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40 W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 F ermentation? Hit it with dust, shavings or chips. Maturation? Bring in the staves, blocks, chips, rods or even balls. Finishing? Think blocks, chips or powders. Winery suppliers these days offer oak barrel alternatives for every phase of the winemaking process, and each year new products and new toasts allow winemak- ers more options to use alternative prod- ucts with greater precision. One of the most common uses for alter- natives is during primary fermentation, when oak powders or small chips are thought to provide color stability, help protect against oxidation and mask or even reduce the presence of green, vegeta- tive flavors. Seguin Moreau has developed a new barrel alternative designed to make such an addition easier and safer for cellar workers. The company unveiled its Oeno- first product—oak chips and dust com- pressed into a log—at this year's Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in January. One log per ton A single log weighs 4.4, pounds, and the supplier recommends 3 to 5 pounds of product per ton (or roughly one log per ton). The log can simply be dropped into a full tank, where it will dissolve in the must or during a pump over, or it can be dissolved in a tank filled with water or juice and then pumped into a tank or added at the crusher. Marion Blanchet Ghiringhelli, Seguin Moreau's barrel alternative sales man- ager, said that since Seguin Moreau was a bit late to the oak barrel alternatives game, the company is now focused on finding a competitive edge by developing unique products. She said most companies offer a short list of alternative products such as shav- ings, dust or small chips for fermentation. In discussing alternatives with their win- ery clients, Ghiringhelli said Seguin Moreau heard such products could be a hassle. "For the cellar crew, it's not always easy to use the product," she said, adding that the team was inspired to "find a format that would be easier." The logs are available in French oak and come untoasted or as a mix of toasted and untoasted. Seguin Moreau claims the prod- uct helps draw out better aromatics, aids wine stability and mouthfeel, while also reducing vegetal aromas and tastes. By adding logs, cellar workers are spared dumping bags of oak dust or chips that generate thick clouds of powder. Ghiring- helli said the product would be available in North America for harvest 2014. She recommended that winemakers add the logs to a tank prior to the start of fer- mentation, giving the log a chance to dis- solve when there is no cap. The chips that make up the Oneofirst log are toasted in a convection oven and made with the same seasoned wood Seguin Moreau uses for its Haute Futaie French oak barrels. The logs are made through compression and don't contain a binding agent. "We wanted it to be very clean, easy to use and bring only what it's supposed to bring, which is oak," Ghir- inghelli said. Also new on the fermentation side, French cooperage Canadell added an ultra fine oak powder to its lineup of fer- mentation products, which already includes a "tobacco" line of medium-plus toasted chips. Pickering Winery Supply, which is the North American agent for Suber Lefort, added its new XOV Super- fine Powder, a finishing oak designed to boost aromatics and/or help winemakers incorporate some final adjustments to their wines' flavor profiles. Oak Solutions Group has introduced chips in its Cuvee 1 and Cuvee 2 toasts, which previously were only available for staves. The company also recently released its XT-4 chip for fla- vor and structure that provides brown sugar, coffee and a "hint of sweet smoke" for whites and notes of smoky chocolate for reds. Kyle Sullivan, Oak Solutions Group's director of sales, said the Cuvee and XT-4 chips are pri- marily used for aging and finishing, An Alternative for Every Decision Spectrum of oak barrel alternative products grows wider and their uses more precise By Andrew Adams Highlights • The Oenofirst log by Seguin Moreau is designed to make oak chip additions cleaner and easier. • Several suppliers are offering stave fan packs with new toasts. • Pronektar is sorting its new Extreme line of staves by the level of tannin and other polyphenolic material in the wood. Oak chips are compressed to form Seguin Moreau's Oneofirst log. C O V E R S T O R Y