(ElPasoTomes) - There are, of course, many important steps in the winemaking process that impact the final product. Everything from the climate to the soil to the fermentation process will have an enormous impact on the outcome of the wine you are producing.

One factor that shouldn't be overlooked is the use and purpose of the wine barrel. Wine barrels not only play an important role in the storage and aging of a good wine, but they can also contribute greatly to the noticeable characteristics and flavor of a wine.

Using wood barrels to store wine goes all the way back to the days of Napoleon. These first barrels to store wine were built in France, and the country remains the leader in producing the best quality barrels. The vast majority of French oak wine barrels are produced from one of five forests, and if you're the most serious of wine drinkers, you'll be curious to know which ones when you're tasting a serious red wine.

So what kind of flavors does a barrel contribute to the flavor of wine? Most notably oak and vanilla type flavors and what many consumers call a "buttery finish" on white wines like Chardonnay. I've often found in talking with other wine drinkers that people either love a nice oaky finish, or they don't want any of it at all. There's no right or wrong answer, of course, it's just a matter of preference.

The flavor that's transferred from a barrel to the wine is often dependent on how charred the inside of the barrel is. During the construction phase, a partially built barrel is placed over a wood fire for varying amounts of time to add charring. The final depth of this char is what ultimately determines the effect on the wine inside. Winemakers can choose to buy barrels with different char levels — the most common options are simply light, medium or heavy.

While French oak barrels are traditionally the best and most commonly used in the wine-production process, barrels from other countries have slowly gained in popularity over the last several years. Romania, Hungary and even America are becoming better and better known for the quality of their barrels, and when you combine that with their significantly lower price, many winemakers will opt to go that route. An American winemaker who opts for American oak wine barrels will also save a significant amount on shipping.

When all is said and done, the price of an American oak barrel can be about half that of a French oak barrel — which from the better forests runs about $800 to $1,000 per barrel. When you're purchasing dozens or more per year, that can make a huge difference on a winery's bottom line, and it certainly impacts the selling price of the bottle of wine that was fermented or aged in oak. A wine barrel is like a tea bag and is only usable for a few years. Many expensive wineries pride themselves on only using "new oak" each year, meaning that they only use barrels once. The high price of the wine will noticeably reflect the oaky flavor — and the winemaker's decision to use barrels for only one year. At Zin Valle Vineyards, we have stored our red wines in barrels that are typically 2 or 3 years old. Many large production and less expensive wines are made by wineries using oak staves or chips instead of actual barrels.

As the wine sits in the barrel from anywhere from a couple months to a few years, most winemakers will sample the wine regularly to monitor its progress. It's also important to have an extra stash of the juice available to top the barrels off throughout the year as slow evaporation takes its toll and creates too much room for oxygen in the barrel to taint the wine. A full barrel that is properly sealed will allow only a small amount of oxygen into the wine, which aids in the maturation process. If the winemaker likes what they are tasting at any given point, it might be time to head to the bottling line right away.