In earlier posts, such as the one on the composition of oak wood and the one classifying aging according to redox potential, I mentioned the use of this material in wine production and its effect on the wine’s sensory characteristics. I bring all this up because I have never addressed the question of “why” oak is used.
I don’t know for certain how the practice originated. It’s hard for me to tell whether oak is used for the aroma it gives the wine, or whether that oak aroma is a bonus that comes from using this wood as the raw material for wine vessels: a sort of “which came first, the chicken or the egg”. Whatever the reason, one thing is very clear: oaky aromas in wine tend to be regarded as a sign of quality, or of a more elaborate winemaking process or style. I should point out here that the touch of oak is achieved in different ways depending on the type of wine being made.
Mmm… oak. But how much oak is good?
Ten years ago I had my first encounter with North American wines, not only from the US but also from Mexico. In one Mexican wine, from a winery I won’t name here, I noticed the use and abuse of oak in a wine that lacked the structure to carry the load of tannins and oak aromas that barrels impart during prolonged aging. Not understanding the thinking behind it, I asked around and looked into it, and came to a conclusion:
The barrel should be a complement to the wine, never a substitute. You can’t ask the oak for what the vine didn’t give.
What I mean is that some winemakers try to make up for a wine’s lack of body or volume through prolonged aging. I’m not saying this doesn’t work, only that it has its limits. A weak, washed-out wine with no character or structure will stay that way no matter how long it spends in barrel or how good the barrel is. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig…
In my view, then, when making a wine it is important first to determine whether its natural structure can really stand up to the complex flavors and aromas a barrel contributes. If it can, the right type of barrel for that wine’s structure should be chosen, and an estimate should also be made of how long the wine will be aged.
All of this is aimed at giving the wine the right aging cycle, one that complements and enriches it. Barrel aging should be a process through which a wine matures and grows, not a crutch.
In the next post, we’ll look a little more at the methods and strategies currently used to give wine oak aromas.