Many wines are aged in either stainless steel,
concrete or even plastic vats. These are inert materials which keep the
fruitiness and freshness of the wines. These wines will have to be drunk within
a few years at most, and will not benefit at all from ageing in the
bottle.
Oak barrels on the other hand are made
of a natural element which will have a strong effect on the wine. As air goes in and out of the barrel, the
flavor, color, tannins and texture of the wine will be more ‘concentrated’,
causing the wine to need more time to arrive at an appreciated level – hence
the further ageing in the bottle is needed.
Depending on the age of the barrel
used and the time spent in the barrel, different wines will need different lengths
of time for ageing. New barrels will
give more woody flavors and can be used a few times, but will give less flavors
after each use. The more premium wines usually
use only new barrels for their wines (which makes it more expensive), so they
need to be bottle aged for longer time.
A new technique now used by some wineries is
to introduce oak in the form of chips or sticks inside a neutral vessel to add
an oaky component to the wine, while keeping the cost down, as oak barrels are
expensive!
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