Barrel-aged white wine: fermentation and maturing in wooden barrels

Barrel-aged white wine is the opposite of the fresh, steel-tank style: full, round, creamy. Three things shape this character: the wooden barrel, ageing on the lees and malolactic conversion.

Barrel fermentation and maturing

Part or all of the must ferments in a wooden barrel and matures there too. Through the pores of the oak a little oxygen reaches the wine, which makes it rounder, and the barrel itself adds flavours: vanilla, toast, nuts, smoke. The size and age of the barrel matter a great deal: a new, small (225-litre) barrique has a stronger effect, large or used barrels a more restrained one. Wooden-barrel white wines include most serious Chardonnays, barrel-fermented Furmint and barrel-fermented Hárslevelű.

Ageing on the lees

After fermentation the wine can rest for months on the settled yeast sediment (the lees). Stirring the lees from time to time (bâtonnage) makes the wine creamier, richer and longer on the finish.

Malolactic conversion

In malolactic conversion (malolactic fermentation) the wine's harder malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid. It is usual with Chardonnay; with fresh-style wines the winemaker often skips it, to keep the crispness of the acids.