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Carati

Italian term (also barricato) for barrique ageing (in small barrels); see there.

Designation for wine ageing in small wooden barrels which, in contrast to conventional wooden barrels, are toasted on the inside walls. It is therefore a special form of barrel age ing with the aim of introducing wood and roasted flavours into the wine. Barrique ageing thus allows different flavours to enter the wine. The name is derived from barrique, the type of barrel mainly used in Bordeaux with a standard volume of 225 litres. However, larger barrels of up to 700 litres are also considered barrique barrels. However, up to which barrel size one can speak of "real" barrique ageing is regulated on a country-specific basis. As a rule, the barrels are made from oak from special oak trees, mainly from France and America (as well as local oak trees), but also from other types of wood such as acacia or chestnut.

Invention of barrique ageing

The French have been using this method for more than 200 years. Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel (1753-1844), the owner of Château Cos d'Estournel in the municipality of Saint-Estèphe, is considered to be one of the first. At the beginning of the 19th century, he found that some batches of wine that had not been sold overseas and returned had improved in flavour after being transported back. He decided to transport all his wines in wooden barrels before selling them. This was also favoured by the English as buyers of Bordeaux wines. They realised that wine transported in wooden barrels was more durable and demanded this quality.

It was further popularised by transport to the German Hanseatic cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, to which Bordeaux wine was delivered as Rotspon. Winegrowers from Bordeaux who visited their Hanseatic customers no longer recognised their own wines due to positive changes. It was only later that toasting became common, i.e. toasting the barrels on the inside to create additional flavours. However, barrique ageing did not become fashionable worldwide until the 1970s and, after initial reservations, also became established in Germany and Austria.

The process

Barrique wines are matured in these small barrels for a longer period of time. Using a barrel just once can cause it to lose up to 85% of its flavour. A barrique barrel can therefore only be used two or three times, which makes wine production much more expensive. If only new oak barrels are used for ageing, this is referred to as "100%". With "50%", 50% is matured in new barrels and 50% in barrels that have been used once. The barrels are then equalised (blended). There is a range between "20%" and "100%". Some producers even age in "200%" (e.g. Château Valandraud). This means that the wine is transferred from a new barrel to another new barrel. The extent or intensity of the "wood tone"(toast flavour) depends on consumer taste, the trend is towards "less". The French oenologist Émile Peynaud (1912-2004) said: " Wood must be used in wines in the same way as herbs in fine cuisine: it must bring out the other flavours even better."

Barrique ageing is mainly used for red wines, but...

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Dominik Trick

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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg

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