Toasted Oak Barrels and Their Effect on Wine Flavor

Last time we looked at the differences between new oak versus neutral oak wine barrels. New oak imparts lots of flavors to wine. But after about three vintages, the oak no longer imparts flavor so it is called neutral oak.

Much of the flavor imparted by the oak occurs naturally from the raw wood. But winemakers learned long ago that by "toasting" the inside of an oak barrel, they can enhance these flavors.

After a barrel is built, its inside can be exposed to fire to "toast" it. This is done either over an open flame or using a hand-held torch. The fire 'caramelizes' the wood's natural sugars and brings out complex compounds. From this, the wine will ultimately take on flavors that are toasty, charred, spicy and sweet depending on the amount of time the wood is toasted.

A lightly toasted barrel spends about 25 minutes exposed to flame while a heavily toasted barrel may get up to one hour of flame exposure.

Essentially, the heavier the toast, the stronger and more varied are the imparted flavors:

Light Toasting - Vanilla, coconut, caramel, clove and cinnamon

Medium Toasting - Vanilla, honey, caramel, toast, coffee, cocoa

Heavy Toasting - Vanilla, espresso, smoke, crème brûlée, butterscotch, toffee, molasses

Oak interacts with wine differently depending of the different grape varieties. Oak may impart hints of chocolate to a Merlot, and vanilla or coconut to a Zinfandel. White wines aged in oak (think Chardonnay) typically develop flavors of vanilla, baked apple, caramel, honey, toasted marshmallow, or buttered toast.

A winemaker will decide on what degree of toasting is appropriate for their wine’s style. Our 'job' is to enjoy all the wonderful flavors that oak, and toasted oak, add to our wine. Cheers!

Aging Wine in New Oak versus Neutral Oak

Wine may be fermented and aged in a variety of materials including stainless steel, oak and ceramic vessels, including concrete. The use of oak barrels is very common and its use dates back to the early days of Roman wine making.

While stainless steel imparts no additional flavor to a wine, and ceramics and concrete can add hints of minerality, oak barrels can have influences that range from subtle to intense.

When wine is aged in oak barrels, it develops flavors from the wood. Most commonly, oak barrels result in vanilla flavor that works well with many white and red wines. Oak barrels may also be toasted on their insides to varying degrees, and that adds smoky or toasty flavor to the wine.

If a wine is aged in 100% new oak, it will likely be very bold, rich, spicy and, of course, oaky. But, wines pull these flavors out of barrels relatively quickly. After the first year of use, a barrel loses much of its flavoring ability and, after three vintages, the wine has extracted most all of the oak's flavors, thus it is considered neutral oak.

Wines may still be fermented or aged in neutral barrels. Such aging tends to soften wines, particularly tannic wines, without adding the extra flavors. Neutral oak is typically used to maintain the fruit qualities in a wine while still getting some of the other benefits of aging in oak.

Next time we'll look a bit further into the process of 'toasting' the inside of an oak barrel. Until then, Cheers!

Is there an Egg in Your Wine?

It may sound like an odd question; an egg in wine?  Winemakers use many different products to fix flaws and flavors. But it usually difficult to know which ones have gone into your glass.

There’s no law requiring bottles to be labeled with
these ingredients, and it seems that most winemakers don't want to disclose that information.

Among the things used in wine making are animal products including isinglass which is derived from fish bladders, casein which comes from milk protein, gelatin and egg whites. So, in fact, there may have been egg in your wine before it was bottled.

Egg whites are just one of the products used in the process called 'fining' of red wines. Adding a solution of egg whites and water to the wine as it ages initiates a process that removes solid particles by binding to loose particles in the wine and causing them to settle out so that sediment can be easily removed before the wine is bottled. The fining agents are typically undetectable in the final product, with only trace amounts remaining.

The result is a stable, clear and pleasant-looking glass of wine instead of something that would otherwise be cloudy-looking.

Here's to raising a clean and clear glass of red wine. Cheers!

What are Jammy, Buttery & Earthy Wines?

Ever wonder how terms like 'Jammy,' 'Buttery,' and 'Earthy' can be associated with wine? A product that made with grapes?

Previously we looked at "How do all those flavors get into wine?" There we learned that taste and smell come from the combination of senses from your tongue and your nose that your brain puts together to form flavor. We also learned that aging a wine, especially in oak barrels, can impart flavors that go beyond the fruit flavors from the grape.

So, let's briefly explore the terms 'jammy,' 'buttery,' and 'earthy' with respect to wines.

The first, jammy, is probably the easiest to understand. Just like a jar of fruit jam that you may spread on toast, jammy wines have very concentrated fruit flavors. And because jammy wines are made from very ripe fruit (i.e., high in sugar content) they can end up with just a slight hint of sweetness to go along with the concentrated fruit flavors. Hence, a jammy wine.  Zinfandel is best known for having jammy characteristics.

Next is buttery. Seemly an odd term to be associated with wine. But buttery flavor can be created in wine in one of two ways. First, putting the wine through the process of malolactic conversion (often referred to a malolactic fermentation) turns the naturally formed malic acid that you might associated with tart green apples into lactic acid that is most commonly associated with cream or butter.  The second process that can add buttery flavor to a wine is oak aging.  While most red wines go through malolactic conversion and oak aging, it's Chardonnay that's best known for showing buttery flavors.

Finally, earthy wines are those that have subtle aromas of damp earth, forest floor, mushrooms or a bit of a dusty aroma. Earthy wines include Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah. These should not be pungent aromas, you should just get a hint. If these aromas are strong it usually indicates that the wine has become tainted.

While these descriptors may sound a bit odd when associated with wine, they really can be wonderful enhancements to your wine drinking experience. So, remember to swirl and smell your wines in the glass, then sip. And then see if you can pick out these interesting nuances. Cheers!

What's the Intrigue of an Old Bottle of Wine?

Like an old coin, an old painting, an old stamp, an old car or any other antique, old items hold certain appeal and intrigue. Maybe it's the notion of what was happening at the time when the item was made. Or, it could just be the look and feel of an old item that evokes an emotional experience when thinking back to the time when the item was produced.

In some ways, an old bottle of wine is like an antique. But, unlike any other type of antique, while it is indeed old, it has changed since it was originally produced. That, I believe, provides the real intrigue.

After wine goes into the bottle it continues to evolve. Even though it looks like it's still, the wine goes through further chemical reactions that can alter the way it looks, smells, tastes and feels in your mouth. Sometime for the better and sometimes for the worse. But, nonetheless, older wines from the better wine regions of the world and from the better wineries do become more sought after when they have aged.

Pulling the cork on an old bottle can be a big thrill. Hopefully, it's still drinkable. And if it is, it may be unlike any wine you've ever tasted.

But, generally speaking, drink your wines young (with in 10 years of the vintage date) as they are in their prime. If you do choose to lay a few bottles down, ensure they are stored in a cool, dark environment.  Cheers!