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Wood chips

In the New World, it has been common practice since the 1980s to replace the flavour components of oak that arise during barrique ageing with a more cost-effective and less complex method. In this process, oak fragments of various sizes and shapes are placed in or added to the containers used for fermentation and/or ageing (e.g. stainless steel tanks). These can be boards, staves (staves, inner staves), cubes, chips (oak chips) or shavings that have been subjected to toasting in the same way as the barrique barrels. Smaller fragments are packed in perforated bags or wire cages, which are hung in steel tanks for ageing.

Difference to barrique ageing in barrels

Some of these materials are already used during the mash fermentation, which results in a correspondingly higher extraction of the oak substances. There are also extracts obtained from oak wood in the form of powders, tablets or even essences. However, this already crosses the line between flavouring and wine adulteration and is only partially permitted, at least within the European Union. However, all these oak fragments can only imitate the quality of real barrique ageing in oak barrels when matured in tanks, but can never replace it, as the absorption of small amounts of oxygen through the wood pores, which is important for ageing, does not occur or is not possible.

Wood-chips in verschiedener Form und Größe
Picture right: From Agne27 from the Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, link

Wine law regulations

The process is used on a larger scale overseas in particular. But even here, the top qualities are still matured in barrique barrels. The form is sometimes stated on the label. Only "barrel fermented" undoubtedly means "real barrel ageing", whereas "oaked" or "wood matured" means that this was probably done in the form of chips. The use of oak chips was prohibited within the EU, regardless of shape and size. However, there was an exemption granted for "large-scale testing purposes". However, as there were no bans in many non-EU countries, there was a distortion of competition. This is because the costs are only a tenth of those of barrique barrels. The problem was exacerbated by the 2005 trade agreement between the EU and the USA (see under wine law).

From 2006, oak barrels were permitted. This initially only applied to young wine, but was extended to grapes (mash), grape must and wine for all quality levels with the EU wine market regulation from 2009. However, when wood chips are used, texts referring to barrique ageing such as "matured (fermented) in oak/barrique" or similar may not be used. This is even expressly forbidden for wines that have been treated with pieces of oak wood and then stored in barrique barrels. However, it is not mandatory to declare the use of oak pieces on the label (but it is mandatory to do so in the accompanying documents when shipping). The pieces of oak wood must come exclusively from Quercus species. They must be large enough for at least 95% of the mass to be retained in a 2 mm sieve.

The pieces of oak wood are either used untreated, i.e. in their natural state, or they are lightly, moderately or strongly heated, but must not be burnt (not even superficially) and must not be charred or brittle. Apart from heating, they must not be subjected to any chemical, enzymatic (chemical reaction by enzymes) or physical treatment and no substances must be added that increase the natural flavouring power or the extractable phenolic components. The use of oenological tannins is permitted within the European Union.

Further information

For a list of relevant terms on this topic, see the keywords barrel, cask and cask types. For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), Distillation (distillates), Speciality wines, Spirits (types), Winemaking (wines and wine types) and Wine law (wine law issues).

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