Abstract: In one example embodiment, an article of manufacture includes a wooden element such as a dowel, preferably formed from toasted oak, that is attached to the inside of a screw-type wine vessel closure. In a second example embodiment, the wooden element is attached to a stopper. In yet other embodiments, elements are attached to the inside of a wine bottle or are prevented from leaving the bottle during pouring by deformable shape. In a wine making method, the wine is not aged in oak barrels but rather filled in bottles and sealed with the oak insert and aged in the bottles, including optional agitation, to accomplish substantially the functions of the barrel oak aging.