Oak can be considered the spice of wine, even if its main function is to ensure the first aging of wine before bottling. There are two competing methods on the global wine market.

 In the traditional method, expensive oak barrels are used to store the wine for six to twelve months.

 The other method, known as "aromatization" consists in leaving the wine to rest for several weeks in stainless steel vats and adding pieces of oak.
This trick means production costs twenty times less, but these "aromatized" wines may well disappear from the market as quickly as they appeared.
This method, very common in the United States, Chile and Australia, can be used for ordinary wines destined to be drunk young, but is not advisable for fine vintage wines that are meant to age.