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What is Oak?

Answer:
Oak is a Flowering Deciduous Plant of

the Family Fagaceae belongs to the genus Quercus which is known to possess hard and durable wood.

Oak is having hard wood & durable wood and therefore it is mainly used as number one choice for preparing wine barrels. The other reason for the wide spread use of Oak in preparation of wine barrels is that Oak imparts aroma, flavor and tannins to wine during the barrel aging process however this property is mostly available with newly formed Oak barrels and gradually decrease with time so can not be reused. Oak can also be added to wine in the form of free-floating Oak chips or as wood staves (sticks).

Oak is also known to enhance the qualities of the wine through the process of Evaporation and some Oxidation. The life-span of Oak tree is typically between 80 to 120 years or more depending on the type of species. Oak trees can be harvested in the winter season. The fruit of Oak plant is known as Acorn.

The various uses of Oak plant includes furniture making, flooring, timber frame buildings, veneer production, preparation of wine stoppers (corks), tanning leather and many more.

Oak plant is quite resistant to insects and fungal attacks because of the presence of high tannin contents in it. But if the insects, fungi, caterpillars, worms, etc are present in larger number than they may destroy the plant. Oak plant is the National Tree of many countries like England, France, Germany, Poland, United States, Serbia, etc.