Oak and Its Effect on Wine's Flavor

Last time we discussed how all the fruit flavors get into wine. We discussed that wines don't actually contain fruit other than grapes, but the grapes, the soil they are grown in, the fermentation process, and the aging process can impart other fruit flavors.

Another way that flavors can be added to wine is through oak aging.  Oak barrels add additional quality, character and smoothness to wines and can create flavors of vanilla, butterscotch, coconut, toffee, caramel, butter, mocha, coffee and smokiness. 

The vanilla flavor in wines come directly from compounds in the oak itself. But often the interiors of wine barrels are 'toasted' over an open flame. This process affects the degree of flavor added to the wine. Barrels may be toasted light, medium or heavy. Light toasting of the barrels results in wines having flavors of butterscotch, toffee, caramel, coconut, and butter. Wine flavors of mocha, coffee and smokiness are brought out of the oak by heavier toasting of the barrels. 

Oak barrel aging is used for most red and white wines of the world. But, it comes with a cost.  French oak, which is considered the 'gold standard' of oak barrels, can cost $800 to $4000 dollars each.  And an oak barrel is only able to add flavors to wines through two to three uses. After that, oak barrels become 'neutral' and are simply used as vessels for storing wines with little or no flavor being added. Oak barrels from the U.S. cost $350 - $500 each and, like French oak, only impart flavor during their first two to three uses.

One oak tree can only produce enough wood for approximately two barrels, or 50 cases of wine. And, when aging wine in a barrel, the wine only comes in contact with the oak on the inside of the barrel. So, winemakers seek alternative ways of getting oak flavors in their wines. Options include adding oak chips, oak cubes or oak staves directly into the wine as it ages in stainless steel tanks. This allows the entire surface area of the oak to be in contact the wine and is much less costly than barrels.

So start paying attention to these wonderful flavors in your wines. And remember, all the flavors are coming from grapes, yeast and sometimes oak.  Cheers!

How Do All Those Flavors Get Into Wine?

Last time we took a quick run through how wine is made. And you may have noticed that there are only two ingredients in wine: grapes and yeast.  Yet, white wines can be described as having flavors that include lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, peach, pear and orange.  And red wines can be described as having flavors of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, plum and fig.  And then there are descriptions of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, leather, and even tar, just to name a few.  But, if wine is only made from grapes and yeast, how do wines get all those other flavors? 

To answer this, we need to review taste, smell and flavor. First, let's start with taste.  If you recall, the taste buds on your tongue are able to distinguish sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. You also have nerves in your mouth that give you additional senses such as temperature and texture or feel.  These nerves can yield sensations of smooth, creamy, or dry, for example.  So these are the senses inside your mouth.  

Then secondly, and most importantly, is smell or aroma. Aroma is what is detected in your nose and nasal passages.  As you eat or drink, aromas pass up through your nasal passages where you get additional information about what you are consuming.

And finally flavor is how the brain puts together the senses of taste and smell.

So then back to wine. When you sip a wine you are getting information from your tongue, nose and nasal passages. And while there are only the four tastes being detected by your tongue there are a multitude of aromas being detected by your nose and nasal passages. The aromas get released by the wine through the alcohol, which is lighter than air, and evaporates easily from your glass.  Your brain then puts together the information on the tastes and smells of the wine and equates them with tastes and smells that you already know. Thus, those amazing little grapes are able to cause your brain to sense additional fruit flavors without even a trace of the fruits actually being in the wine.

Aging wine in oak barrels also adds many other dimensions to the flavors in wines. And we'll discuss those next time.

But for now, remember the four S's of wine tasting (1) Swirl your wine in the glass to release all the aromas, (2) Smell the wine's bouquet, (3) Sip the wine and leave it in your mouth briefly, and then (4) Swallow (or Spit) and experience the wine's lingering 'finish.'  Then try to name all the wonderful fruit flavors that you experience. All just from grapes! Cheers!

The Grapes are Harvested! But How Do They Become Wine?

Vineyards have been busy the last couple of months with harvest.  Once the grapes have been determined to be at just the right ripeness, it's a big rush to get them off the vines and out of the vineyard. And then the magic begins. Turning bunches of grapes into fine wines.  But, how does that happen?

