Staves for the Vinification and maturation of your wine

staves_oenochene

What are staves or wooden staves for wine?

The wood staves are made from merrains, longitudinal pieces of French oak wood. Otherwise known as stave It is originally manufactured to be assembled side by side and thus form the wall of the wine-making barrels.

The staves are used for a quality wine maturation for a reasonable cost. In fact, in addition to or in replacement of a Barrel agingThe stave allows to refine the wines, with a controlled contribution of the woody aromas, to make them go up in range.

A real alternative to wooden barrels, staves have been authorized since 2007 for most of the appellations and PGI. The technique is then registered on the European list of products that can be used or added in products of the wine sector. Its use falls within the limits and conditions set out in the European regulation n°2019/934 of 12 March 2019.

The French wood staves bring structure and aromatic complexity.

What are the advantages of staves in oenology?

The process of wood staves in oenology brings an additional contribution to the wine, making it possible to have wines that are clearer on the nose, more intense aromatically, fatter and more structured in the mouth. Often intended for the most beautiful wine vintagesThe wood staves give the wine complexity.

The wood staves thus make it possible to bring density, freshness and length to the wine, volume in the mouth, finesse, length... without giving too much pronounced woodiness.

What does the staves bring in fine in the qualitative improvement of the wine?

The main objective of the staves is therefore to raise the wines in a qualitative way, without barrels. For example, if a winegrower and winemaker is no longer able to buy more barrels, he can use theThe use of Staves in addition to process additional volumes.

The advantages of staves in wine are the following:

  • saving space in your cellar (limited space where it is not possible to build a barrel cellar);

  • simple, fast and very practical use even in traditional vats => very regular taste results from one vintage to the next;

  • to make very different styles of wines with costs much lower than the barrel, additional costs very reduced (labor, etc...) => more profitable => to open commercially and to enhance the value of my vintages => multiplied sales volumes.

What are the different formats of wood staves at oenochêne ?

The dosage of wood staves in the wine is important. Depending on the size of the staves usedIt is possible to choose between respecting the fruit with a subtle woodiness, and a structure close to new oak with a strong woodiness. For example, a 27 mm stave and 12 months of breeding will slowly diffuse the woody texture and give a finer rendering closer to the barrel rendering.

Contact time: 4 to 12 months of contact

Format (L x W x Thickness): staves available from 7 to 12mm in bags of 25 or 50 staves

  • 910 x 50 x 7 mm --> bag of 50 staves --> 4 months minimum

  • 910 x 50 x 12 mm --> bag of 25 staves --> 6 months

  • 960 x 50 x 27 mm --> bag of 10 staves --> 9 months minimum

Range of Staves
Staves 7mm Staves 12mm Staves Q1 27mm
Available heaters
Delicacy, Sweety, Harmony, Complexity Delicacy, Sweety, Harmony, Complexity & Intensity Tradition or Sweetness blend
Length in mm
910 910 960
Width in mm
50 50 50
Thickness in mm
7 12 27
Contact area (m2/Stave)
0,10 0,11 0,15
Average weight (g/stave)
180 320 790

The size of the staves, what does it change?

Your choice of oak depends on the time you have before you market your wine, the budget you have and the quality of the woodwork desired. The smaller the contact surface, the more slowly the wood diffuses its compounds to the wine, the more the woodiness is melted.

Piece of wood
Stave 7mm Stave 12mm Stave 27mm
Dose equivalence to obtain the same woody solution
3 Staves/hL 2 Staves/hL 1 Stave/hL
Contact surface
0,30m2 0,22m2 0,15m2
Recommended contact time
4 months minimum 6 months minimum 8 months minimum
Price Range
€€ €€€

How to use the wood staves?

The process of using wood staves in wine is simple:

  1. gather the staves in clusters,

  2. place them to soak in the tank,

  3. wait for the desired time and respect the minimum soaking time,

  4. monitor free SO2, control and readjust if necessary,

  5. regularly stir the tank to renew the wine around the staves and thus improve the wood compounds.