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The Oak Scoop: February 2026
The Oak Scoop: February 2026 edition includes lots of exciting updates such as a look at our upcoming events, a deep dive into the science of toasting, and more!
by Brandon Haas
Published on 02/06/2026
ON THIS PAGE
Age your wine with oak chips.
- Shop Now
Welcome to The Oak Scoop, our monthly newsletter dedicated to keeping our customers informed on company updates, industry events, product education, the science behind oak in winemaking, and much more!
In February's edition, we recap our appearance at the 2026 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium and preview our upcoming presence at the 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition, dive into the science behind toasting and flavor development, explore a commonly asked question about whether oak is the only wood suitable for winemaking, examine the interaction between oak and wine from a health perspective, and wrap up with our latest blog spotlight: What are Oak Segments?
Wrapping Up Unified & Looking Ahead to our Next Events
As quickly as it arrived, the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium came to a close! The team at OCI would like to thank the organizers, staff, and attendees for another successful year at the show! We enjoyed meeting everyone and discussing your oak needs across a wide range of applications.
We also want to extend a big thank you to our OCI team members Jessica, Bobby, Steve, and Jim for all of their help preparing our booth and helping attendees throughout the event.
Until next year, we bid the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium goodbye!
Our next stop is the 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition, which is March 24-26 in Richmond, VA. This event brings together both commercial and home winemakers and provides another great opportunity to share knowledge and explore oak solutions.
You’ll find OCI at Booth #217, and we look forward to meeting with everyone and learning how we can support your winemaking
The Science Behind Toasting
Toasting, or sometimes called roasting, is really a unique science that involves many processes. However, we like to explain it as a simple method of adding rich flavors straight to the wood so winemakers globally can enhance and enjoy their wines.
You won’t find a hard-set definition for what toasting is, as many companies have different methods. However, a simple definition for toasting is a controlled thermal process that chemically alters the wood’s structural components (hemicellulose, lignin, and oak lactones).
The first component, hemicellulose, begins to break down at relatively low temperatures; think ~300-400°F (~149-204°C). This component breaks down chemically into compounds such as furfural and 5-methylfurfural, and these compounds are responsible for sweet flavors, such as sugar and caramel, commonly found in light to medium toast levels.
As the temperature increases to around 430-540°F (~221-282°C), the next component, lignin, begins to break down. This produces vanillin, syringaldehyde, guaiacol, and eugenol (responsible for vanilla, spice, smoke, and clove flavors, respectively). This is where the major differences in toast levels show up, as vanillin production is maximized in medium toast levels, while heavier toast levels move more towards smoky flavors.
Finally, oak lactones (cis- and trans-methyl-γ-octalactone) are naturally present in oak and really contribute to that fresh wood-like character and aroma. The lighter the toast, the more the lactones are preserved, while the heavier the toast, the more the lactone concentration is reduced through thermal degradation.
Interested in learning more about toast levels?
As seen above, the toast level can make or break what flavors are introduced to your wine. In a previous blog, our experts conduct a deeper dive.
Wood Types & Their Suitability for Winemaking
A question our experts get often is “Is oak the only wood suitable for winemaking?” We wanted to dive into this topic a bit further this month.
The simple answer to the question is no, oak is not the only wood suitable for winemaking. However, this comes with caveats. Oak may not be the only winemaking wood on the market, but it is the only wood that features natural properties that make it the #1 choice for winemakers.
From a chemical standpoint, oak contains a balance of lignins, tannins, and oak lactones that properly enhance wine. Additionally, oak is very structurally sound. Oak has a tight grain and moderate porosity. This allows minimal oxygen exchange, assisting in the oxidation and mellowing of wines.
Many other woods (such as cherry, maple, hickory, etc.) are used for winemaking, but more so for specific batches or as a finishing touch. These woods lack many of the structural and chemical properties that oak excels in and can actually hurt your wine more than help it.
