Ever Wonder How Oak Affects the Flavor of Wine?

Oak has been used for thousands of years as a wine vessel. Going back to Roman times, it was an inexpensive and durable container for transporting wines over land and by sea. And, today, oak remains and important wine vessel.

Oak barrels are sometimes used during a wine’s fermentation process and regularly during the wine’s aging process. Both of these uses of oak imparts flavors to the final product.

The two most dominate types of oak used in winemaking come from France and the United States. Each adds its own unique flavors. French oak is known for adding nutty and smoky flavors. American oak’s dominate flavors are vanilla and coconut.

The flavors from oak are also enhanced by the “toasting” process in which the open-ended barrel is placed over a flame such that the interior of the barrel is heated to the point of either a light roasting of the wood or a complete charring of the wood. Winemakers order their oak barrels to be either light, medium or heavy “toast” in order to get just the right flavors for their wines.

Another factor affecting the flavors from an oak barrel is its age. When a barrel is new, it will impart more and stronger flavors into a wine. But, an older barrel that has been used two or three times may be referred to as “neutral” but will still add texture to a wine while preserving the fruit flavors, and yield more subtle flavors. Use of a combination of both new and older “neutral” barrels is also very common when a wine maker wants to ‘dial in’ a specific set of flavors.

And, while oak’s use in the making of red wine is common, its use in the making of white wine is less common. The most notable use of oak in the making of white wine is in the production of Chardonnay, especially California Chardonnay. A heavily oaked Chardonnay will take on buttery flavors, like popcorn and toffee. In fact, the connection between oak and Chardonnay is such that oak flavors are often used as a way of blindly identifying the grape itself.

Oak barrels also affect flavors in wine due to the fact that it is porous to oxygen. Oak allows oxygen to very slowly enter the barrel which, over time, results in making a wine taste smoother and less astringent.

Finally, winemakers must decide whether to ferment and/or age their wines in oak. Fermentation and aging in oak barrels yields greater integration of flavors than by doing fermentation in steel tanks and then aging the wine in oak barrels.

So, there’s a little bit about oak and how it flavors your wines. Cheers!

Did You Know that White Wine Can be Made from Red Wine Grapes?

Traditionally, white wine is made from ‘green’ grapes and red wine is made from ‘red’ grapes. But, did you know that white wines can be made from red wine grapes?

First, let’s take a quick look at how white and red wines are made. In the production of white wines, the grapes are pressed to extract the juice from the grapes. The juice may undergo additional processes to remove particles so that fermentation begins with clear juice. But, with red wines, the grape juice, skins and seeds are all present for fermentation. Then, the fermented red wine is drained from the tanks either by allowing the wine to freely drain, or by pressing the mixture to extract the wine.

The key to producing a red wine is the time that the red grapes and seeds spend soaking in the fermenting juice. If you simply were to press the red grapes, you’d find that the juice is nearly clear. It’s the skins that impart the color. So, to produce a white wine from a red wine grape, you simply don’t allow for any contact between the grape juice and the skins and seeds. That is, you simply follow the white wine-making process but using red grapes.

One of the most famous white wines that is made from red grapes is Champagne. Traditional Champagne is made from two red grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (Pee-noh Mehr-n'yay)) and one white wine grape (Chardonnay). The Champagne is a white wine because the clear juice from the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are combined with the clear juice from the Chardonnay grape prior to fermentation with no skin contact.

And, other white wines are produced from red wine grapes. Interestingly enough one of the biggest red wine grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, is being made into a white wine. And that will be the subject of the next Behind the Cork™ wine of the week feature. Look for it! Cheers!

Ever Wonder What "Unfined" Means on a Wine Label?

I recently opened a bottle of red wine, poured myself a glass and took a first sip only be greeted by a bunch of sediment in my mouth. This was a Sangiovese that I hadn’t even thought about filtering first. But, I then noticed on the front of the bottle’s label the words “Unfinded and Unfiltered.” Ah ha! That explained the small bits in my first sip.

The process for making red wine begins with fermenting the grapes with the skins, seeds and sometimes the stems present. The skins are what gives a red wine its color. But, at some point, the skins, seeds and stems are separated from the fermented juice. Then, the wine is aged. And, just before the wine is bottled, it may go through one of several processes to remove any remaining sediment.

