Why Wine Barrels Matter
Jul 17th, 2012 by Alana
Courtesy of SequanaVineyards.com
TIP: When a wine label mentions it’s coopers (barrel makers) or special barrels, the more interesting it will taste and it will likely cost a bit more. (Barrels are expensive.)
Here’s some clues to using barrel information to better understand wine and selecting ones that you might like. The first clue is whether barrels are listed on the label/notes at all, the label might say unoaked Chardonnay or stainless steel tanks. You might find that your palette really likes unoaked wines so you seek those out and eventually you discover that your favorite grape (say Sauvignon Blanc) is usually made in stainless steel. (I’ll be writing about a spectacular wine soon that is made in special cement tanks.)
Another clue is whether the label/tasting notes mentions oak but no other information. I tasted a red wine once with a winemaker who insisted that the wine was not barrel-aged. I had no doubt that it had seen oak. He eventually admitted that some oak staves had been added. Staves are part of the barrel. They are put in the wine as it processes to add flavor. Oak chips are another option. Many value wines use this technique to keep costs down. It’s not easy to make an A+ wine using these techniques.
I find barrel choices extremely important to the taste of the wine. Plenty of winemakers get grapes from vineyards that are known winners, but when they can’t afford to use great barrels (a common problem), the true potential of the wine is undermined and it’s noticeable.
Boutique winemakers or small lot releases tend to emphasize coopers and barrels in their tasting notes. I noticed recently that one of my favorite Pinot Noir producers, James MacPhail, lists more barrels and details about the coopers than most winemakers. One wine on his current list, he used fourteen different coopers. For his 2010 Chardonnay, he used three coopers–all hand crafted barrels.
When you go wine tasting, especially a barrel-tasting weekend, tasting staff usually provide a primer about the barrels country of origin, France, America, Hungary, etc., and define the purpose of using neutral, new and aged oak. Thinking about the barrels and how they affect the wine is great way to understand why a wine tastes a certain way.
I love your comment. I agree with you about overly personal tasting notes!
One summer I worked as a guest tour guide so I could learn a lot about how people act when wine tasting. I was surprised at how many wine consumers at all levels of knowledge are dying for more understanding. I already figured they wanted to learn how to choose a wine at the grocery store and how to pair wine (thus my blog) but I was also surprised at how many expressed that they wanted to know more. Some of the folks were “geeky” but I think a lot of the curiosity was because it’s sexy to know a bit more about wine than the average Joe/Jill. So maybe there are a few folks reading my blog who liked it and some who didn’t. And maybe some will re-look up this post before they go to their next wine tasting.
Alana, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I do love getting my geek on but don’t always know how far to go with my readers, especially as I see my role as a blogger is to educate, first and foremost. Conversely, I go nuts when I see tasting notes that are so personally precise or specific that most average wine lovers have little to no chance of relating to what the taster is trying to share. Of course, as I mature and improve as a taster, I start to understand some of the more arcane analogies, but still worry about losing or repelling potential wine lovers because they can’t relate to some notes about quince oil or green lavender or some such unnecessary suggestion.
If you don’t mind, I’ll try not to think about wine from old barrels. I haven’t had my dinner yet.
Alana,
I love learning as much as I can about what goes into the process, but do you think that the vast majority of wine fans give much attention to the 10 or 12 or 14 different kinds of barrels a winemaker puts to use in vinification? Did Mr. MacPhail explain why he shares that degree of detail with his customers? I wonder what he thinks most of his drinkers will do with that information.
Excellent piece, per usual, and important stuff for wine lovers to appreciate. I just wonder what portion of the wine community pays that much attention to barrel producer, toast levels, barrel age, etc.
Any additional thoughts or comments you can share would be great.
Thanks,
Tom
Tom, great question! I wondered that myself. I have a lot of readers who seem to appreciate learning about wine in a safe and supportive environment (like you) so although it’s interesting to me, my focus when I write is on my readers. So I try to write in a non-geeky way–not too much detail but capturing a subject here or there that they can put in their back pocket and take out when useful. As far as winemakers who provide that level of detail…they all seem to do that when given a chance! No seriously, the vintners who are meticulous artisans are sharing their formulas with those of us who are curious. Average wine consumer, probably not that interested but there are a lot of geeks out there, and power tasters (like Karen MacNeil) who can pick out a clone from a wine…and maybe even a cooper. At this stage in my tasting life, I can usually pick out the type of oak and where it is from. In the case of Jim MacPhail, no way can I do that–which makes his wines fascinating to me. Glad you found the article interesting!
Oh Tom, one more story you’ll like…I was watching a video re: an old country winery and the interviewer asked, “how old are these barrels?” And the vintner said, “oh gosh, I have no idea, they are really, really old.” Ewwww. Ever tasted wine from old dirty barrels? You won’t soon forget it.