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CO VER S T OR Y Winemakers build oak focus through trials By Kerry Kirkham Winemakers, on and off the record Randall Grahm, winemaker and founder of 20,000-case Bonny Doon Vineyard, Santa Cruz, Calif., places every processing step that his wines go through on the back label, including the occa- sional use of oak chips. A firm believer in transparency, Grahm had no hesitation in openly discussing his use of barrel alternatives. "My guiding principal is we will use oak chips under certain conditions but always with the maximum discretion, without deforming the true nature of the wine," he said. Grahm's primary use of oak chips is rooted in the belief that wine should touch oak during the fermentation process. "It's very salutary at that juncture," he said. For color stabilization and structure, Grahm adds one gram per liter of both toasted and untoasted French oak directly to the fermentor. Though academics may disagree, some winemakers take this approach for the benefit of aldeyhyde formation that brings tannin and anthocyanin pigments together. The other benefit Grahm noticed A thorough bench-top exploration can elevate the barrel alternative medium by aligning oak options with desired results, and many suppliers offer an array of pre-measured oak sample kits that inspire experimentation. All that's required is vision, some wine and an oak sample test kit. Oak Barrel Alternatives Benching