oak is naturally porous in nature, as the wine passes time in the barrel some evaporation inevitably takes place with about five gallons or so being lost via evaporation. This natural process results in increased concentrations of both the wine's aromatics and flavor profile. The oak used for making wine barrels is influenced by a number of factors. Where is the barrel from? What regional variations have occurred with oak sourced from different forests? How was it dried? How was it toasted?

The two most common types of oak barrels used for winemaking are the American Oak barrel and the French Oak barrel. However, Hungarian and Slovenian barrels also have a following with certain winemakers. American oak barrels are cheaper, have a wider grain and lower wood tannins as compared to French oak. They also tend to have a greater influence on the wine's flavor and aromatic components, often imparting vanilla nuances with a little sweeter palate profile than French oak. On the other hand, French oak is the wine industry's "gold standard," offering higher wood tannins and tighter wood grains which tend to have less influence on the wine's aromatics and flavor concentrations than an American oak barrel, but are known to increase the wine's overall palate presence and intrinsic complexity.

French oak runs close to $600 a barrel and American oak comes in at around $300 a pop. With these numbers in mind, it's easy to see what kind of financial investment wineries are making in their barrels and why you pay more for wines that are aged in new oak. Often a winemaker will stagger new barrels into the process to keep costs for the winery and the consumer more reasonable.

Next week we will conclude with oak toasting, new versus old oak, oak chips, etc. Stay tuned.