winemaking | The Rambling Epicure

Elements of Wine 6: Oak

Published by James Flewellen + Thursday, August 22, 2013 Permalink 0

Elements of Wine 6: Oak

Ageing a wine in oak barrels has two main effects. The first is to imbue the wine with flavour and aroma compounds from the wood. This occurs most notably when the wine is matured in barriques (225 litre barrels) made from ‘new’ oak. New oak means the barrels have not been used before for ageing wine, thus there is a higher concentration of flavour molecules to impart to the wine. Wines aged in new oak typically develop notes of butter, toast, nuts, spice, or – if the wine has been aged in American, rather than French oak – coconut and white chocolate.

: Oak barriques for the maturation of red wineJim Nix / Nomadic Pursuits / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

The second effect of oak maturation expresses itself structurally in the wine. Oak barrels, while impermeable to liquid, still allow a small amount of air into the wine. This air exchange allows for a very slight oxidation of the wine, an effect that can be controlled by the size of the barrel and the length of time the wine spends inside. As well as changing the colour of the wine (white wines deepen and red wines lighten) this natural micro-oxygenation ‘softens’ the wine, giving a rounder, fuller, creamier mouth-feel. Red wines also benefit from their tannins polymerising and becoming less harsh, thus integrating better into the body of the wine. Oak barrels are also often conducive to the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid.

: Large oak vessels are also used as vinification vats.theqspeaks / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Old oak barrels – that is barrels which have been already used at least once to mature wine – give the benefit of the oxygen exchange with the wine without the transferal of wood flavours. It can thus be difficult to detect the use of old oak on the palate; although look out for more density on the palate and a harmonious integration of fruit flavours, body and tannin.

Sign up for Jonell Galloway and James Flewellen’s “Celebrate the Chartres Festival of Lights & Autumnal Equinox with a Food & Wine Tasting Masterclass” in France from September 19 to 22, 2013.

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Dr James Flewellen is The Rambling Epicure wine columnist. James is a biophysicist at the University of Oxford. Originally from New Zealand, James learned his trade in taste through the Oxford Blind Wine Tasting Society, of which he was the President from 2010-2012. During his term, he represented Oxford at many international blind tasting competitions – twice winning the prestigious ‘Top Taster’ Award in the annual Varsity blind tasting match against Cambridge University and captaining winning teams in competitions throughout Europe.

James runs wine education courses in Oxford through the Oxford Wine Academy and is completing the WSET Professional Diploma in Wine and Spirits. He is the founder of The Oxford Wine Blog and co-author of the forthcoming book: The Concise Guide to Wine and Blind Tasting.

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The Art of Tasting Wine with James Flewellen: Spotlight on Pinot Noir

Published by James Flewellen + Monday, April 15, 2013 Permalink 0

The Art of Tasting Wine with James Flewellen: Spotlight on Pinot Noir

by James Flewellen

Pinot Noir is a light-skinned red grape originating from Burgundy in its modern form. Although, the Burgundians have been working with Pinot for around a thousand years, so the term ‘modern’ should be taken with a grain of salt!

The grape typically produces light-bodied wines with aromas ranging from fresh red fruit (raspberry, strawberry, cherry) to black (blackberry, mulberry) depending on the local climate of the vineyard. Warmer sites tend to produce wines with ‘blacker’ and riper fruit flavours. Alongside the fruit, good Pinot exhibits a fresh minerally, or even pleasantly ‘grassy’ character – complemented by the grape’s naturally high acidity on the palate. With bottle maturation, the wine develops notes of mushroom and decaying autumnal leaves — expressed evocatively by the French term sous-bois — which translates as ‘forest floor’. The thin skins of the grapes mean that the wines are generally low in tannin, though tannins are usually very fine-grained and punctuate the wine sufficiently so it can be enjoyed with food.

Pinot Noir is a notoriously fickle grape and is very difficult to handle. Burgundy’s millennium of association with Pinot Noir means that it produces the best in the world — and that the Burgundian clones of the grape are ideally suited to Burgundy’s continental climate. Explaining Burgundy’s appellation system would take an entire post of its own, but there are two main subregions for Pinot Noir there: Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. These are further divided into villages, which may be further identified by vineyard — and these can be classified as either Premier Cru or Grand Cru indicating the quality level of the grapes.

Pinot grapes in Burgundy going through the pro...

La Vendange: The Grape Harvest on a Small Country Estate in France

Published by Kate + Monday, September 24, 2012 Permalink 0

by Vendange

When we lived in the white wine we had vines. We were outrageously excited about the prospect of making our own wine. Of course, we were sure it would be wonderful. I mean, we had been drinking it for years, we should know how to do it, right?

New EU Labeling for Organic Wines

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, February 16, 2012 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

On February 8, 2012, the EU organic farming committee passed new rules regarding the labeling of organic or “biologique” wines. The rules become effective as of the 2012 grape harvest.

Organic wine producers will be required to label their wine as being organic and labels must be marked with the EU’s organic logo as well as the code number of the certifier, but must continue to follow existing rules regarding wine labeling.

Rules for wine obtained using organic raisins already exist, they do not cover wine making practices, covering the entire production process, from raisin to wine.

Sorbic acid and desulfurication will not be allowed. “The level of sulfites in organic wine must be at least 30-50 mg per liter lower than their conventional equivalent and the general wine-making rules defined in the Wine CMO regulation will also apply. As well as these wine-making practices, ‘organic wine’ must of course also be produced using organic grapes,” says the European Commission.

Wine is the only sector to be covered by EU rules regarding organic agriculture.

E.U., U.S. Agree To Accept Each Others’ Org anic Certification

David Downie: Vintage Beaune

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, January 19, 2011 Permalink 0

by David Downie

Many wine lovers know that in the Middle Ages monks at the abbey of Cluny in southern Burgundy perfected the art of winemaking. But few outside the region have heard of Rector Eumenus’ speech in 312 AD to Emperor Constantine at Augustodunum, today’s Autun. Even locals don’t realize that fine wines were being grown in Constantine’s day on the limestone hills of the Côte d’Or.

Eumenus extolled in particular the vineyards of a pleasant village called Belenos, on the Roman road from Lyon to Paris, in the sunwashed Sâone River Valley. Still the capital of winegrowing in Burgundy, modern Belenos, better known as Beaune, hosts more wineries within or near its medieval ramparts than any mere mortal—except, perhaps, Robert Parker—could reasonably discover in anything less than a three-day visit.