It starts as soon as the grapes reach the winery where the grapes may be de-stemmed or left in whole bunches, depending on the grapes being used and the winemaker's desired outcome. In either case, the grapes are sorted to eliminate any that don't meet the winemaker's standards and to remove any leaves or other foreign matter that might be mixed in with the grapes.  

Now, the biggest difference is that white wine grapes are immediately pressed and the juice is separated from the grape skins and seeds.  But with red wines, the whole grapes or clusters are kept intact. The contact of the juice with the dark skins is what gives a red wine its color. Otherwise red wines would come out nearly clear. And when producing rosé, the dark grape skins are only left in contact with the juice for a brief period of time (hours) in order to just give it a pink hue.

Then it's on to fermentation. Large tanks are used in this process and here is where yeast is added.  It's the natural sugar in the juice of the grape that gets consumed by the live yeast. The bi-product of the yeast's consumption of sugar is alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2).  Remember that red wines have the juice and skins together in the fermentation tank and the production of CO2 causes all the skins to float to the top of the tank.  So winemaker's have to periodically 'punch down' the skins to intermix them with the juice or 'pump over' the juice as another means of keeping the skins mixed in with the juice. But regardless of the grape type, the fermentation process is relative quick, lasting typically from ten days to two weeks.

Once fermentation is complete, white wines will be moved to stainless steel tanks or oak barrels for aging.  It's at this point that the red wine juice is now separated from the skins and moved to vessels for aging. Typically, red wines are aged in oak barrels, but steel tanks and concrete tanks may also be used.  White wines may be aged for months where reds may be aged for years. The aging times will vary considerably, again depending on the winemaker's preference.

Many oaked white wines and red wines will then undergo another process called malolactic conversion.  This converts the sharp and tart tasting malic acid to softer, smoother lactic acid.

At this point the wines may go through a process called 'racking' where the wine is periodically siphoned or gravity-feed to another vessel to separate the wine from any remaining sediment that has settled in the vessel.  The reds may also undergo a 'fining' process to remove sediment and particles using a binding medium such as egg whites.  Once these processes are complete, the wine is bottled, getting a cork (or twist-off cap), a foil capsule and a label, and then the bottles are boxed into cases and are ready to ship.

And it's just that easy!  But as has been said many times, making wine is easy -- making good wine is hard.  And so, while this process sound relatively simple, it's the great winemaker's, and their attention to details, that makes great wines.

Next time well talk about how the winemaker gets all those amazing flavors into wine. Cheers!

Have You Tried Albariño? You Really Should!

In recent postings we've explored some of the most common red and white wines and then taken a more in-depth look at other similar wines.  As we walked through the white wines, Pinot Grigio was discussed. It was described as a light-bodied wine with a zesty and thirst quenching appeal.  Then, as other similar white wines were described, Albariño was introduced.  But, you may have asked yourself 'What is Albariño?" and thought "I've never heard of it."  Or, you may have completely passed over this relatively unheard of wine. And that would be a mistake!

Albariño (aha-bar-reen-yo) is a white wine whose grapes originally came from Spain. The wine's name, Alba-Riño literally means white (wine) of the Rhine.  What could be better, right?  This grape is primarily grown in Spain as well as Portugal (where it's called "Alvarihno") but has spread to the U.S. where it is grown in cooler California climates, notably Napa, Sonoma Coast and Paso Robles.

This very refreshing wine is quite dry (i.e., little to no residual sugar) and has aromas of apple, grapefruit, melon and lemon and includes flavors of peach and citrus.  Albariño can have a smooth, creamy, almost oily or waxy mouthfeel and a finish with a hint of saline (yes, salt).  So, if you enjoy a smooth, creamy Chardonnay, you should give this lighter white a try.

And, if you happen to come upon a Vihno Verde (Portuguese), you'll also be enjoying a wine made from Albariño grapes.  This too is a light, refreshing and citrus infused wine that can be produced still or slightly sparkling.

One way or another, keep your eyes out for Albariño.  If you enjoy white wine, you need to give it a try!  Cheers!

