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66 p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d J U ly 2 0 1 4 W I N E M A K I N G Canton, Since 1939 707.836.9742 Think Grandly between barrel and wine occurs. It can be summarized by three main actions: 1. Some aromatic compounds from oak are released into the wine. 2. The wine perfects its structure and texture with the support of oak tannins. 3. Hopefully, the wine acquires balance, notably through the very slow oxygen exchange allowed by the barrel. How do different types of grain influ- ence these three actions? A study by the Chêne & Cie research and development team corroborates the main deduction above, and shows that tight grain releases more aromatics and open grain gives more tannins. The R&D team analyzed the same wine aged in tight-grain and medium/open-grain barrels (30-liter barrels to accentuate the wood impact).* This study showed that the wine evolved differently over time in oak barrels made from two different types of grain. One main conclusion of this study was that tight grain releases more aromatic compounds over time than open grain (eugenol, whisky lac- tones), and open grain releases more wood tannins (ellagitannins). Looking at the quantity of compounds released over time, it appeared that some molecules were released in the wine very early on, in the first months of barrel Schematic view of a section of two growth rings. early wood—or spring wood—contains more and larger vessels. Late wood—or summer wood—contains more fiber and parenchyma. Schematic view of the side of two staves. the open-grain stave has more fiber (brown), and the tight grain stave shows more vessels (white circles). source: TArAnsAud source: TArAnsAud