Article on Barrel Alternatives

From today's SF Chronicle:

Modern wineries have started to oust barrels from their throne. Barrel alternatives - staves, chips and dust tossed into stainless steel tanks with the wine - have gained ground in cellars by offering winemakers new opportunities, mimicking the best aspects of casks and giving customers the oak-influenced flavor profile they want. Even some Bordeaux winemakers use them, though the French government will soon ban alternatives for wines bearing the famous region's name.

The whole article is here: The wine industry looks at alternatives to barrels that mimic the flavor of oak casks for less.

Thanks for posting Gary. Interesting article. I've been using oak chips in my home made wines for years and am pleased with the results. Since I do eveything in 5 or 6.5 gallon batches, a barrel isn't practical. However, one of these days, I may take the great leap, buy a barrel and fill it up. One thing not mentioned in the article is that smaller barrels, in the 10 to 30 gallon range, can oxidize the wine faster than it can properly absorb the oak flavors. And large casks do very little. It seems the proper volume to surface area ratio is ideal in the 55-60 gallon range.

Thanks for posting the article Gary. The other night I was wandering the isle of my local fine wine super-store and this subject did pop up in my head. I noticed some labels just state that the wine is “Oak Fermented” or “Oak Aged”. While others state “Barrel Fermented” or “Barrel Aged”. (Two different things actually).

Salute

Thanks for posting the article Gary. The other night I was wandering the isle of my local fine wine super-store and this subject did pop up in my head. I noticed some labels just state that the wine is “Oak Fermented” or “Oak Aged”. While others state “Barrel Fermented” or “Barrel Aged”. (Two different things actually).

Salute

Yes, Victor, those words are the tip off, and this has been going on for more than a decade.

"Oak Finished" is another one.

I may have covered the subject on my blog a while back. I'll have to check--it was either there or in one of my columns.

Thanks for posting the article Gary. The other night I was wandering the isle of my local fine wine super-store and this subject did pop up in my head. I noticed some labels just state that the wine is “Oak Fermented” or “Oak Aged”. While others state “Barrel Fermented” or “Barrel Aged”. (Two different things actually).

Salute

Yes, Victor, those words are the tip off, and this has been going on for more than a decade.

"Oak Finished" is another one.

I may have covered the subject on my blog a while back. I'll have to check--it was either there or in one of my columns.

On a similar note, Budweiser is "beechwood aged," but the beer never sees a beechwood barrel. Anheuser-Busch uses beechwood chips in stainless steel tanks. What is thought-provoking is that they create a latticework of beechwood chips on the bottom of the lager tanks which, according to Anheuser-Busch, allows the lager yeast to settle over the wood instead of creating layers at the bottom of the vessel. This in turn allows a greater amount of yeast contact with aging beer which is supposed to ensure complete fermentation, natural carbonation and flavor maturation.

I wonder if using oak chips instead of oak barrels has an impact on fermentation and flavor different than barrel fermentation because (except for the obvious reasons) the lees fall on the chips and, similar to Bud's beechwood aging, expose more of the wine to more of the lees?

Winemaking is both art and science. Winemakers have a creative vision for what their wines are to be when released or bottled. Having a technical knowledge of the “science of winemaking” is a big plus. An oak alternative such as chips or cubes, with various degrees of toast, gives the winemaker more control over the finished product.

Salute

Winemaking is both art and science. Winemakers have a creative vision for what their wines are to be when released or bottled. Having a technical knowledge of the “science of winemaking” is a big plus. An oak alternative such as chips or cubes, with various degrees of toast, gives the winemaker more control over the finished product.

Salute

Fine, so long as the price for the wine is not as if it were done in expensive barrels--and also, if they wouldn't try to hide what they have done behind those phrases that you noticed on labels. What are they hiding?

On a similar note, Budweiser is "beechwood aged," but the beer never sees a beechwood barrel. Anheuser-Busch uses beechwood chips in stainless steel tanks. What is thought-provoking is that they create a latticework of beechwood chips on the bottom of the lager tanks which, according to Anheuser-Busch, allows the lager yeast to settle over the wood instead of creating layers at the bottom of the vessel. This in turn allows a greater amount of yeast contact with aging beer which is supposed to ensure complete fermentation, natural carbonation and flavor maturation.

This is an old Germanic technique for lagering. The barrels which are still used by some brewers are neutral. In fact, they're usually lined with tar to minimise wood flavor influences.

SF Chronilce: "Even some Bordeaux winemakers use them, though the French government will soon ban alternatives for wines bearing the famous region's name."

Those Bx winemakers are being naughty! As I understand, it the EU prohibits the use of "alernatives" for quality wines, but are about to remove the prohibition. The purpose of the French ban is to maintain the prohibition in France for AOC wines. N'est pas?

I've been using oak chips in my home made wines for years and am pleased with the results. Since I do eveything in 5 or 6.5 gallon batches, a barrel isn't practical.

Howie, I can certainly relate to that. This year I'm making Dechaunac and a separate batch of dry Concord using medium-toast French oak shavings (wanted American but they didn't have any at the time). I have just finished a glass of the oaked dry Concord and it's pretty good - you get the toasty oak on top of the tutti frutti candy nose of the Concord. In the Dechaunac, which on its own was very neutral, the oak comes through nicely; I also expect the oak tannins to contribute colour stabilization. The majority of my '07 Concord will be unoaked, though, while the Dechaunac is all oaked.

A couple of question for Howie or Paul B.
How much oak shavings or chips would you add to a 5 gal carboy of wine?
What method would you use? Just drop the chips or shavings into the carboy? Or place them in a weighted “brewing-bag”?

Salute

Victor, thanks for the question!

As usual, I do things in a non-conventional way. What I did with my 5-gallon carboys was to put in about 3 heaping teaspoons of oak shavings along with the required amount of metabisulphite, and then siphon the wine in, leaving about a 2"-long headspace from the absolute tip of the carboy. The oak shavings first rose to the top and filled the headspace. By the next day, they began to get winelogged and fell to the bottom of the carboy, leaving a gorgeous Bourbon-like smell in the neck of the carboy. I plan on keeping them on the bottom of the carboy for another couple of weeks, then moving the carboys to the garage for cold stabilization. Realizing that the shavings are laying on the bottom of the carboy and not really having a long thin utensil with which to mix up the wine to distribute the oak extract evenly throughout the wine (not sure if it will diffuse perfectly or not on its own), I plan to insert about a 3' length of clear plastic tubing, right down to near the bottom of the carboy, and draw some wine in (like drinking through a massive straw), then let it fall back down; then drawing some more, and letting it fall back - about 5 times just to be safe. This will cause a stir (pun intended) on the bottom, and will also cause some movement of the highly oaked wine at the bottom, resulting in a mixing and hopefully, uniformity. Once I move the carboy out for cold stabilization and tartrates coat the oak shavings, that should be the end of their usefulness. That will also help me to prevent them from getting siphoned into the hose when I bottle the wine - the shavings will be coated with a tartrate blanket.

That's my method.

Thanks Paul B.

Salute

I usually wait until after cold stabilization and add them pretty much the same way Paul does. If I'm treating a Chardonnay (I like both oaked and un-oaked - variety is the spice of life) I'll use about 3 Tbspns. If I'm treating a red , about 6.

Thanks Howie.

Salute