Why Winemakers Pay a Fortune for Burnt Wood

[00:00:00]Oak barrels are one of the more iconic parts of the wine making process.

[00:00:03]Nothing tells you more that you're at a winery than a stack of barrels in a shed. But, why are they used so much?

[00:00:09]With the world of wine becoming more technologically advanced by the day, why is something so traditional still used?

[00:00:16]Is it more than just ideology? Is it absolutely crucial? So, let's break down why oak barrels are still an integral part of the modern wine making process.

[00:00:25]So, welcome back to Bottle Shop.

[00:00:29]>> [music] >> All right, let's start from the top.

[00:00:32]What is an oak barrel and how do they work? Essentially, oak barrels are cylinders made up of varying numbers of staves, depending on the size of the barrel, and a pair of heads, which are basically circular plates at each end held together with metal hoops. These hoops hold all the parts of the barrel together tightly, so no liquid is allowed to escape, and the grain of the wood is tight, so the liquid is unable to penetrate the wood entirely, creating a great storage vessel. Now, the question becomes, why oak? As there are many other storage vessels, and have been for a long time. The original wine vessel was actually made from terracotta, also known as Quevri or Amphora, which works great. So, why oak?

[00:01:13]One, it allows for the ingress and egress of oxygen, so the wine goes through very small amounts of oxidation, which allows for the development of tertiary flavors like nuts and earthy characteristics. And also, for red wines, it softens tannins, so allows for wines with more structure on release to be drunk in their youth. The second reason that oak is used is that acts it actually imparts flavor to the wine.

[00:01:36]Since the wood has plenty of oils and tannins, they are actually imparted into the wine itself. This is why wines often have flavors like vanilla, which is imparted by French oak, or coconut, which is from American oak. Now, this can improve the wine's intensity and complexity, which is why it is often found in premium wines like Burgundy, Napa Valley Cabernet, and Rioja. If oak can make a wine more intense and complex, why isn't it used all the time?

[00:02:02]Well, some grape varieties and wine styles aren't actually improved by oak.

[00:02:06]Often times, this is when a wine is looking for freshness rather than texture. Think about Riesling. We love Riesling. You guys all know that. And Riesling's full of these really lovely vibrant citrus floral characters and a really high degree of acidity. So, sometimes adding some vanilla or coconut would actually make that wine taste a little worse. Avoiding oak is done in other wine styles like your standard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde, entry-level Chablis. This allows the drinker to just simply taste [music] a grape. It might not be a better wine, but it does give you a clear vision of what the grape variety tastes like without too much manipulation. Instead of storing in oak, winemakers will store a wine in inert vessels that do not impart much or any flavor. Things like stainless steel, concrete, ceramic, even those clay amphorae I mentioned earlier.

[00:02:54]But, is there a halfway house? What if you want to have a little bit of that micro-oxidation to improve a wine's texture without flavor addition? Now, this is where older oak comes in. Now, the more you use a barrel, the more flavor is taken away. But, you can still use the oak. This allows for grapes to be stored in these barrels without being overwhelmed by flavor. As first use oak can be quite intense with flavor, often a final wine will use a blend of new and old oak to balance oak and grape flavor [music] alongside texture. As you might be picking up, there are a lot of choices in oak between new oak that has all the flavor, old oak that, you know, gets that small oxidation without the flavor. Like, the choices in oak can be pretty overwhelming. Whether it be new oak, old oak, size of oak, it can already feel like a bit of a challenge.

[00:03:40]And the species of oak can vary and provide different flavors as well.

[00:03:43]French oak adds vanilla and spice, American oak adds coconut and butterscotch, then you've got blue fruit and bread notes from Slovenian oak, nutty and spicy flavors from Hungarian oak, nutmeg and clove from Austrian oak, and caramel smoke from German oak.

[00:03:56]It's a lot. [music] There's a lot of different little things that come up from different styles of oak. You can even go beyond using oak and other species of wood like acacia, nutmeg, chestnut barrels. Then, you've got toasting. In the process of coopering, which is what we call oak manufacturing, inside of the barrel is charred by flame to express more oils from the wood, which imparts more flavor. [music] A light toast will give you a more subtle oak flavor, and a heavy toast will add more and more of those flavors alongside bolder, smoky flavors. You can also land at a medium toast, which gets you somewhere in the middle.

[00:04:30]Are you overwhelmed yet? At the end of the day, oak is just another addition to the many, many complexities and options that exist in the winemaking process. But, oak's pretty powerful. It can turn a good wine into a great wine, but at the same time, it can ruin a great wine.

[00:04:47]Particular styles and usages of oak have been adapted from particular regions over many, many years. It's why Burgundy is known for having a decent amount of oak. Same with Rioja, which has got, you know, kind of cultural links with the use of American oak there. And then, you can also go down to South Africa, where they barrel ferment Chardonnay and block to get even more flavor and things like that. It's just one of those tools that you can best communicate exactly where it's from. So, it's a pretty robust, fascinating, and diverse little world out there. But, overall, oak's pretty interesting. And again, it is a very, very iconic image in the process of winemaking. It's you're hard-pressed to go to a winery in the world and not see a barrel somewhere in the facility. What do you guys think of oak you want? Do you like, you know, wines with a bit of that new oak flavor?

[00:05:31]You like a heavy toast, something chary, almost caramelly? What are your opinions of American oak? I for one, think American oak should be banned from wine and just strictly used for bourbon.

[00:05:39]That's my personal belief, but hey, look, that's just me.

[00:05:43]But, let us know what you think about oak, any flavors, any feelings, any vibes, anything in particular like jump in the comments below. Don't forget to like and subscribe and thank you again for watching us here at Bottle Shop.

[00:06:04]>> [music] [music]