Wines & Vines

February 2015 Barrel Issue

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8 Wines&Vines February 2015 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. President & Publisher Chet Klingensmith chairman Hugh Tietjen Publishing consultant Ken Koppel associate Publisher Tina Vierra Publishing assistant Maria Brunn editOriAL Editor Jim Gordon managing Editor Kate Lavin associate Editor Andrew Adams senior correspondent Paul Franson contributing Editor Jane Firstenfeld northwest correspondent Peter Mitham columnists Grapegrowing: Cliff Ohmart and Glenn T. McGourty contributing Writers Laurie Daniel, Richard Smart, Richard Carey, Chris Stamp, Andrew Reynolds, Craig Root PrActicAL Winery & vineyArd Editor Don Neel Wine eAst Editor Linda Jones McKee design & PrOductiOn art Director Barbara Gelfand Summer Design & Production manager Bridget Williams dAtAbAse deveLOPment And infOrmAtiOn technOLOgy Vice President—Data management Lynne Skinner Project manager Liesl Stevenson Database & Web Development James Rust, Peter Scarborough eDITOR'S LeTTeR in any craft, there are certain indispensable, even timeless, tools. Some things work so well for so many fundamental reasons that they become integral and permanent. I was thinking about this because in our house not long ago we bought a serious new frying pan. We already had an array of pans, from a heavy American cast iron skillet to a non-stick egg pan to a set of nice-looking and multi-layered sauté pans of different diameters. But then we got what my son dubbed "the totally awesome pan." It's an All-Clad copper-core 12-inch pan. It works beautifully for what we like to cook in our home. It heats up fast and evenly, food doesn't stick to it, and somehow it doesn't burn anything. fundamental and indispensable This fundamental tool has quickly become irreplaceable. It helps turn the right ingredients into really great food for the family. I can't imagine any new culinary technology coming along to replace it. A well-crafted oak wine barrel is like that pan. A wine barrel is an indispensable, classic winemaking tool for so many reasons: The shape is inherently strong, makes it easy to transport, is suited to gather- ing lees at the bottom and minimizing exposure to air at the top. (I am going to ignore the fact that barrels wear out a lot faster than my pan will.) The oak staves and barrel heads themselves flavor and subtly oxygenate wine in a way that couldn't have been better planned if oak trees had been bio-engi- neered for the purpose. The French word élevage cap- tures the way that a barrel both "raises" the wine to maturity like you raise a child and "elevates" its quality. Other ways to store, age and flavor wine have found their niches, but barrels are here to stay. Barrels are also an incredibly diverse category of tool. Finding the right barrel for the wine you want to make is like finding the right pan for the foods you like and the way you want to cook. 11th annual barrel issue For most winemakers there's always a new vineyard source, grape variety or quality goal to be reached that puts them on the search for new barrels. That's why Wines & Vines covers barrels several times throughout the year, especially in this February edi- tion, which is now our 11th annual Barrel Issue. Check out the cover story by associate editor Andrew Adams on page 28 as well as his Product Focus on page 34 for the latest news about barrel pricing, availability and quality control. The ongoing search for the right barrel for a par- ticular wine is also why we are hosting the inaugural Wines & Vines Oak Conference on Feb. 11 in Napa, Calif. It's a one-day conference and trade show where you can hear about the latest oak research, taste through some trials and kick the tires on new barrels a n d o t h e r o a k p r o d u c t s t h a t m i g h t h e l p y o u r programs. You can see the details on page 20 of this issue, or visit wvoak.com for information and registration. Speaking for the whole staff here at Wines & Vines, we hope to see you there. —Jim Gordon Why Barrels Are Irreplaceable The oak staves and barrel heads themselves flavor and subtly oxygenate wine in a way that couldn't have been better planned if oak trees had been bio-engineered for the purpose. cOntAct us subscriPtions email: subs@winesandvines.com Online: winesandvines.com/subscribe Phone: (866) 453-9701 EDitorial email: edit@winesandvines.com mail 65 Mitchell Blvd., Suite A San Rafael, CA 94903 cOnnect With us facebook.com/WinesandVines twitter.com/WinesandVines youtube.com/WinesandVines1919

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