Bordeaux-style winemaking with long oak-barrel ageing is starting to look anachronistic. So how did we get here in the first place? Plus: what I've been drinking this week
It's interesting that many of the big 'mainstream' Rioja producers have dialled down the oak in their crianzas. I am speaking of Cune and Ramón Bilbao in particular. As you write, oak ageing will always have a role to play but the most interesting wines in Spain these days are aiming for purity and terroir expression. Great to hear about the new podcast! I am also very happy to have a 2019 of that Domaine des Forges “Clos du Papillon” 2023, Savennières in my cellar.
Thanks! The Savennières is lovely - wish I’d bought more now… I actually opened a bottle of their Côteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume 21 at the weekend that I got in the same trip - intense!
The marketing angle alone of "each individual oak barrel is tasted by our winemaker for our Special Select/Reserve/Blah Blah" isn't going away anytime soon. No one says the winemaker selected this reserve wine out of one of four of our 10,000 gallon concrete tanks. Where's the romance? The story telling? There will always be a use for some specialized and expensive oak or other vessel, amphora for instance.
From a practical, cellar pov, I bring small lots of wine in from various vineyards, as small as one ton. After pressing and racking, that will likely (hopefully) fill 2 - 225L barrels. Those two barrels are specific to one place and one grape. I wouldn't think of mixing that 500L with any other lot I bring in. I'm not putting it in stainless barrels or amphora or plastic.
Another cellar practical, I crush my grapes at a small winery that has similar needs to my own. We have large stainless steel fermenters, which can be used for aging, but their effectiveness, with regular gasing and SO2 isn't the same as oak. The wine comes out different. We all use 225L because the racks and spacing in the cellar are fitted for it. Bring in 500L and storage gets thrown off. Bring in foudres and now we have huge spacing concerns (and potentially a Brett manufacturing plant).
Stainless items break less, if at all. Concrete eggs, Foudres, Amphora have a lot of downside and expense. And not everyone who drives a forklift is an expert. Also, we have huge issues with beetles in Sonoma County, they love wood so we have to have special humidifiers in the cellar to keep them controlled, along with inspections. Foudres would have to be kept in a controlled environment.
Just a few items from an American winemaker in Sonoma County.
This is very interesting. Writing something on a similar topic, as always, it seems. It was interesting talking to Liam at Danbury Ridge who thinks that new oak Burgundy barrels are a extremely useful tool in England bringing texture and body to wines that otherwise might bit lacking. While a lot of people, especially in Spain, are turning their backs on oak, England is taking to it in a big way.
Great piece Andy. You really should be charging for this stuff you know, or at least switching on the Substack pledge mechanic.
I think one reason oak has declined is because it is very expensive to buy, especially if your currency is weak against the Euro. The price of barrels for a small producer in South Africa, for example, is very substantial. We don't talk about the cost of shipping bits of tree from one place to another like it is now fashionable to discuss with glass, but there is also a sustainability angle to consider when shipping barrels all around the world on an annual basis. Although that also applies to concrete, qvevri etc. which are usually made in Europe or Georgia. In any case, what is often presented as a stylistic choice is also a financial one for the producer. Similar considerations apply for natural cork.
Interestingly, in Italy wines like Mazzei's Siepi have been increasing the percentage of new oak, and I've often found in barrel tastings that new oak barrels can make less of an oaky impression than second use barrels, paradoxically. In Italy more broadly, concrete is on the rise, but large format oak from Slavonia and Austria is very clearly the main direction of travel. Coopers like Garbellotto, Gamba and Stockinger are widespread in top cellars, and Mittelberger is also a fashionable name among many high end producers. The prices there are eyewatering, but they don't need to be replaced often.