In short, oak is not unique because it is the only wood able to be used during winemaking. It is unique because it makes the most sense for winemakers from a reliability and compatibility standpoint. This is why most of the barrels and barrel alternative products you see nowadays are still produced mainly with oak.
Oak & Wine Health Benefits
Wine and oak go hand-in-hand with each other. But did you know that they also work together in making drinkers healthier?
Now we would be lying if we said that oak itself had some kind of special health benefit on its own. However, when you combine the contributions of oak influence with the existing benefits that drinking wine has on your health, you get an entirely different result.
As far as wine goes, its health benefits are mainly attributed to polyphenolic content. Oak aging does not create these same benefits itself but can enhance and stabilize the phenolic profile of wine.
With oak, one of its major contributions to wine is ellagitannins. These act as very powerful antioxidants, helping to protect native polyphenols in the wine from oxidative degradation during aging. In turn, this assists with retaining more compounds associated with cardiovascular health in humans.
Additionally, once ellagitannins are metabolized in the body, they turn into urolithins, which have been studied and play a role in reducing systemic inflammation, supporting mitochondrial function, and improving overall endothelial health.
So even though oak does not specifically make wine ‘more healthy,’ it does play a part in enhancing the compounds in wine that have been scientifically proven to assist in health in humans.
February's Featured Blog
To close out this month’s edition, we’re highlighting our latest blog post: What Are Oak Segments?
We frequently receive questions about oak segments—how to use them, when they make the most sense, and how they compare to other oak alternatives. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to answer those questions and more.
Read the full article here.
Until Next Month!
That wraps up February’s edition of The Oak Scoop. As always, for more information on any topic covered here, explore our blog or reach out to our team directly.
In our next issue, we’ll take a deep dive into American vs. French oak, explore how surface area influences extraction rates, and continue breaking down the science behind oak alternatives.
If you missed last month's edition, click here to read it now!
by Brandon Haas
Published on 02/06/2026
Share Article
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POPULAR POSTS
OAK ALTERNATIVES
How Long Should You Age Wine With Oak Chips?
NEWS/UPDATES
The Oak Scoop: January 2026
USING OAK IN WINEMAKING
What is Harvest and Why is it Important to Winemakers?
OAK SCIENCE
5 Ways To Make Your Alcohol Taste Better
ON THIS PAGE
Age your wine with oak chips.
- Shop Now
Welcome to The Oak Scoop, our monthly newsletter dedicated to keeping our customers informed on company updates, industry events, product education, the science behind oak in winemaking, and much more!
In February's edition, we recap our appearance at the 2026 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium and preview our upcoming presence at the 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition, dive into the science behind toasting and flavor development, explore a commonly asked question about whether oak is the only wood suitable for winemaking, examine the interaction between oak and wine from a health perspective, and wrap up with our latest blog spotlight: What are Oak Segments?
Wrapping Up Unified & Looking Ahead to our Next Events
As quickly as it arrived, the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium came to a close! The team at OCI would like to thank the organizers, staff, and attendees for another successful year at the show! We enjoyed meeting everyone and discussing your oak needs across a wide range of applications.
We also want to extend a big thank you to our OCI team members Jessica, Bobby, Steve, and Jim for all of their help preparing our booth and helping attendees throughout the event.
Until next year, we bid the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium goodbye!
Our next stop is the 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition, which is March 24-26 in Richmond, VA. This event brings together both commercial and home winemakers and provides another great opportunity to share knowledge and explore oak solutions.
You’ll find OCI at Booth #217, and we look forward to meeting with everyone and learning how we can support your winemaking
The Science Behind Toasting
Toasting, or sometimes called roasting, is really a unique science that involves many processes. However, we like to explain it as a simple method of adding rich flavors straight to the wood so winemakers globally can enhance and enjoy their wines.
You won’t find a hard-set definition for what toasting is, as many companies have different methods. However, a simple definition for toasting is a controlled thermal process that chemically alters the wood’s structural components (hemicellulose, lignin, and oak lactones).
