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Article: Do barrel shapes affect wine? Will alternatives ever challenge traditional shapes?
- Article from:
- Wines & Vines
- Article date:
- February 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Wines & Vines. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Most winemakers agree that the size of a wine barrel can influence a wine's character, but what about its shape? Would wine fermented and aged in a square, or even pyramid-shaped, vessel have a different character than wine aged in a standard-shaped wine barrel?
Traditional barrels were originally designed with transportation in mind. They were stronger than breakage-prone amphorae, and were handy for rolling on and off of ships before cranes were invented. In spite of the advances of modern technology, the vast majority of oak-aged wines are still made in this same type of egg-shaped wooden barrel. Will an alternatively shaped barrel ever challenge the ...