Talk about oak in wine, and one might picture rows of barrels, each cask snuggled into the two below. Go on a winery tour, and you'll march past walls of barrel tops decorated with coopers' stylized ...

Understand those "oaky" notes in your glass with our expert guide to the most popular types of wine barrels. Jonathan Cristaldi is a wine journalist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Oak barrels are more than storage—they actively shape wine and whiskey by adding flavor, texture, and structure through slow oxygen exchange and the release of tannins. Winemakers favor oak for its ...