This is a fascinating exploration. I wonder if there’s a bit of pushme-pullyou with oak. I recently tried a lot of very oaky Moldovan wines. 2+ years, lots of it new. Which might have been common in other parts of the world in the 80’s and 90’s. But when somewhere like Moldova does it, there’s an incentive to go the other way. I noticed you use the word “austere”. And that’s how some more extreme non-oak wines can come across. But we’re funny creatures. Status now comes with unadorned acidity and typicity. Vanillin is déclassé…
Thanks Joe. I’ve no doubt that fashion is part of it - that seems clear from the extent to which Aussie Chardonnay has switched around. That said, I don’t know that many winemakers making Bdx blends are moving away significantly from oak. But much as anything, it’s the degree of historical contingency that interests me, and the way a certain approach has become naturalised. History over wine!
For *reasons* I spend a lot of time tasting Don Melchor. It’s always slightly surprising to remember it’s only 15 months in oak - usually 75ish% new. For a big Cabernet Sauvignon. And if anything, the trend there is for less and older. So you’re absolutely right and you can see the trend even in the most “traditional” styles.
Amelia (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) have both gone from 50% new oak to 10% in less than a decade - 12 months each. The Pinot has gone from all destemmed to 50% whole bunch in the same time. A drive to freshness and herbal character
The trend to experimentation is strong in Spain. When I visit my suppliers in Spain, I see winemakers using everything from eggs of concrete, wood, or even plastic to foudres of 2500 litres. Many types of wood are used, not just oak but acacia or chestnut, as well as Slavonian, Hungarian or Austrian oak. Of course, everyone has at least one amphora in their cellar. At the same time, I see fermentation in oak more and more, especially for white wines. And at tastings and fairs, I still encounter a lot of pretty powerful red wines. Finally, although I do sell lighter Spanish wines, they spend longer on the shelves, because most of my customers come to me looking for those pretty powerful reds.
The readiness to experiment one of the reasons why for me Spain is probably the most exciting wine scene in Europe right now. Though I get that there are plenty of consumers who still prefer reds with a big slug of oak…
It's interesting that many of the big 'mainstream' Rioja producers have dialled down the oak in their crianzas. I am speaking of Cune and Ramón Bilbao in particular. As you write, oak ageing will always have a role to play but the most interesting wines in Spain these days are aiming for purity and terroir expression. Great to hear about the new podcast! I am also very happy to have a 2019 of that Domaine des Forges “Clos du Papillon” 2023, Savennières in my cellar.
Thanks! The Savennières is lovely - wish I’d bought more now… I actually opened a bottle of their Côteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume 21 at the weekend that I got in the same trip - intense!
I bet that was a banger!
The marketing angle alone of "each individual oak barrel is tasted by our winemaker for our Special Select/Reserve/Blah Blah" isn't going away anytime soon. No one says the winemaker selected this reserve wine out of one of four of our 10,000 gallon concrete tanks. Where's the romance? The story telling? There will always be a use for some specialized and expensive oak or other vessel, amphora for instance.
From a practical, cellar pov, I bring small lots of wine in from various vineyards, as small as one ton. After pressing and racking, that will likely (hopefully) fill 2 - 225L barrels. Those two barrels are specific to one place and one grape. I wouldn't think of mixing that 500L with any other lot I bring in. I'm not putting it in stainless barrels or amphora or plastic.
Another cellar practical, I crush my grapes at a small winery that has similar needs to my own. We have large stainless steel fermenters, which can be used for aging, but their effectiveness, with regular gasing and SO2 isn't the same as oak. The wine comes out different. We all use 225L because the racks and spacing in the cellar are fitted for it. Bring in 500L and storage gets thrown off. Bring in foudres and now we have huge spacing concerns (and potentially a Brett manufacturing plant).
Stainless items break less, if at all. Concrete eggs, Foudres, Amphora have a lot of downside and expense. And not everyone who drives a forklift is an expert. Also, we have huge issues with beetles in Sonoma County, they love wood so we have to have special humidifiers in the cellar to keep them controlled, along with inspections. Foudres would have to be kept in a controlled environment.
