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Oak is used extensively in winemaking during fermentation and aging. It can add flavor compounds – including aromas of vanilla, clove, smoke and coconut.
Oak barrels also allow the slow ingress of oxygen – a process which makes wine taste smoother and less astringent.
Oak barrels also provide a great environment for certain reactions to occur, specifically Malolactic Conversion.
While oak wine barrels are made of French, American and Hungarian oak, they are all expensive. And they only impart flavor to wines during their first two to three uses, after which they are considered ‘neutral.’
So, to get the oak flavors without all the cost, some wines are made with oak chips, oak cubes, oak staves and even oak powder. Using these oak barrel alternatives allows wine makers to use less expensive containers (e.g., Stainless Steel tanks) and still get the desired oak flavors. After the wine has had the necessary time in contact with the chips, cubes, staves or powder, they are physically removed or filtered out and consumers never know the difference.
This may seem ‘wrong’ to many wine purists, but it is allowing winemakers to produce oak flavors in their wines at considerably lower costs. And, studies have been done that show consumers can’t tell the difference. Wine labels don’t tell us the difference, but if oak alternatives are used, and you enjoy the wine, then I’d say the winemaker succeeded! Cheers!