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TNWG Wine Times: Ep 40: Why do we use oak?


Have you even wondered why oak is used in winemaking ? 

Maybe you have heard many people talk about it but not really understand why it works or doesn't work? Why it imparts more or less flavour in a wine?


Well read on and you may well understand more!


First up though, let's get the weekly announcements out there for all.....


🍷 UPCOMING EVENTS 🍷


👉 Wednesday 26th March - Sheffield Chamber B2B Expo


Come and Find the BEST stall in town - where you may even get to try some Cheese as well as Wine!


👉 Wednesday 26th March - 6.30pm-8.30pm

The Wine and Cheese Network - March Event


  • Chloe Lowe will be our keynote speaker - giving us insights into AI Marketing alongside why we need it in our work lives.

  • Faye Mellors will also give us a run down of all the great things that The Suit Works are upto and looking to achieve - thanks to your 10% ticket donation to them.

  • March is shaping up to see great numbers once more - Jan and Feb were SOLD OUT, so make sure you get your tickets here ASAP.



👉 Sheffield's FIRST ever Ukrainian Wine Tasting Event in collaboration with Cawa Coffee

👉 Friday 11th April 7pm till 9pm


This will be the first time that anyone has showcased the skills of the Ukrainian Winemakers in the North of England and Sheffield.


Join us in a wonderful setting at Cawa Coffee in Broomhill for this unique event.



Front Cover of unLTD Business Magazine


It's not everyday that you appear on the front cover of unLTD magazine, following a great podcast episode (see inside the edition for most of the content discussed).




Award Winning Wine Hosting

I did say at the back end of last year that I had managed to win an award thanks to SME News and I am really proud to share that announcement now properly with you. 


So get down to my events or book me for a corporate event, in-house entertainment or to build wine cellars or hospitality training. All of these come under 'an award-winning wine host'!




Why do we use Oak?


🤯 Firstly, oak has been used for centuries - really ever since the Gauls invented a wine barrel!

👉 Secondly, the physical properties of oak, add oak tannins that effectively stabilise the tannins and soften the texture of any well made and produced wine. The long stay (maturation) approach, ie extended length in oak barrel, also actually helps clarify the wine too.

😲 Clear so far?


🍷 Fermenting a white wine in oak barrel is done to create a smoother textured wine and add deeper flavours, it also is typically used to ensure that the wine can be aged for longer. The length of time in oak is key as is whether or not you are 'stirring the lees' (dead yeast cells) or using new or old oak barrels (used) too.

🍷The longer in oak the wine is the more texture and deeper flavours will emerge; the more you stir the lees - i.e. the dead yeast cells that are at the bottom of the barrel after consuming all the sugars in the grape juice and turning it into alcohol, the more you will get body and a creaminess to the wine; the newer the barrels used, the more flavour and aromas that are imparted to the wine, the older the barrels the less impact on the flavour and aroma profile.

🍷For red wines, they are typically aged (matured) for longer in oak barrel. With white wines, it maybe as little as 3 months in barrel. For reds, it can be upto 18 months or even longer (some are regulated in certain areas, such as Rioja for example where ageing requirements in oak are determined by the level expected of that wine. The thick - 'gross lees' are 'racked off' ie removed from the liquid and moved into another barrel, where the thin lees, are left undisturbed in the liquid. There is no 'stirring of the lees' typically in red winemaking, instead racking may happen more than once, but there is no imparting of flavours here. When you perform the 'racking' process, it actually aerates the wine, so you are already softening the tannins within the wine. 

🍷Another key consideration when making wine is ULLAGE. Ullage is the space in the barrel left after some of the wine evaporates. This happens and therefore it is necessary to continue to top up levels within the barrel, otherwise the wine risks oxidation and spoilage. 

🍷The best part of this process, is as a winemaker, the tasting needs to be relatively constant whilst in barrel maturation. Does the wine need to be racked again? Has it had enough time in barrel and therefore needs bottling? 


What about size of barrel?

🍷Yes this is also an important factor and in fact where the barrel resides from too. As mentioned earlier, the older the barrel, the less it imparts flavour wise to the wine, this is also true if larger in size. The larger the size of the barrel the less it touches the contents of the wine and therefore less flavour imparted. Don't forget, the flavour profile can also be determined by how 'toasted' a barrel is, which is decided by the winemaker too. 

