Editing Barrel (section)

====Wines====
Some wines are fermented "on barrel", as opposed to in a neutral container like steel or wine-grade [[High-density polyethylene|HDPE]] (high-density polyethylene) tanks. Wine can also be fermented in large wooden tanks, which—when open to the atmosphere—are called "open-tops". Other wooden cooperage for storing wine or spirits range from smaller barriques to huge casks, with either [[elliptic]]al or round heads.

The tastes yielded by French and American species of oak are slightly different, with French oak being subtler, while American oak gives stronger aromas.<ref name=oak>[http://www.robertmondavi.com/WineFacts/oakBarrel.asp Oak Barrels: French vs. American] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602161329/http://www.robertmondavi.com/winefacts/oakbarrel.asp |date=2007-06-02}}.</ref> To retain the desired measure of oak influence, a [[winery]] will replace a certain percentage of its barrels every year, although this can vary from 5 to 100%. Some winemakers use "200% new oak", where the wine is put into new oak barrels twice during the aging process. [[Bulk wine]]s are sometimes more cheaply flavored by soaking in [[oak chips]] or added commercial oak flavoring instead of being aged in a barrel because of the much lower cost.

=====Sherry=====
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[[File:FLOR-ValdiviaJerez59 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Wine barrel|Sherry barrel]] with glass barrel head to show the layer of [[flor]] floating atop the aging wine]]
[[Sherry]] is stored in {{convert|600|L|adj=on}} casks made of North American oak, which is slightly more porous than French or Spanish oak. The casks, or butts, are filled five-sixths full, leaving "the space of two fists" empty at the top to allow [[flor]] to develop on top of the wine. Sherry is also commonly swapped between barrels of different ages, a process that is known as ''[[solera]]''.