Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/480754
April 2015 WINES&VINES 47 OAK BARREL ALTERNATIVES 3435 Ocean Park Blvd, #107-511 ~ 10 rue François Appert – BP 90095 21703 Nuits Saint Georges Cedex France Recent research has clarified oak's role in the positive oxygen- ation of wine. Two other confer- ence speakers, Dr. James Kennedy, chair of the Department of Viticul- ture and Enology at California State University, Fresno, and An- drei Prida, researcher at Seguin Moreau cooperage, commented that a significant amount of the oxygenation of wine in a barrel is a result of the wine consuming oxygen from the wood staves, where oxygen has been trapped, not just from oxygen entering through the bunghole, the minute gaps between staves, or traveling from the outside air through the stave itself. Chauffour also observed that oak chips and staves contribute oxygen directly to wine, and the thicker the oak product, the longer it takes to consume all that oxy- gen. She said that a new oak bar- rel contributes from 18-29mg per liter per year, while a neutral oak barrel, after holding just three to five wines, contributes about 9 to 12mg per liter per year. Mini staves release 3.9mg per liter before they are saturated, when used at 4.5g per liter of wine, and Incanto brand chips release 0.4mg per liter when used at 2g per liter. For the rate of extraction of flavor, aroma and textural com- pounds from the oak, Chauffour emphasized that the amount of contact surface is key. A bigger contact surface (as in chips) equals faster extraction of the compounds. INAUGURAL OAK CONFERENCE SELLS OUT More than 335 people attended the Wines & Vines Oak Con- ference at the former Copia building in Napa, Calif. That total included 249 registrants and speakers, plus the exhibitor attendees who filled 37 booths, and the session sponsors. Key speakers, in addition to those mentioned in the accom- panying article, included David Ramey, founder and winemaker of Ramey Wine Cellars; Joshua Marrow, seismic safety expert, and California winemakers Jef- frey Stambor of Beaulieu, Hugh Chappelle of Quivira, Janet Myers of Franciscan, Richard Sowalsky of Clos Pegase, Scot Cov- ington of Trione Family and Zeke Neeley of Trefethen.