It’s been said that right behind grapes, wood is the second most important ingredient in making wine, at least for those wines that are fermented and aged in oak barrels. Unlike the hundreds of grape varieties that are regularly made into wine, when it comes to oak, there are two main choices: American and French. And while both types of barrels are indeed made from oak trees, the two countries grow distinct species that bring different qualities to the wine in contact with them. France is home to two species, Quercus rubra and Quercus petraea, which have a fine grain, while the Quercus alba, or American white oak, features a wider grain. Hailing from forests throughout the French countryside including Alliers, Limousin, Nevers, and Tronçais, French oak imparts a silkier texture than its American counterpart as well as soft clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coffee flavors and light hints of vanilla alongside smooth or polished tannins...