The processes for removing sediment from wine include racking, fining or filtering. Racking allows for the natural settling of the sediment to the bottom of the barrels. Then, the wine is pumped out of the top of the barrel leaving the ‘bottom of the barrel’ remains. Filtering can also be used to remove sediment but too much filtering can remove important particles that yield a wine’s aromas and flavors. The fining process also removes sediment from wine but it’s done by adding coagulants to the wine. These coagulants immediately bind to the sediment particles and under the force of gravity, fall to the bottom of the vessel. Fining agents can include egg whites, gelatin or a milk protein called casein. In all cases, these fining agents do not remain in the wine, do not leave any residual flavor and are removed with the sediment.

So, as you’ve guessed by now, a bottle of wine that is ‘Unfined’ or ‘Unfiltered’ is going to have sediment in it. And, once again reminds me that I need to read the label and use my own filter so that I can enjoy my first glass of wine from a bottle without sediment. Cheers!

The Various Ways that Wines Can Go Bad

Last time we looked at how a wine can turn brown and take on a nutty sherry-like flavor. That’s oxidation which is just one of several ways in which a wine can go bad.

There are several other common wine flaws. So, let’s take a quick look at each.

TCA — This is a powerful chemical that even in tiny amounts can cause musty aromas and flavors in wines. TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) most frequently comes from natural corks and gets into wine in the bottle. It can also come from barrels, pallets, and cardboard boxes. Although TCA taint will not harm you, it can ruin a wine. When TCA levels get high in a wine bottle it can make the wine smell moldy or musty, like cardboard, damp cement or wet newspapers.

Sulfur — Sulfur has the unmistakable scent of rotten eggs. Sulfur (not to be confused with sulfites) is commonly used in winemaking, in small amounts. But, again, when the levels become higher through over use it causes hydrogen sulfide to form resulting in stinky wine.

Vinegar Taint — It’s a common phrase used when wine goes bad — “It’s turned to vinegar.” Well, what actually happens is that Acetic acid builds up in wine when there’s too much exposure to oxygen during winemaking and is usually caused by acetobacter which is indeed used in the vinegar-making process. You’ll immediately notice the sharp vinegar smell that’s also been described as being like nail polish remover.

Brett — This is another common fault that’s attributed to yeast spoilage. “Brett” is short for Brettanomyces. And, again, your nose will immediately let you know of this spoilage that’s been described as smelling like a barnyard, a stable, a cow pie or a sweaty horse blanket. For those city folks who haven’t had the barnyard experience, Brett has also been described as oddly metallic or like the aroma of a Band-Aid.

The above wine faults are attributable to problems that are introduced at the winery. The next two are handling faults that happen anywhere between the winery and your wine glass.

Heat Damage — A sealed bottle of wine can be damaged or destroyed by getting too hot. In wine country, wineries warn you not to leave your purchases in the car and welcome you bringing wine that you’ve purchased elsewhere into their tasting room to keep it cool. But, heat damage can occur during shipping, on a store’s shelf, during a delivery that sits on your hot front porch, or simply after you purchase a bottle. Never leave bottles of wine out at room temperature for a prolonged period. A home refrigerator (typically in the low 30s F is too cold but better than nothing. In round numbers, white wines should be stored in the 40 to 50 degrees F range while reds should be stored in the 50 to 60 F range.

Light Damage — This is another problem that can just as easily happen in the store as in your home. When wine is exposed to prolong sun light, or simply just near a window, it can rapidly go bad. Here again you can get strong odors (wet wool) that will immediately let you know the wine has gone bad.

So, let your eyes and nose help you detect wine faults. And, ensure you properly handle and store your wine bottles once they are in your possession. Cheers!

Ever Wonder Why Most Champagne is Not Vintage Dated?

Last time we learned that the word ‘Cuvée’ means a blend. And, with Champagne it’s not only made from a blend of grapes but most often it is also a blend of wines made in different years. Therefore, these are non-vintage (NV) dated Champagnes.

By blending wines from different years, the winemaker is given the flexibility to make a more consistent wine from year to year. This significantly helps to smooth out any issues that are caused by the weather during any one particular growing season.

Non-vintage wines aren’t lesser wines at all, and it’s a common practice to do multi-year blends. The blended vintages ensure that your favorite bottle of Champagne will usually taste the same from year to year.

Champagnes that are vintage dated are rarer and generally finer bottles. So, if you’re a really big fan of Champagne, splurge sometime on a vintage dated bottle. Otherwise, you can rest assured that your next bottle of your favorite non-vintage Champagne will be just as good as the last one. Cheers!