Differentiate between a white wine aged in stainless steel versus the same wine aged in wood barrel? ...

Stainless steel tanks are used mainly for white aromatic wines whose primary aromas/flavors and youthful crisp acidity are intended to be preserved. Stainless steel doesn't truly age the wineinstead it more accurately preserves the wine and prevents the passage of oxygen that would otherwise dramatically

alter the wine's personality. If the same wine were to be wood aged, typical aromas and flavor characteristics that are imparted from the wood aging process fall into the category of bakeshop/coffee shop (coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, almond, and toasted nut), cigar shop (tea and tobacco), and bakeshop spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice). These aromas and flavor nuances can be more or less assertive dependent upon the number of times a barrel has been used.