Just a few items from an American winemaker in Sonoma County.
Really interesting - thank you!
This is very interesting. Writing something on a similar topic, as always, it seems. It was interesting talking to Liam at Danbury Ridge who thinks that new oak Burgundy barrels are a extremely useful tool in England bringing texture and body to wines that otherwise might bit lacking. While a lot of people, especially in Spain, are turning their backs on oak, England is taking to it in a big way.
Yes, I can see the logic of that
Great piece Andy. You really should be charging for this stuff you know, or at least switching on the Substack pledge mechanic.
I think one reason oak has declined is because it is very expensive to buy, especially if your currency is weak against the Euro. The price of barrels for a small producer in South Africa, for example, is very substantial. We don't talk about the cost of shipping bits of tree from one place to another like it is now fashionable to discuss with glass, but there is also a sustainability angle to consider when shipping barrels all around the world on an annual basis. Although that also applies to concrete, qvevri etc. which are usually made in Europe or Georgia. In any case, what is often presented as a stylistic choice is also a financial one for the producer. Similar considerations apply for natural cork.
Interestingly, in Italy wines like Mazzei's Siepi have been increasing the percentage of new oak, and I've often found in barrel tastings that new oak barrels can make less of an oaky impression than second use barrels, paradoxically. In Italy more broadly, concrete is on the rise, but large format oak from Slavonia and Austria is very clearly the main direction of travel. Coopers like Garbellotto, Gamba and Stockinger are widespread in top cellars, and Mittelberger is also a fashionable name among many high end producers. The prices there are eyewatering, but they don't need to be replaced often.
Interesting, thanks Jason! How does the Substack pledge thing work?
Have a dig around in Settings. It lets readers pledge to pay £X if you turn paid subs on.
This is a fascinating exploration. I wonder if there’s a bit of pushme-pullyou with oak. I recently tried a lot of very oaky Moldovan wines. 2+ years, lots of it new. Which might have been common in other parts of the world in the 80’s and 90’s. But when somewhere like Moldova does it, there’s an incentive to go the other way. I noticed you use the word “austere”. And that’s how some more extreme non-oak wines can come across. But we’re funny creatures. Status now comes with unadorned acidity and typicity. Vanillin is déclassé…
Haven’t tried the Amelias
Thanks Joe. I’ve no doubt that fashion is part of it - that seems clear from the extent to which Aussie Chardonnay has switched around. That said, I don’t know that many winemakers making Bdx blends are moving away significantly from oak. But much as anything, it’s the degree of historical contingency that interests me, and the way a certain approach has become naturalised. History over wine!
For *reasons* I spend a lot of time tasting Don Melchor. It’s always slightly surprising to remember it’s only 15 months in oak - usually 75ish% new. For a big Cabernet Sauvignon. And if anything, the trend there is for less and older. So you’re absolutely right and you can see the trend even in the most “traditional” styles.
Amelia (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) have both gone from 50% new oak to 10% in less than a decade - 12 months each. The Pinot has gone from all destemmed to 50% whole bunch in the same time. A drive to freshness and herbal character
The trend to experimentation is strong in Spain. When I visit my suppliers in Spain, I see winemakers using everything from eggs of concrete, wood, or even plastic to foudres of 2500 litres. Many types of wood are used, not just oak but acacia or chestnut, as well as Slavonian, Hungarian or Austrian oak. Of course, everyone has at least one amphora in their cellar. At the same time, I see fermentation in oak more and more, especially for white wines. And at tastings and fairs, I still encounter a lot of pretty powerful red wines. Finally, although I do sell lighter Spanish wines, they spend longer on the shelves, because most of my customers come to me looking for those pretty powerful reds.
The readiness to experiment one of the reasons why for me Spain is probably the most exciting wine scene in Europe right now. Though I get that there are plenty of consumers who still prefer reds with a big slug of oak…