The wood is toasted over a fire to give the wine a unique oak flavor. Tonelería Herfe makes about 20 to 25 barrels a day — far less than some of its competitors. But CEO Antonio Hernandez said ...

But not just any barrel — a foudre. A foudre is a massive wooden vat that impacts and preserves the overall taste of the wine. Making a foudre starts with French oak, a tightly grained wood that ...

It takes two to four centuries to grow the oak tree for a wine barrel. Then, after tree harvest, four, usually more, years to season the wood and the staves. Finally, it is time to turn the staves ...

When it comes to aging wine, the barrel is as important as the timing ... spice and vanilla that hide in your wine have less to do with the grape and more to do with the wood.

the cooper (barrel maker) chars the inside edges of the staves. This final treatment imparts aromas of vanilla, spice and smoke to the wood and then the wine. Char levels include light, medium and ...

and small amount of oxygen to soften the wine during barrel maturation. Over the years, the only wood retained for wine vessels was oak, other types added undesirable flavors during aging.

Unlike other materials used for winemaking such as wood, cement ... which is just slightly smaller than a standard barrel. At Heitz, wine fermented in the globes makes up part of the blend ...

but when it comes to wine and whiskey – especially bourbon whiskey – the oak barrel still reigns, not just as a container, but for the magic that the wood gives the whiskey. Bill Whitaker ...