What's the advantage of using wooden kegs for wine and what type of wood is best and why?

Answer 1

Wood allows the wine to breathe and it imparts a subtle flavor to it.

Most choose oak, but the argument is between French Oak and American white oak

Answer 2

Oak allows the wine to breathe as it ages so there's a little bit of gas that enters and leaves the barrel.

Oak imparts flavour to the wine. If the wood is scorched on the inside this can also give the wine a certain characteristic and colour.

French oak and American oak are the two most popular. French oak is usually smoother so there's less surface area which means less of the oaky flavour that gets into the wine.

Answer 3

Wooden barrels allow wine to age very slowly, from exposure to air seeping through the wood. The wine also picks up some flavor from the wood. I have been to wine tastings where I've tasted the same wine aged in wood and not, and you can really taste the difference, you can taste the wood!

White oak is the traditional wood. It's very porous, enough to get air into the wine but not enough for the wine to leak out. 8^)

Answer 4

In addition to allowing wood flavored into the wine, wood allows tannin in also, which helps to age them. It's not good to let air into the wine (as others here say) as it oxidizes the batch and turns it into sherry.

French oak contributes a softer flavor than American oak, but American oak mellows out with age better than French oak.

If you making wine at home, and are making small batches, you're better off just adding oak chips to the wine, rather than using a barrel. Barrel are expensive and require a lot of care.

Answer 5

The breathing and the flavoring.

Oak is it.

Because "oakiness" is a wonderful quality in a wine.

It's the wood that makes it good.