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CO VER S T OR Y 8. What are some specialized or new oak alternatives? Some suppliers have developed even more specialized alternative products such as Innerstave's "Binsert," which is a set of linked staves supported by a stainless steel base designed to fit into a MacroBin. The frame accommodates punch downs and enables winemakers to perform upright, open-top barrel fermentations without the barrel. StaVin offers the "infusion tube (left)," which is a slender, perfo- rated, stainless steel tube that can be filled with several ounces of oak cubes and sealed with a synthetic bung. The tube slides right through the bunghole and allows the winemaker to add incremen- tal dosages of oak to wine over time. According to StaVin product information, three, 8-ounce loads of cubes soaking for a least two month each can impart the same level of oak as a new barrel. Oak Solutions has introduced a new type of stave to its Cuvée line that features grooves. Sullivan said the grooves create differ- ences in the toasting of the wood, leading to a "gradient" effect of toasted flavors imparted to the wine. Using alternatives with neutral barrels gives winemakers the option to calibrate exactly how much oak flavor they want to impart into their wine. Hansen said Seguin Moreau produces an 18 mm stave, which he said is thicker than most staves and blends seamlessly into the wine. "We found that we got a much more elegant result with the thicker piece of wood, with less of the woody tannins that winemakers complain they get from tank staves." While the diversity of oak alternative products could almost seem daunting, the benefit is that there's an oak barrel alternative product for every winemaking style. Wood quality also has improved—and if you have a favorite cooper, there's a good chance that company is also producing oak alternatives with woods and toasts similar to its barrels. Two years ago, we told the world we could replicate the fl avors of a French oak barrel by alternative means. Experts balked, then proved our point in blind tastings, actually choosing our fl avors over those of prestigious French barrels. We didn't stop there. Today we're offering the tools to recreate fl avor profi les of a whole range of different barrels. Whether they come from France or Kentucky, Hungary or Spain. Never before have winemakers had such a wide array of fl avor controls at their command. ® StaVın Inc, P.O.Box 1693, Sausalito,CA 94966 (415) 331-7849 f (415) 331-0516 stavin.com Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 29 RACHELL COE © 2010 StaVin Inc.