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WINE IN WOOD AND WOOD IN WINE
Effective oak maturation of wine
by Charl Theron, guest lecturer in Oenology, Tim Rypstra, professor in Wood Science and Jan Swart, director: Wood and Fibre Institute.
The technology
of wood maturation has changed considerably over the years. Cellars
have become more particular about the specifications of barrels, the
use of oak sources from Eastern Europe has become more transparent,
the use and product variety of alternative oak products have
increased considerably and the application of micro-oxygenation
combined with alternative wood products has become the rule rather
than the exception. In order to obtain clarity about the current
status and future of oak in vinification, the Wine
Industry Journal
conducted a question and answer session with Australian and New
Zealand cellars and cooperages, the gist of which is summarised in
this article.
Cellars in Victoria, the Hunter Valley
and Hawkes Bay, with individual barrel inventories ranging from 140
to 1 500 barrels, provided the following information:
The barrels are
mostly medium toasted French barriques.
American barrels and puncheons
are
used for experimental purposes only. American barrels are used for
Shiraz and Tempranillo especially. Wines from Italian cultivars such
as Nebbiolo and Sangiovese are matured in old barrels to obtain the
barrel’s oxidative influence and not its wooden character.
Sometimes the preference is for softer tannins deriving from barrels
of which the dowels are bent through immersion in water. In general
barrels are preferably made from wood with a fine grain.
80 - 100% of all red wines are
matured in barrels, while a small percentage of white wines are
matured in barrels.
A wide variety of wine styles from
different white and red cultivars are fermented and/or matured in
barrels.
If barrels are properly maintained
they may be used for 4 to 15 years. If barrels are used for the
fermentation of white wines only with subsequent lees contact and
wood character is not important, they may be used for a very long
time, unlike barrels for red wines, where the wood character is
important, which can be used for shorter periods only. When cleaning
barrels for recycling care should be taken to prevent excessive
temperatures, which may result in undesirable coconut flavours in
the wine.
Barrels from Francois Frères,
Sirugue, Mercurey, Demptos, Séguin-Moreau, Dargaud &
Jaegle and Saury cooperages are most commonly used, although
experimentation occurs with barrels from a larger variety of
cooperages. Most important considerations when selecting a cooperage
are oak quality, sustainability of oak quality, integrity and good
craftsmanship.
There has been a downswing in the use
of new barrels for various reasons, namely a decrease in the
emphasis on intense oak character, as well as for financial reasons
due to the cost of new barrels.
Alternative wood products are used
only when cheaper wines are produced, but from a quality point of
view barrels are still preferable. In the long term alternative oak
products are unlikely to replace barrels.
Oak suppliers Oak Wine Barrels
Cooperages 1912, Kauri NZ Ltd and Radoux Australia, representing
various cooperages, gave the following replies, in a nutshell:
Most cellars prefer French oak
barrels. American oak does not constitute more than 30% and European
oak, apart from French, not more than 5 %.
Although the toasting level of
barrels is a relative concept, the greater emphasis on fruity wines
has resulted in an awareness that the toasting of barrels should
contribute to rather than suppress fruitiness. The US market still
prefers wines with an aggressive oak character.
Cellar preferences for specific oak
characters are addressed by aspects such as extended natural wood
drying, barrel size, grain density, toasting level, improved
toasting techniques and the bending of the staves through water
immersion instead of an open fire.
The use of wood alternatives instead
of barrels is considered for cheaper wines only. Cellars would use
barrels only if the price of barrels did not come into play.
Australian and New Zealand winemakers
also make wines for the international market and their focus when
using oak in vinification does not differ significantly from other
wine countries.
More and more cellars are considering
the use of larger barrels, which impart less oak character, but
allow the same exposure to oxygen. Cellars are increasingly
interested in using larger vats for fermentation.
Reference
Anonymous. 2007. Oak users have their
say on effectively ageing wine. Wine Industry Journal 22(6): 63 - 70.
This article is also available on the
website www.winebiz.com.au.
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