🍷The two main types of oak barrel used, are American oak - which imparts more vanilla notes and is arguably deemed a touch sweeter, the French oak - typically more tight grained and deemed the best for long ageing in Europe. However, there is also a trend now for Baltic state and Eastern European oak too - especially from Hungary and Slovenia that are being used more regularly too. 

🍷Believe it or not, it actually can impart flavour based on the type of oak forest and terroir from which it lies. For example the Limousin in France is wide grained and quite tannic so deemed better for brandy production. Where as Troncais oak grows slower and the grain is tighter so better for wines. 

🍷Some of the finest coopers who then toast the barrels from these regions are known as the likes of Chassin, Demptos, Francois Freres, Radoux, Seguin-Moreau and Taransaud for example.



⚠️⚠️ TNWG HOT TIPS ⚠️⚠️


That may have all been a little heavy above...so a few things to remember:

➕ Longer left in oak and newer oak used = more flavour imparted.

➕ Shorter period in oak and older oak used = less flavour imparted.

➕ The VAST majority of wines made are NOT made to age and therefore the longer it sits in your house doesn't make improve it.

➕ French oak isn't necessarily the best oak to use, it depends on what the winemaker is trying to create. Try other oaks from America and Eastern Europe when trying wines.



🗞️ LATEST DRINKS INDUSTRY ARTICLES 🗞️



Slightly worrying tone from Brett Fleming, the MD of Armit Wines who isn't sure what the future holds in the UK. Unprecedented headwinds not seen before suggests that operational costs and taxation are likely to drive consolidation in the industry. Worrying times!



OTHER ARTICLES OF NOTE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK:


📈 MARKETS IN BRIEF 📉


On the week (as at 19th March 16:00 LDN) changes:

EQUITIES: ⬆️ FTSE 100 up 2.29%; ⬆️ DAX up 2.9%; ⬆️ S&P 500 up 1.2%; ⬆️ Nikkei 225 up 2.63%; ⬆️ Dow Jones up 1.2%;

COMMODITIES: ⬇️ Brent Oil down 0.01% ; ⬇️ Crude Oil down 1% ; ⬆️ Gold up 3.25%; ⬆️ Silver up 1.47%; ⬆️ Copper up 4.4%

BONDS (in yield terms): ⬇️ UK 2yrs lower 0.03%; ⬇️ UK 10yrs lower 0.0445%; ⬇️ German 10yrs lower 0.128%, ⬆️ US 2yrs higher 0.09%; US 10yrs flat.


I'm writing this ahead of the FED meeting later on but the reality is this should be one big zzzzz of a meeting. That being said, I am keen to keep an eye on inflation expectations - especially if you look through the data (eg Uni of Michigan). However, I should state (and put my head on the block) that I see no change in interest rates at this juncture. In the UK, I would expect them to leave the bank rate unchanged as well - the impact of the changes in National Insurance are still to come and despite financial conditions appearing to weaken, it would be a bold move by the BOE to move on interest rates again now. Notably it has been somewhat of a Central Bank bonanza this week and not surprisingly the BoJ stayed on hold although the press conference was interesting nonetheless.


In equities space, maybe some light relief here albeit the unpredictable nature of Trump and the ongoing war in the Ukraine with headline reports is not aiding methodology. In truth, as I've mentioned before, I suspect equities to come off further before we start to see a recovery but it is not going to be a straight line. I maintain my positioning in US blue chips given the vastly lower entry point but I am not looking to add here, likewise UK equities although I think they are likely to outperform near term.


Gold is on a flyer once more, aided by Middle Eastern uncertainties and continue to have a portion of assets favouring gold as a result. Commodities more generally, I like copper here and have done but haven't added to positioning (potentially missed my entry). I am also a fan of front end gilts and continue to hold a position in UKT 61s but this has been a bit of a devil, so beware of the ride! 


Overall, positioning largely unchanged for me here, fine wine is seeing some interesting developments and watching closely the updates from Trump on tariff potential but with the tax year coming to an end, look for an uptick as investors seek capital gains free tax investments into the new tax year.


Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, do feedback as it is always interesting and good to hear from you all on anything you would like to see or not see!


Best Regards

Andy a.k.a. The Northern Wine Guy 🍷🍾

 
 
 

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