Santa Margherita

If, for fermentation, stainless steel tanks have become the most commonly used vessels because they are practical and hygienic, wood still remains an extremely effective – and indeed absolutely irreplaceable  - material for the maturation of wines. Stainless steel tanks, as well as fiberglass or glass-lined cement containers, may however be used for storage or for specific production tasks.

The properties of wood
The first thing to bear in mind is that not all wines are suitable for aging in wood. Indeed, this material, apart from allowing the wine to interact very gradually with the external environment (micro- oxygenation), yields aromatic substances and/or others belonging to the family of tannins. So certain wines, made from high-quality grapes and particular varieties, derive elements which give them greater structure, complexity and aging qualities from their time in contact with wood, as well as very specific aromatic notes.
In any case, the degree of this type of contact is of great importance, so as to prevent excessive scents of wood from overpowering the primary aromas of the wine.
Not only the origin of the wood, but also its cut, seasoning, toasting and even washing have an influence on the aromas that the barrel will impart to the wine , as do other fundamental variables such as its size, its newness and for how long it is used.

Large barrels or small barrels?
The “legendary” barrique is a small barrel with a capacity of 225 liters. It belongs to the French tradition of winemaking and is usually made of oak from the forests of Allier, Limousin, Tronçais, Nevers, Vosges and the Massif Central and, more recently, from the Rocky Mountains or even from wood from Eastern Europe. Compared with a large barrel – normally made of Slavonian oak - in the barrique more of the surface area of the wine is in contact with the wood, which means that there is a greater exchange of substances with the wood. This does not necessarily mean, however, that small barrels are preferable to big ones. It is up to the skill of the cellarman, based on the grapes at his disposal and the type of wine he is aiming to make, to decide the correct “dose” of wood and choose the size, type and time required for maturation.

The type of wood
There are innumerable variables involved in barrel production which lead to differences, sometimes quite marked, in the aromas the wood will give the wine.
The first factor to consider is the area the wood is from: the soil where the trees used for barrels grow plays a fundamental role in the aromas that a wine can acquire from contact with the wood.
In lighter, damper soils (in the Limousin, for example) the wood is more porous and with more aggressive tannins, so it is more suitable for brandy. The opposite is the case in more lime-rich terrain (in the Allier, but also in the Tronçais and the Vosges); the wood will be milder and less porous.
The first stage is choosing the wood. Here the cooper’s experience is crucial; the best quality wood must be selected, concentrating on the straightest trunks and those that are less knarled. The trunk is cut to obtain the strips of wood for the staves. The best technique is to split the wood. Compared with sawing, this has the advantage of preserving and respecting the fibers, keeping them intact. The staves must be seasoned and then dried: when the wood is cut its moisture level is about 70%, rendering it impossible to make barrels which will have a good seal after assembly. The wood may be dried in the open air or in special rooms, with obvious differences in the time required. Drying in air-conditioned, well-ventilated rooms can give the required moisture level in a short time, but care is required: if the fibers lose their water content too quickly the wood is liable to crack and split.
Natural drying occurs by simply leaving the strips of wood stacked in a large area in the open air. The producers work on the rule of thumb of a minimum of one year for each centimeter of thickness of the wood. In the case of barriques, this means two or three years, or sometimes more. Natural seasoning not only results in a normal drying process, but the action of the atmosphere and of micro-organisms means that the wood has an increased capacity for releasing a vast range of aromatic substances.