Wine Aging Technology: Fundamental Role of Wood Barrels
ARTICLE SUMMARY
This article aims to assess the aging techniques of wines, especially French and American wines, by using wooden barrels. The process of aging wines is specially used to upgrade and exalt the quality of wines. Various extra properties add to wines in this process and economically empower the stakeholders. Usage of barrels separates the suspended materials, assists in oxygenation of wines, elevates the coloring, improves mouth feel, and produces a specific aroma of wines that make them unique and significant. In this way, the usage of wooden barrels is not like containers but more than that. The aging of wines has remained a historical practice in most of the civilizations of the globe. Chemically the aging process of wines comprises of two phases, i.e., oxidative and reductive phase. During both these processes, various factors like oxygen, temperature, light availability, the position of the container, and provided time play a crucial role. The oxidative aging phase usually takes place in wooden barrels. The wooden barrels play an influential role in delivering these entities to wines and help to add wood compounds in wines for specific aroma. Various Oak species are used conventionally in barrel manufacture to make improved quality wine. However, the reduction aging phase occurs in bottles. Different new techniques and approaches have been introduced in the recent past as an alternative to barrel aging. The primary purpose of these alternatives is to make aging feasible, economical, and sanitize. For this reason, the multiple types of woods and wood chips are under experimentation. But the most researches show that still, wooden barrels are the most favorable and used technology for the aging of wines. They act as active vessels for wine aging that enhance the physical, chemical, and sensory characteristics of wines. Owing to the barrel aging of wines, the international market keeps a considerable share of wine trade around the trade. Also, it contributes to fulfilling the aesthetic, nutritional, and cultural needs of humans.
PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE ARTICLE
I selected this article due to its economic significance and the everlasting need for wines around the globe. The aged wines share an immense proportion of the international market having an influence on culture, traditions, and economic dimensions. Keeping in mind the quality and price of wine depend upon the aging of wines, especially French red wines and American wines. In 2019 he worldwide expert of wine reaches 10 × 103 million liters, contributing massive foreign exchange around the globe. The need to know the aging process lies with the involvement of considerable stakeholders in such massive export around the world. It is worth noting that the wine trade around the globe has contributed to colossal population strata in improving their lives. So to learn new dimensions of hospitality with a crunch of a substantial economic wave such article and learning is of great pleasure. Historically, for the aging process, wooden barrels are used, and they guarantee the quality of wines. In this context, the stated article is of great significance to learn the aging process of wines and their cultural impact in increased usage around the globe. The specific aroma and color depend upon the wooden barrels in addition to multiple varieties of grapes used for the said purpose. The particular aroma development in wines is due to wood compounds from these barrels like cellulose, acids, sugars, and phenols. Other than the viticulturists, wine-producing experts, wine merchants, and traders, the tourism and hoteling industry pays its existence to the aging process and wines. The high quality and aged wines are used in the tourism industry around the world. The stakeholders of this industry consider wines as pillars of this big business globally. However, various flaws in barrel aging lead to elevated production cost, time duration, and shelf life issues in this regard. But considering multiple other techniques, wooden barrel aging is the best way in providing quality and specific aroma production of wines.
Reference
Carpena, M., Pereira, A. G., Prieto, M. A., & Simal-Gandara, J. (2020). Wine aging technology: Fundamental role of wood barrels. Foods, 9(9), 1160. Retrieved from https:// https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/9/1160/ht
