Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/60007
TIM P A T TERSON Inquiring Winemaker European Oak Aims For Recognition M ore often than not, op- tions that look like either/ or choices turn out to be not so binary after all. Pa- per or plastic? No thanks, I'll just carry my reusable organically grown cotton tote bag. Coke or Pepsi? No way, Bubba, gimme an RC and a Moon Pie. Blade or electric? Gillette has a new razor with five battery-powered TonnellerieBoutes_Feb09.qxp 1/8/09 10:59 AM Page 1 EUROPE Russia France Hungary Croatia Romania blades. There may even be more than two answers to the ultimate pop culture ques- tion: Mary Ann or Ginger? The same goes for the eternal question of cooperage: French oak or American oak? Just as there are places in the world that make great Cabernet besides Bordeaux and the Napa Valley—another commonly held false binary—there are lots of places to grow barrel-worthy oak trees. Such timber can be found in almost all of the former Soviet-style Republics of central and Eastern Europe: Hungary first and foremost, but also Russia, Romania, Croatia—the list goes on and on. All these areas have been making oak wine barrels for hundreds of years, and even making better ones in the past decade or two. This should not be news to any one. Hungarian and other European oaks have 34 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012