What wines are best to age in barrels?

From Barrel-Aged Wine: How Barrel Aging Transforms Wine:

“Red wines are best suited to barrel aging. Many classic red wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, are aged in oak barrels. Oak aging is integral in producing many high-quality red wines, lending them their characteristic depth and complexity.”

Barrel aging can improve flavours, by allowing a wine to mellow, reducing astringent tannins and structural harshness. It can also introduce new flavours as small amounts of oxygen are transmitted into and react with the wine, or simply by the time in storage allowing flavours to evolve. Both increased tannins and structural complexity are more prevalent in red wine.   

See: https://www.winedeals.com/blog/post/barrel-aged-wine

WineDeals Article Posted Dec. 15, 2023