CO VER S T OR Y
tion will be much diminished during subsequent uses. He said products should get a good cleaning with methods similar to cleaning barrels.
6. What is the right amount to use?
Burton said a general rule for dosage is about 15 to 20 pounds of alternatives per 1,000 gallons of wine. Each supplier has its own recommendation, but for smaller oak products the range is 10-25 pounds per 1,000 gallons of wine. The range depends on the size of the alternatives to the toast.
How much oak to use also depends on how much aging time is available. Quicker results require a higher amount of oak added earlier. Barrel inserts are generally recommended on a one-set- per-barrel basis, although some companies provide systems that allow for incremental increases of oak. The number of staves can be calculated on a square-foot-to-gallon ratio, or on the number of stave sets to gallon ratio. Oak Solutions, StaVin and other suppliers offer online cal- culators to help winemakers determine how much of a certain product they need for their winemaking style.
7. Are certain products best used for specific varietals? None of the suppliers interviewed said they made specific products to match certain types of wine. They stressed that the products can be used in a variety of ways and for a vari- ety of wines. The French oak tank staves that can be used to flavor and age Merlot could conversely be used during primary fermentation for Chardonnay. "Since each varietal can have several matrix (and) wine profiles, and the winemakers have distinct final objectives, there is for us no perfect mix of oak," Derreumaux said.
Sullivan said that regional differences in winemaking styles make marketing varietal-specific products a bit tricky, but Oak Solutions does offer its "Latitude" series of tank staves. These include the 44 Bordeaux, 45 Rhone and 46 Burgundy staves, which offer some specificity for the winemaker wanting to craft a wine within a certain style. Seguin Moreau's sales manager, Chris Hansen, said it's not that oak alternatives are designed for specific wines but that wine- makers can use the products in different ways for specific wines.
TonnellerieDeJarnac_Dir10 11/11/09 3:40 PM Page 1
He said, for example, that someone making Sauvignon Blanc could add barrel inserts to neutral barrels and be able to adjust the desired level of oak. For a light touch of oak the winemaker can leave the inserts in for a short time—or keep them in longer for more of an oak presence.
COMPANY AFTEK Inc.
Oak Barrel Alternatives Suppliers PHONE
WEBSITE ALLARY Tonnellerie
(585) 458-7550 aftekfilters.com (503) 307-1593 tonnellerie-allary.com
American Tartaric Products Inc. (707) 836-6840 americantartaric.com Barrel Builders Inc.
(707) 963-9963 barrelbuilders.com Barrel Mill/Oak Infusion Spiral (800) 201-7125 infusionspiral.com
Barrels Best – Vadai World Trade Enterprise, Barrels/Wine LLC (626) 289-8250 vadaiwinebarrels.com Begerow USA Inc.
(703) 673-1160 begerow.com
Beverage Supply Group Boswell Co.
Bouchard Cooperages Brick Packaging LLC Carolina Wine Supply Creative Oak
Davison Winery Supplies Demptos Napa Cooperage
Gusmer Enterprises
Heinrich Oak Alternatives IDL Process Solutions Inc. Laffort USA OC Inc.
(707) 252-2550 beveragesupplygroup.com (415) 457-3955 boswellcompany.com (707) 257-3582 bouchardcooperages.com (231) 947-4950 brickpackaging.com (336) 677-6831 carolinawinesupply.com (707) 746-5704 creativeoak.com (503) 472-1711 dwinesupplies.com (707) 257-2628 demptosusa.com
evOAK (Oak Solutions Group) (707) 259-4988 oaksolutionsgroup.com GW Kent Inc.
(734) 572-1300 gwkent.com
(559) 485-2692 gusmerenterprises.com (707) 738-8670 heinrich.com.au (604) 538-2713 idlconsulting.com (707) 775-4530
Innerstave LLC (888) 996-8781 innerstave.com
laffortusa.com (740) 947-4159 oakchipsinc.com
Oak Add-Ins (Nadalie USA) (707) 942-9301 nadalie-usa.com Oak Plus
(a division of Innerstave LLC) (888) 996-8781 innerstave.com Oak Solutions Group Oak Tradition Oenosylva
Oregon Barrel Works
Pacific Winemaking LLC Pickering Winery Supply Presque Isle Wine Cellars Quercus Concepts
(707) 259-4988 oaksolutionsgroup.com (707) 318-0002 oaktradition.com (707) 224-2377 oenosylva.com
(503) 472-8883 oregonbarrelworks.com (503) 419-7942 pacificwinemaking.com (415) 474-1588 winerystuff.com (814) 725-1314 piwine.com
(707) 775-7065 quercuswood.com
Handcrafted & Authentic Contact: Yannick Rousseau
Tel: (707) 332 4524 • Fax: (707) 224 8734 Email: yannickrousseau@sbcglobal.net Website: www.tonnellerie-de-jarnac-16.com
28 Wines & Vines APRiL 2012
Reliable Cork Solutions LLC (203) 681-7743 reliablecorksolutions.com Scott Laboratories Ltd. (Canada) (905) 839-9463 scottlabsltd.com Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage (707) 252-3408 seguinmoreaunapa.com StaVin Inc.
(415) 331-7849 stavin.com
Toneleria Nacional/ Mistral Barrels
Tonnellerie Berthomieu Tonnellerie Mercier Tonnellerie Radoux USA
(707) 996-5600 mistralbarrels.com (707) 224-2377 tonnellerie-
berthomieu.com
(707) 967-9645 tonnellerie-mercier.com (707) 284-2888 radouxcooperage.com
Vivelys USA – Oenodev Inc. (707) 546-2213 vivelysusa.com Xtraoak
(707) 836-9742 xtraoak.com
For more on oak barrel alternatives suppliers, see Wines & Vines' 2012 Buyer's Guide in print or online at winesandvinesbuyersguide.com.
