French or American Oak? Part 2

                                      

"French or American Oak?" (June 20) drew a number of responses, from winemakers and wine consumers. The replies indicated a desire by winemakers to clarify the issue, while also showing that consumers want to know more about the relationship between wine and oak.

Kimberlee Nicholls, winemaker for Markham Vineyard, in the Napa Valley, reminded me of an important difference between French and American oaks, that I didn't mention.  Paul Vandenberg, winemaker and winery owner for Paradisos del Sol Winery, in Washington's Yakima Valley, made a pitch for older barrels in lieu of trendy concrete eggs.  And Marvin Mai, an avid wine consumer from Santa Rosa, California, wants to know about sustainable forestry and if oak chips, used in a concrete egg, have the same impact on wine as does wine aging in an oak barrel. 

Knowing more about the wine you drink can help in making wine buys.  So, here's a follow-up to the June post on French or American oak, with more information...  

On sustainability: The entire process, from the forest to the cellar, has been a personal interest, since I sipped my first wine.  Thus, I believe one way to answer Marvin Mai's question about sustainability, is to first think of how long it takes for an oak tree to grow.  In France, as trees transition for decades through the growth process, the government monitors  the cycle from planting a new sapling to harvesting a mature tree.  In the United States, a sustainable forest growth plan, follows a similar plan, insuring there will always be trees to harvest.  

On the benefits to wine of oak contact: Kimberlee Nicholls explains that oak aging allows the introduction of oxygen into wine, softening tannin and mouthfeel.  "When not using barrels, the introduction of oak is possible through the use of oak chips or oak stave inserts in tanks, to create a softening of the flavor profile," she explains. 

Paul Vandenberg  believes there is a more practical benefit.  "Barrels replaced ceramics as storage and transportation vessels because they are much lighter and more durable when moved. Until recently, new barrels were not used for the highest quality wines. When  American winemakers realized that barrel fermentation and aging were key to white Burgundy (Chardonnay), we started importing barrels."

On the use of concrete eggs:  Vandenberg had this to say: "The use of 'eggs' is stupid and an expensive return to the technology of a time before the use of barrels, and is a response to immature barrels." Then, he adds this about wine held in concrete eggs, "My limited tasting experience suggests to me that stupid, expensive, heavy, space hog ceramic vessels offer no advantage, except, of course, the 'cool' factor, which is strictly PR."

Nicholls does not use concrete eggs at Markham, but she has a couple of concrete tanks, that she uses "only for white wine to enhance the wine's minerality."

There is, however, an "armored" egg in use at Rodney Strong Vineyards.  On "Wine Industry Network," Justin Seidenfeld, reports the fermentation egg in the Rodney Strong cellar is half stainless steel and half French oak, which he says "creates natural mixing and cooling, for a "fuller, richer wine." 

On the advantage of older barrels and barrel neutrality:  Vandenberg prefers barrels that are more than 10 years old, preferably 20-plus.  "A barrel is not neutral until it is well past 10 years old."  In a lighter vein, he reflects, "for a barrel at least 30 years old, the difference between French oak and American oak is weight of the barrel.  As I get older, I prefer Quercus Europe because they are lighter."  He is in agreement with California winemaker Clark Smith, who addresses the subject of using older barrels in his book, "Post Modern Winemaking." 

On the milling of oak for wine barrels: Nicholls points out that the big difference between French and American oak is the way the barrels are milled. "Due to its cell structure, French oak must be cut with the grain, while American oak is typically quarter sawed.  This means less waste on the (American oak) log itself, which probably speaks to the cost difference between the two oaks." 

On the use of oak alternatives:  "I'm not a fan of oak chips," says Nicholls,"because  they have so much oxygen that you need to counteract with more SO2."  Vandenberg, also not a fan of oak adjuncts, as he calls them, says, "They are primarily about aromatic extract; I gave them up years ago."    

Oak is, by far, the worldwide wood of choice for use with wine.  It wasn't always that way. In the 7th century BCE, merchants in Armenia shipped wine in palm wood barrels.  It would be thousands of years before the arrival of oak.  In the intervening years, winemakers  used locally grown woods, including  ash, redwood, acacia, chestnut, cypress, evergreen beech, and pine.  Oak ultimately became the favorite, for its relative ease in forming barrels and, most importantly, the seasoning from oak, is far superior to that of other woods.

The relationship that exists between the contribution of oak to fermenting and maturing wine is complex and extensive. Thus, a detailed coverage of the subject, in two short articles, is impossible.  Hopefully, the information and opinions above and in the June 20, 2024 posting, will help readers of this blog toward a greater enjoyment of wine.

Next posting: Sicilian White Wine

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