Different Types of Barrels Used to Store Wine

Different types of barrels made up of the materials like oak, cherry, walnut, chestnut, pine and redwood etc are used to store the wine. But out of all these materials, the one which is preferred to store the wine from the past is the oak. Only oak seems to have the right relationship with the grape to satisfactorily age it and enhance its flavors. Following are the types of barrels which are used to store the wine:

Oak Barrels: Majority of the barrels used to store the wine are made up of oak. The oak is of two types one is French oak and the other is American oak. The French oaks are used primarily to make Bordeaux barrels, which hold 59.43 gallons of wine and they are also used to make Burgundy barrels, which hold 60.2 gallons. Barrels of French oak are made to store all types of wines but cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Bordeaux in particular. American oak barrels are made in both sizes and hold all types of wine. Oak is composed of chemical compounds like tannin that give wine its vanilla, tea and tobacco like characteristics.

Hogshead Barrels and Puncheons: Hogshead and puncheons are much larger than the other types and a typical hogshead barrel holds 79.25 gallons of wine. A puncheon comes in both this size and a whopping 132.08 gallons over twice the size of Bordeaux and Burgundies. Generally wine makers use these barrels if they want the oaky flavors to be less pronounced.

Stainless Steel Barrels: Wine can be fermented in stainless steel tanks and rich vanilla flavor is added to the wine if they are fermented in the stainless steel and then aged in oak.

The above are the various types of barrels used to store wine.