What Other Red Wines Should You Try?

Last time we took a quick look across the spectrum of four red wines, looking at Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. These are common red wines and broadly known. So now let's take it one-step further into our exploration of reds.  If you find that you tend to like one of these four red wines better than the others, you may want to venture out and try some other red wines that are similar in their characteristics.

So we started on the lighter end of the spectrum with Pinot Noir.  If you find that its delicate flavors and light tannins are something you enjoy, then here a few others that are similar:

• Burgundy - This one's on the top of the list if you are a Pinot Noir lover because it is Pinot Noir!  It's the red wine produced in Burgundy France.

• Cinsault - When you can find this grape made as a varietal, it produces a light, aromatic and refreshing wine. But, unfortunately it is typically used in blends such as the Rhône  Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. 

• Gamay - Most notable in the Beaujolais region of France, this grape produces light, fruity wines with flavors of cherry and raspberry that are often referred to as Gamay Beaujolais.  This grape is used most notably in Beaujolais Nouveau.

• St. Laurent - An aromatic black grape variety. Saint-Laurent wines are dark purple in color, silky with a characteristic dark-cherry flavor 

• Zweigelt - The most planted grape in Austria produces a light red wine with flavors of spiced cherry and raspberry.

Next are the medium-bodied wines that include Zinfandel.  If you are a Zin lover, here are few other medium reds that you might want to try:

• Barbera - An Italian grape, from the Piedmont area, known for it depth of color, low tannins and low acidity. This grape produces wine with flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, plum, dried strawberry and raspberry jam.

• Grenache - This is one of the most widely used grapes in the world.  With low acidity, tannin and color, this is often blended with other varieties, most notably Syrah and Mourvedre. As a varietal, it is rich and spicy with strawberry and raspberry flavors.

• Carignan - Although originally used for much of California's jug wine, today it produces varietal wines that are high in tannins and acid, with flavors of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice, and spicy, savory aromas.

• Rhône Blends - Rhône wines focus on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes, producing medium-bodied spicy blends.

• Tempranillo - Native to Spain, this dark black grape produces medium-bodied wines that actually taste a lot like the big and bold Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals but with lighter tannin and acidity.  Fruit flavors include cherry, plum, blueberry and raspberry while oak aging adds leather, tobacco, and vanilla.  

• Valpolicella - Grapes used in this Italian wine include Corvina, Molinari and Rondinella to produce wines flavored of blueberry, herbs, and cocoa that have dense tannin.

And now, we venture into the bigger, bolder reds.  First, here a few reds that are similar to Syrah:

• Malbec - Native to France, this grape produces wine that can be rich and jammy with flavors of blueberry and plum.

• Mouvedre - This grape produces wines high in tannins that can be found as a varietal with flavors of blackberry, blueberry and plum. But it is commonly used for blending with Grenache and Syrah.

• Petite Sirah - This grape produces tannic wines with high acidity and flavors of blackberry, blueberry, plum, and black pepper.

• Pinotage - A signature grape of South Africa, it is a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault that produces deep color with smoky and earthy flavors.

And last, but not least, are the biggest and boldest reds. If you enjoy a nice Cabernet Sauvignon then these are also worth a try:

• Bordeaux Blends - Bordeaux produces red blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

• Cabernet Franc - This grape is used to produce the varietal wine that can have flavors of black cherry, plum, strawberry, and roasted pepper.

• Carménère - A member of the Cabernet family, this grape produces wines that can have flavors of bell pepper, red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, and green peppercorn.

• Merlot - The Merlot grape produces wines with soft tannins and intense fruit flavors of black cherry, plum and raspberry.  Oak aging can add flavors of mocha, tobacco, and vanilla.

• Sangiovese - The most widely planted Italian grape used as the main component of Chianti (Sangiovese grown in the Chianti region of Italy).  This grape produces wines with medium tannins and high acidity with flavors of cherry, fig, plum, and strawberry. Oak aging can add flavors that include leather, tobacco, and smoke.

So there's a quick run through of red wines. Hope you find a couple in there to try that fit in with your pallet. Cheers!