Over the centuries wood has been used in winemaking, as much for logistical reasons, as for technical purposes. Wood, mostly oak, was in the past the only fashionable material for wine’s storage and transportation; nowadays it has come to be a tool for wine’s organoleptic improvement. Its oxygen permeability eases wine’s stabilisation, its porous nature allows imbibing and enables alcohol to extract those spiced, balsamic, vanilla-like aromatic compounds that will improve mellowness and emphasize the compounding fruit’s flavours and aromas. The better the oak’s quality is, the more relevant and qualitative its aromatic bequest and wine’s final olfactory integrity.
