Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/116287
OAK ALTERNATIVES Pessagno: When I managed over 10,000 barrels at Lockwood Vineyards, I wanted to be able to make every lot a stand-alone from an oak-flavor profile. I developed an Excel spreadsheet with oak flavor depletion rates based on how many times the barrel had been used. New barrels were depleted at one rate, while barrel staves were depleted at a more rapid rate (due to their total immersion in the barrel). This spreadsheet allows me to dial in the oak flavor that I wanted for each wine—20%, 35%, 50%. Although I'm working on a much smaller scale now, I continue to use this spreadsheet for oak level profiles and planning purposes. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. Mori_Nov05.qxt 9/19/05 3:29 PM SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY VIRUS CERTIFIED GRAFTED GRAPEVINES Page 1 Agfast_WireVise_Jan08 12/13/07 WIREVISE® Trellis & Fence Wire Anchor Embossed jaws grip the wire as it is inserted and prevent it from being pulled out. The wire is retensionable with a pair of pliers or a claw hammer. Oak chips a must in red fermentations 12:34 PM I n addition to using stave inserts in some of his barrels, winemaker Steve Pessagno also uses oak chips in all his red wine fermentations to stabilize color and flavor. "More intense wine flavor is often associated with more intensely colored wines, and since our style has been called 'full throttle,' we want to get as much as pos- Deadline for Custom Grafted Order For Spring Planting is January of Previous Year For Further Information & Pricing Please Call or Write 1912 Concession 4 R.R. #2 Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, Canada LOS 1J0 Phone: 905-468-0822 Fax: 905-468-0344 48 W in e s & V i ne s APR I L 2 013 sible out of our fermentations," Pessagno says. "Depending on the style of the wine and its structure, we will add between 1- WIRELINK® Tool-free Trellis & Fence Wire Splicer and 2 grams per liter of oak chips at the beginning of fermentation." Broken or sheared ends of a wire are slipped into either end of the WireLink to make a secure splice. Requires no tools. Both WireVise and WireLink are available for wire from 9-13 gauge. um-plus toast levels. "The toasting pro- For your nearest dealer, contact: to making chips, larger heartwood boards Pessagno adds that he prefers medicess is very important," he says. "Prior need to be toasted slowly for uniformity. If you try to toast chips, you will certainly get some charring, which will absorb Toll-Free: 877.552-4828 909.451.2299 • Fax: 909.593-8309 wine aromatics." L.D.