At a recent tasting I moderated, a participant asked what made French oak so special. It was a good question and a timely one because I was just reading about it in Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wine.

French oak has been seen as the top source for centuries. Like vineyards impact grapes and thus the flavor of wine, the soil for trees means a lot. For instance, the Troncais forest in France produces some of the best oak for wine barrels. The soil is terrible, so the tree grows slowly and produces a wood that is tightly grained. Limousin oak, on the other hand, is wide grained and more tannic. A wine producer will choose a forest that will deliver the nuances that he is trying to create. In fact, many producers will actually choose the specific tree.

Oak isn’t the only wood used in barrels. Hungarian oak is admired for its nutty flavors. American oak, mostly from Missouri, is commonly used in Spanish wines and is noted for its aggressive tannins and vanilla flavors.