Wines & Vines

February 2018 WINES&VINES 35 OAK BARRELS While less expensive than their French counterparts that average more than $900 each, Hungarian oak barrels average just under $800 and are generally still more expensive than American oak barrels, which average $500 apiece. How have Hungarian barrels narrowed the price gap with French ones? Where does the spicy profile that Hungarian oak often gives to wine come from? Is all Hun- garian oak alike? Last spring, a small group of West Coast winemakers embarked on an oak-oriented tour of Hungary with well-informed executives of the Kádár Hungary cooperage who helped answer those questions. In a nutshell, Hungary's geog- raphy and climate differ significantly from that of France, and Hungary's native oak species differ completely from those of North America. Quercus robur vs. Quercus petraea The two main European oak species used for barrels are Quercus robur, also known as pedun- culate oak, and Quercus petraea, also known as sessile oak. The trees appear somewhat differ- ent, especially their acorns. Acorns on the Quer- cus robur are attached to branches by a little stem or pedicle, hence the name pedunculate. Acorns on the Quercus petraea sit directly on the branches, and sessile refers to sitting. Oak sellers and buyers will sometimes use the scientific names and other times the sup- posedly common names, which are not at all common in American English. We will use the species names here: robur and petraea. András Kalydy is the managing director of Kádár Hungary, one of the country's larg- est and most respected cooperages. Educated as a metallurgical engineer, Kalydy joined Kádár in part because he had fond childhood memories of exploring the oak forests with his grandfather, a forester who managed hundreds of thousands of acres. He explained that petraea is known for producing barrel staves that give a pro- nounced aromatic character and low tannin content to wine. Robur provides fuller body and more tannin structure while giving less complexity and less elegance than petraea, he said. American oak barrels use Quercus alba, or white oak, to which many winemak- ers attribute a sweet, spicy flavor. Graphs showing chemical analysis of aroma compounds in Kádár staves made from the two different species of oak (page 38) show dra- matic differences. These chemical analyses corroborate the sensory evaluations of many winemakers. "The differences were stark and consistent by species," said Peter Molnar, an American with Hungarian roots, whose family co-owns Kádár. The two European species grow in various parts of Europe, often intermingled, and they crossbreed very easily. Kalydy said few forests have a high majority of one or the other spe- cies. The Limousin forest in south central France is one of those: Its oak population is close to 100% robur, he said. Limousin oak is used primarily for Cognac production but sometimes for wine. Tronçais vs. Zemplén Another French forest, the Tronçais, is at al- most the exact center of France and is unusual for having a high proportion of petraea oak. However, according to Kádár's calculations, the Zemplén forest in the mountains of northeast Hungary near the winemaking region of Tokaj tops Tronçais with 95% of the oak trees being petraea. "Tokaj forests are absolutely unique in Europe in being so Quercus petraea domi- nant," Molnar said. The two European species prefer different living conditions, Kalydy said. Robur performs best with more water, richer soil and more nutri- tion and gives a stronger flavor to wine. Molnar added, "Which is where it got its Latin name: stronger, more robust." Petraea can survive and grow with fewer amenities in thinner soil, colder temperatures and with longer winters. The root meaning of the word refers to rocks. "Petraea was from the rocks, on the ridges," Molnar continued. "After the last ice age, the KEY POINTS Hungarian barrels are known as an alterna- tive to French and American oak, but they're made from the same oak species available in France. One key difference is the high concentra- tion of Quercus petraea trees in the north- ern forests of Hungary. Just as in wine grapes, flavor characteris- tics vary by where oak wood is grown and the growing conditions there. Aging oak staves near the forest of origin exposes them to beneficial microflora for seasoning. T he oak forests and stave mills of Hungary account for only about 4% of world wine barrel production, but the central European country is getting more than it's share of attention and accep- tance from winemakers these days. That's due to the increasing quality and distinctive flavor characteristics of those barrels, not to men- tion their moderate prices.

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