Barrels and Bung Holes...

So as previously told, now you know how the white juice gets into tanks and how the red fruit gets into tanks and barrels and the difference in first pressed versus second and third pressed grapes.

Red wine is racked into oak barrels, some of these barrels are good old American forest trees and others come from very old French forests.  Some red wines sit in small tanks with oak barrel staves floating around in them. All of these many many decisions are directed by the winemaker. Back when the grapes were harvested and the winemaker was able to see the quantity and quality of the harvest began the part art and part chemistry of creating and birthing a bottle of wine.  Knowing that balance is vital, knowing the character of the grape, knowing the type of yeast that might be used , its time for the winemaker to begin artfully crafting the taste, body and characteristics she wants to have in the finished wine.

Wine barrels can only be used three times.  It's much like a tea bag.  The first time a tea bag is used it can bring a full flavored tea to your taste in about five or six minutes; the second time that tea bag is used it may have to sit in your filled cup for ten or fifteen minutes and the third time that tea bag is used, well, it just might have to sit in your filled cup all day!

The first time an oak barrel is used the winemaker can get all the characteristics she wants out of it in a few months; the second time that barrel is used the wine may have to sit for eight months or more and the third and final time that barrel is used the wine may have to sit in that barrel a year and a half.  It is just not profitable to sit on your wine for a couple years or longer. Old barrels are sometimes recycled and sold for making types of whiskey.

Back in the mid 2000's I knew that American oak barrels were purchased for about $300 and French oak barrels were nearly $800. Keep in mind how many times they can be used. I believe that winemakers would almost always choose French oak barrels over American oak because a French barrel will release a silky smooth texture to a body of wine that one can not get any other way, but because of the cost, more domestic wines are aged in American oak. Higher grade vintage domestic wines do use French oak barrels and that is definitely reflected in the bottle price. Remember, some white wines see a little oak for a short time, Chardonnay is one of the white juices that sits in oak barrels at times and yes, sometimes a French barrel.  American oak barrels give structure to a wine as well but not that silky smoothness.

The end of a wine barrel will state American or French. The American barrel will say "American Oak" while the French barrel will state the name of the forest in France where that tree grew ( top right "CHENE HAUTE FUTAN". ) In the top middle you  will see the name of the French barrel maker ("MA TONNELLERIE GILLET".) The large stenciled number on the barrel (N 38-7) tells the winemaker all she needs to know about when the barrel was used, what was exactly in it, for how long etc. All computerized these days.  The bottom of the barrel will tell you the storage capacity of that barrel (59 gallons). Some are larger and some are smaller but the standard is about 59 gallons.

As early as the 1700's the French began classifying their forest and replanting. If a tree was cut, a new one was planted. Some of these French barrels are made from 300 and 400 year old trees, again reflected in the price. American oak barrels often come from trees that are much younger, again, reflected in the price.

I hope you are enjoying my wine tidbits.

More about marketing and label tales next time, until then...Cheers!