Winemaking
Barrel fermentation
Fermenting white wine in oak rather than steel, which integrates the oak more completely.
Overview
Fermenting in barrel rather than fermenting in tank and then transferring produces a more integrated result — the oak character is bound into the wine rather than sitting on top of it.
It also encourages lees contact, since the wine stays with its lees in the same vessel.
Standard practice for white Burgundy and the styles modelled on it.
Sources
Sources consulted
- WSET educational materials and the Systematic Approach to Tasting — Wine & Spirit Education Trust
More in winemaking
Winemaking
Fermentation
Yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide — the step that makes wine wine.
Winemaking
How red wine is made
Fermenting grape juice in contact with the skins, which is where colour and tannin come from.
Winemaking
How white wine is made
Pressing the juice off the skins before fermentation, then fermenting the clear juice.