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Using American oak of different origin

by Charl Theron, guest lecturer in Oenology, Tim Rypstra, professor in Wood Science and Jan Swart, director: Wood and Fibre Institute, Stellenbosch University

Winemakers have long been aware of the fact that French oak barrels of varying origins have a different influence on the wine that matures in them. When purchasing French oak it is mostly specified whether it should be Nevers, Vosges, etcetera and with coopers’ transparency about the use of Russian or Eastern European oak, these have been added to the spectrum of origin. When using American oak, however, few winemakers specify the specific origin of the wood.

The South Australian winery, Step Road at Langhorne Creek, in collaboration with the Nadalié Cooperage, investigated the influence on wine of American oak from different origins, as well as different combinations. Hogsheads from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Virginia and a combination thereof were used for the maturation of 2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz and 2007 Langhorne Creek Shiraz. The winemaker’s observations of the different wood origins started at 6 weeks’ maturation and the particular characteristics remained the same during maturation, but obviously became more prominent. The observations of the winemaker may be summarised as follows:

Pennsylvania barrels

  • Prominent coconut character on the nose.
  • Sweetness on the front palate.
  • The wines become more full-bodied during maturation.
Virginia barrels
  • Spiciness on the nose, with more prominent fruitiness.
  • The taste is more structured and tends to make the tannins appear more dry.
  • Will be beneficial in fruity wines, which require more body. Consequently it fared better with the Langhorne Creek wine, which is fruitier.
Minnesota barrels
  • A more neutral wood character with spicy nuances on the nose.
  • Smokey wood character on the palate.
Barrels of mixed origin
  • Spice, cloves and coconut on the nose.
  • The taste is more structured and sweet.
  • It improves the middle palate with some sweetness on the front palate.
  • It produced good results in both wines.
Except in the case of the Minnesota barrels, medium and medium plus toasted barrels were evaluated. In general the medium plus toasted barrels displayed a more prominent toast character, as could be expected, and consequently the winemaker preferred the medium toasted barrels, since the barrels showed up the wood differences. The different origins of the wood did not appear to have an influence on the toasting effect.

Upon completion of the investigation, the winemaker was convinced that he could be more specific in his wood requirements for different wines. Nadalié contends that their long, natural ageing process of the wood in America, before construction and shipping of the barrels to Australia, is a decisive quality factor. The wood is matured in high rainfall areas near the original plantations for 30 to 36 months. The leaching of the wood is therefore very intensive. They are also of the opinion that it makes sense for the entire manufacturing process to take place in America so as to have more control over the quality of the barrels delivered by them (Osborne, 2007).

Winemakers should note, therefore, that the purchase specifications of American oak products could be more detailed.

Reference

Osborne, M. 2007. Oak trials instigated to create the right balance. The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker, November 2007: 20 - 21.

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