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W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 37 cis-lactones or, for that matter, about the existence of oxygen as a discrete element in air, let alone oxygen transfer rates. Talk about dumb luck. Barrels turned out to do several things that made wine better and tastier. The most obvious contribution is flavor, and even those of us who gag at over-oaked wines will happily admit that the mar- riage of oak and wine has passed the test of time. Over the centu- ries, wine styles have swung from oxidative to reductive and back again, from sweet to dry, from modest alcohols to fire-breathers, but the value of a little oak has been a constant, a keeper. Barrels also yield oak tannins, contributing to the structure and mouthfeel of wine and playing a useful anti-oxidative role. With less fanfare and much less controversy, the slight permeabil- ity of barrel staves and the seams between them allows for a very gradual, gentle combination of oxygen coming in and evaporated liquids (water, ethanol) going out. The sensory effects of this slow- mo exchange show up as more rounded, integrated, concentrated wines—as the French say, élevage (raised up). Even older, flavor- neutral barrels—or large-format puncheons and casks that con- tribute less oak flavor—still do the oxidation/evaporation dance in a way stainless steel and glass can't. Barrels are a hard act to follow. Barrel alternatives I use the term "barrel alternatives" to include the entire range of products and technologies that aim to reproduce one or more of the functions performed by barrels, so they are not all simply "oak alternatives"; and in any case, so-called oak alternatives are, in fact, made out of oak—a true oak alternative might be chestnut or redwood. For contributions of flavor and tannin, oak is available in a daz- zling number of forms, representing every major oak forest on Earth, at any toast level or combination thereof, in staves, inserts, spirals, chips, beans, powders and extracts. Besides costing a whole lot less, these chunky oak options give the winemaker more control of dosages and exposure: Stuff can be taken out, put back in and weighed precisely. Other technologies mimic some or all of the oxidation/evapora- tion tango that porous/permeable barrels play host to. Micro-ox systems dispense carefully controlled burps of oxygen at pre-deter- mined intervals during critical winemaking phases. Flextanks replace wood with permeable plastic, letting in oxygen at predict- able rates. Concrete tanks, egg-shaped and otherwise, allow for a similar bit of breathing. Wineries can mix and match all these options any way they choose: A given wine might be tank-fermented with a micro-ox energy boost, then aged in Flextanks with oak inserts, and finally blended with a batch that grew up in a concrete egg. Lots of flexibil- ity, lots of choices, lots of control and lots of savings. So, is there anything left that barrels alone can do? If so, what is it, and how does it work? Industry opinions Using the patented Inquiring Winemaker™ methodology—inter- viewing a lot of people who know more than I do—I talked with several representatives of various barrel and non-barrel providers at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, Calif., in January and followed up with phone calls to several others. My list included Phil Burton of Barrel Builders, Jeff McCord of Stavin, Guillaume de Pracomtal of Chêne & Cie (which combines Taransaud barrels, Canton Cooperage, and Xtraoak oak adjuncts), John Smeaton of Flextank, Thomas Leclerc of micro-ox supplier W I N E M A K I N g NADALIÉ USA 1401 Tubbs Lane Post Office Box 798 Calistoga, CA 94515 Tel. 707 942 9301 Fax. 707 942 5037 info@nadalie.com www.nadalie.com Nadalié France since 1902 Nadalié USA since 1980 NADALIÉ USA, it's also...