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74 p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d a p r i l 2 0 1 4 b o o k e x c e r p t Among whites, most Chardonnays are in this category. Mild oak presence is the norm for red wines, too, as with the aver- age Merlot or Pinot Noir, since oak barrel maturation helps to mellow the harsh- ness of dark-skinned grapes. Among premium wines, a moderate degree of oak presence is achieved by aging up to a year in oak barrels that are not 100% new. Among bargain wines, a similar flavor is achieved more economically by judicious use of oak chips or staves. Low Medium High Oak Intensity Unoaked Mild Oak Oaky oaky Some wines fea- t u r e a m o r e intense oak com- ponent, with a range of oak fla- vor s t h at c a n include vanilla, five spice, roasted nuts, caramelized sugar and sandalwood. At this level, the term "oaky" is used to describe an olfactory presence strong enough to be one of the first things a taster smells and one of the longest-last- ing flavors in a wine. It is rare to find overtly oaky white wines outside the realm of warm-climate Chardonnay. Among reds, there are more regions and styles associated with strong oak fla- vor such as Spanish Rioja, French Bor- deaux and Australian Shiraz. However, there is also a strong correla- tion between the intensity of oak flavor and a red wine's quality aspirations, since longer barrel maturation and newer oak barrels help craft wines suitable for long-term aging. As a result, the very best red wines from almost all regions will often feature strong oak character, from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to Ital- ian Super Tuscan. Well aware that wine drinkers associate the flavor of oak with quality, bargain wine producers will sometimes lean heavily on toasted oak chips to push a more modest red, like an Argentine Mal- bec or California Zinfandel, into the "oaky" category. Conclusion The key to tasting wine like a pro is to have a system—to go through the same procedure and use the same checklist each time we taste a new wine. Professionals use a consistent routine that combines actions (the steps we take in swirling and sipping) with assessments (like the intensity judg- ments described above). This allows them to build a mental database with which they can stylistically compare one wine to others and file it away for future reference. Our wine-drinker 's checklist is sim- pler than the one a winemaker or som- melier might use, but it covers the same basics. In the olfactory realm of scents and flavors, it helps to zero in on the two most important components — fruit and oak— and evaluate their strength on a simple power scale: low, medium, or high. PWV Author Marnie Old is one of the coun- try's most engaging sommeliers and the wine columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. She has served as Director of Wine Studies for Manhattan's French Culinary Institute and published three popular books: "Wine Simplified," "Wine Secrets" and "He Said Beer, She Said Wine." She is an engaging speaker on improving wine communication, sales and service for the wine and hospitality trades, and provides consulting services through her company, Old Wines LLC. For more information, visit marnieold.com.