Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1031957
56 WINES&VINES October 2018 OAK BARRELS wood, touch the barrel and tend to the fire to effectively manipulate the staves. "There is much more touch, feeling and attentiveness … more control," he said, "But, yes, a greater risk of nervy staves breaking." Mercier said D&J employs fire-bending as the primary treatment at its artisan cooperage in Moras-en-Valloire, France, but water-bending as the primary treatment at the main cooperage in Romanèche-Thorins. Water-bending, Mercier explained, involves submerging staves in water for about 20 to 25 minutes, essentially cleansing wood of tannins before bending. While Schulz said he can't say for certain whether one method is more "palatable" than the other, Mercier is of the opinion that the process of removing some of the harsher tannins from the oak staves with water soaking seems to add a weight to the midpalate not noticeable in fire-bent barrels. Cooperages 1912 Napa's Van Emst said she believes there is some truth to the claim that water-bending creates a more minimal oak influence due to the tannin extraction during the soaking process. She noted that, when combined with a light toasting regime, it's an ideal option for those looking for a softer, rounder mouthfeel and less oaky characteristics. Steam-bending is a less aggressive stave- bending method that involves quick exposure to extremely hot steam, opening the pores of the staves to eliminate excess tannin. But, according to Bouchard, because of those open pores, toasting tends to go deeper inside the wood. "If you take a fire-bent and steam-bent barrel and compare them side by side, the steam-bent barrel usually smells and tastes more neutral because it has been 'neutralized' one last time before toasting," he said. "However, if you cut a cross section of the stave … the toast typically has gone a little bit deeper" in the steam-bent barrel. Oak-specific aroma technology At Cooperages 1912 Napa, coopers are utilizing infrared technology instead of fire-toasting for the company's World Cooperage line, Van Emst said. She said that using infrared waves to toast the barrels to the desired temperatures enhances the wood's aromas and flavors without adding smoke attributes. Van Emst said the infrared-toasted barrel line has proven hugely popular for the cooperage. The technology also allows the coopers to create specific, consistent and repeatable barrels year after year: The "reflection" barrel is de- signed specifically to "reflect" fruit flavors back into the wine; the "dimension" barrel uses a wave-like surface that provides a slightly higher impact, yet remains subtle in the aromas and textures imparted on the aging wine. This, Van Emst said, plays into the current trend of wine- makers demanding both complexity and subtlety in barrels, even when seeking higher impact. CRAFTING A WINE BARREL FOR THE CALIFORNIAN, U.S. WINE INDUSTRY A Swiss winemaker and French cooperage have embarked on a project to create a truly American wine barrel to best match the terroir and winemaking styles of the U.S. industry. Tonnellerie Radoux USA hired winemaker Jean Hoefliger to help conduct a long-term project to de- velop a line of barrels specifically for California and other major winemak- ing regions in the United States. Radoux saw an opportunity to de- velop barrels to meet the specific needs of American winemakers, and Hoefliger said he was happy to join a project intended to deliver better barrels to his colleagues in the cellar. "We have to adapt our barrel to California viticulture and climate and to California wine," Hoefliger said in an interview about the project with Radoux USA general manager Louis Zandvliet at Radoux's office and cooperage in Santa Rosa, Calif. The trial began in earnest in 2017 with about 30 winemakers and 100 barrels all filled with Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2018, the trial expanded to 50 winemakers with about three times the number of barrels and more varietals such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. At the onset, the trial was focused just on French oak, but Znadvliet said a few winemakers are also using the cooperage's American oak barrels. He said he wanted to work with Hoefliger because of his experience making wine in regions around the world and for his willingness to explore new ideas. The project also comes dur- ing a shift in consumer and winemaker preferences. "What the market is doing right now is very interesting," Zandvliet said. "We're going away from those big '90s and early 2000s wines, super oaky, super clunky. We're going to something that is more subtle." The trial is evaluating each step of the production process to see where it could be changed or improved to meet certain characteristics that best match U.S. wines. Zandv- liet said some traditional steps in barrel production, done for cost efficiencies, could be changed if it were to provide the right type of impact for a certain wine and winemaker. What some of those new techniques and toasts could entail remain to be seen, as Zan- dvliet and Hoefliger were hesitant to discuss specifics. Zandvliet said he's planning to introduce the new brand as well as other findings in 2019. In general, Hoefliger said French oak barrels built for France's best wines such as those from Bordeaux are meant to support more acidity, freshness and less ripe fruit characteristics. No one would likely be surprised by this assessment, but what he and Radoux are aiming to do is further differentiate barrels meant for the American and European markets by working with winemakers in the trial to find more ways to support specific elements of their style. They are hoping then to not just make a barrel ideally suited for California Cabernet Sauvi- gnon but a line of barrels that could emphasize the differences between Cabs grown and vinified in Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Sonoma County and elsewhere. "We have to be able to produce a barrel that takes that into consideration in the attention to detail and the understanding how to customize a barrel to the specific needs of any given winemaker with any given grapes is really, really important," Hoefliger said. — Andrew Adams Winemaker Jean Hoefliger, foreground, at a tasting as part of the trial by Radoux USA.