Wines & Vines

April 2017 Oak Barrel Alternatives Issue

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6 WINES&VINES April 2017 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President and Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 East (except New York) Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 New York and International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Production Manager April Kushner ads@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 114 DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. 46 WINES& OAK BARREL ALTERNATIVES Suppliers expand range of shapes and sizes of alternatives and offer new extracts CONNECT WITH US CONTRIBUTORS Ever since researching his doctoral thesis about the chemical character- istics of oak, Dr. Andrei Prida has continued to track down the myriad ways in which oak influences wine. Today, he is the research and devel- opment director of Seguin Moreau. Prida returns April 26 as a speaker at the Wines & Vines Oak Conference in Santa Rosa, Calif., where his research talk will be about "Sweet Triterpenoids in Oak for Cooperage," the subject of the article on page 38. It reveals what he and research team Axel Marchal, Pierre Waffo-Teguo and the late Denis Dubour- dieu discovered about taste-active triterpinoids in French oak, and the related index they created that discriminates between two oak species. Egg-shaped tanks attract the attention of many winery visitors because of their size and shape. These tanks are frequently made of concrete, but now are also available made from ceramic, plastic and even oak. In his article "Benefits of Egg-Shaped Wine Tanks" beginning on page 60, Dr. Richard Carey looks at the advantages and disadvantages of concrete tanks, provides a theory about what happens to grapes fermenting inside an egg-shaped tank and reports on a side-by-side fermentation trial. When veteran journalist Bill Ward began writing the Minneapolis Star Tribune's wine column in 2007, there wasn't much of a wine industry to cover in his local region. But that's not the case today, as 68 winer- ies are operating in Minnesota and 106 in neighboring Wisconsin. Ward was the logical choice to cover the recent Cold Climate Confer- ence in Bloomington, Minn., and report on an especially engaged group of wine grape growers in the northern plains (page 74). WINESANDVINES.COM APRIL 2017 KNOW YOUR OAK Organic and Biodynamic vs. Conventional Farming Costs Benefits of Egg-Shaped Tanks How French Oak Species Vary New Barrel Alternative Formats W I N E S & V I N E S O A K C O N F E R E N C E April 26, 2017 See page 16. ON THE COVER The towering oak on this month's cover was photographed in the Tronçais forest by Seguin Moreau. For the cover story on page 38, the authors gathered samples from eight French forests to determine which taste-active compounds dominate the two most common French oak species: sessile (pictured) and pedunculate. QUESTION FOR APRIL: What factors do you prioritize when making barrel decisions?* Chris Russi Winemaker Comstock Wines Healdsburg, Calif. I consider forest of origin for specific cooperages on specific varieties. On our lighter style wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Grenache), I find a greater benefit of forest selection for specific impressions, impact and length. On our Zinfandels, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, I might focus more on tightness of grain due to these varietals' longer time on oak. Megan Schofield Winemaker Robert Mondavi Winery Oakville, Calif. Vineyard and vintage are the first things I consider when making barrel decisions. Looking at fruit quality and intensity is key for deciding what barrel will best complement the wine. I next consider the cooper and various barrel profiles available. Continu- ity of wine style is another important factor. Many wines have a tradition of cooperage that has taken many years to develop. Bob Cabral Director of winemaking Three Sticks Wines Sonoma, Calif. 1. The people you are working with. Everyone needs to be on the same page and work together for the common goal. 2. Do I like the taste from that barrel? Is the barrel going provide the opportunity to meet my vision? 3. Grain tightness and stave quality. 4. Forest and toasting. Can I get very similar flavors each year? 5. Consis- tency year to year. 6. Availability. * All three winemakers who answered this question are speaking at the Wines & Vines Oak Conference on April 26.

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