The first component, hemicellulose, begins to break down at relatively low temperatures; think ~300-400°F (~149-204°C). This component breaks down chemically into compounds such as furfural and 5-methylfurfural, and these compounds are responsible for sweet flavors, such as sugar and caramel, commonly found in light to medium toast levels.
As the temperature increases to around 430-540°F (~221-282°C), the next component, lignin, begins to break down. This produces vanillin, syringaldehyde, guaiacol, and eugenol (responsible for vanilla, spice, smoke, and clove flavors, respectively). This is where the major differences in toast levels show up, as vanillin production is maximized in medium toast levels, while heavier toast levels move more towards smoky flavors.
Finally, oak lactones (cis- and trans-methyl-γ-octalactone) are naturally present in oak and really contribute to that fresh wood-like character and aroma. The lighter the toast, the more the lactones are preserved, while the heavier the toast, the more the lactone concentration is reduced through thermal degradation.
Interested in learning more about toast levels?
As seen above, the toast level can make or break what flavors are introduced to your wine. In a previous blog, our experts conduct a deeper dive.
Wood Types & Their Suitability for Winemaking
A question our experts get often is “Is oak the only wood suitable for winemaking?” We wanted to dive into this topic a bit further this month.
The simple answer to the question is no, oak is not the only wood suitable for winemaking. However, this comes with caveats. Oak may not be the only winemaking wood on the market, but it is the only wood that features natural properties that make it the #1 choice for winemakers.
From a chemical standpoint, oak contains a balance of lignins, tannins, and oak lactones that properly enhance wine. Additionally, oak is very structurally sound. Oak has a tight grain and moderate porosity. This allows minimal oxygen exchange, assisting in the oxidation and mellowing of wines.
Many other woods (such as cherry, maple, hickory, etc.) are used for winemaking, but more so for specific batches or as a finishing touch. These woods lack many of the structural and chemical properties that oak excels in and can actually hurt your wine more than help it.
In short, oak is not unique because it is the only wood able to be used during winemaking. It is unique because it makes the most sense for winemakers from a reliability and compatibility standpoint. This is why most of the barrels and barrel alternative products you see nowadays are still produced mainly with oak.
Oak & Wine Health Benefits
Wine and oak go hand-in-hand with each other. But did you know that they also work together in making drinkers healthier?
Now we would be lying if we said that oak itself had some kind of special health benefit on its own. However, when you combine the contributions of oak influence with the existing benefits that drinking wine has on your health, you get an entirely different result.
As far as wine goes, its health benefits are mainly attributed to polyphenolic content. Oak aging does not create these same benefits itself but can enhance and stabilize the phenolic profile of wine.
With oak, one of its major contributions to wine is ellagitannins. These act as very powerful antioxidants, helping to protect native polyphenols in the wine from oxidative degradation during aging. In turn, this assists with retaining more compounds associated with cardiovascular health in humans.
Additionally, once ellagitannins are metabolized in the body, they turn into urolithins, which have been studied and play a role in reducing systemic inflammation, supporting mitochondrial function, and improving overall endothelial health.
So even though oak does not specifically make wine ‘more healthy,’ it does play a part in enhancing the compounds in wine that have been scientifically proven to assist in health in humans.
February's Featured Blog
To close out this month’s edition, we’re highlighting our latest blog post: What Are Oak Segments?
We frequently receive questions about oak segments—how to use them, when they make the most sense, and how they compare to other oak alternatives. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to answer those questions and more.
Read the full article here.
Until Next Month!
That wraps up February’s edition of The Oak Scoop. As always, for more information on any topic covered here, explore our blog or reach out to our team directly.
In our next issue, we’ll take a deep dive into American vs. French oak, explore how surface area influences extraction rates, and continue breaking down the science behind oak alternatives.
If you missed last month's edition, click here to read it now!
by Brandon Haas
Published on 02/06/2026
Share Article