Comments on: Has the economic slowdown killed the oak monster?

By: Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines

Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:38:46 +0000

[...] Has the economic slowdown killed the oak monster? [...]

By: gabe

gabe — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:20:16 +0000

Here in the Willamette Valley, there are still wineries that will sell off their barrels after two uses. Without naming names, those are the wineries that sell wine for $50 a bottle, use all the fancy equipment, and aren’t worried about money.

Slightly off topic – there is a company out here called “Rewine Barrels” that takes old barrels and re-toasts them like new, for about a quarter of the price of new french oak. It’s also the only barrel cleaning method that is proven to kill brett. Really interesting stuff

By: Terroirist: A Daily Wine Blog » Daily Wine News: Vinous Oz

Terroirist: A Daily Wine Blog » Daily Wine News: Vinous Oz — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:00:36 +0000

[...] across the world are cutting back on the use of new oak. According to Dr. Vino, the motivation is [...]

By: Chuck Antonio

Chuck Antonio — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:47:16 +0000

I attended a “Zinfandel Summit” at Justin Winery (Paso Robles) last spring and while there sat in on a panel discussion consisting of winemakers from five or six wineries (all from a group called the Far Out Wineries since they are on the far west side of the Paso Robles area). The topic was the use of oak. One winemaker stated he tried never to use oak and another stated he usually used it to some degree. All discussed the use of oak to enhance the varietals that did well in the area (Rhone and Spanish varietals mostly), talking about how oak can be used to accentuate certain characteristics. None talked about using it to meet a certain public expectation or to meet a perceived public demand. It was interesting to hear the different perspectives of how to use (or not use) oak in the winemaking process, without worrying too much about the dollar.

By: Riki Schmigel

Riki Schmigel — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:25:23 +0000

New Oak seemed to be the preference for Rhone varietals in Paso on my recent trip.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:44:53 +0000

Cyril – Thanks for that information from your upcoming issue! Interesting that it is ticking higher y-o-y. How does your survey compare to 2007 or 2008?

By: CSMiller

CSMiller — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:47:00 +0000

More measured use of Oak is a great trend, Burgundy has always used some oak but always in a more measured manner than say California or Australia. Dependence on oak will continue to diminish as wine consumers continue to explore and learn. The easiest nuance to notice in wine is the oak and for less experienced wine consumers this nuance can be a false indicator of quality.

Another false indicator of quality is the heavy bottle which is a trend that always pissed me off as a sommelier and wine director. Trying pouring some of those beasts to a party of 20 or more and then think about how they effect the storage in a tight urban restaurant cellar. The reason for big bottles???? Purely marketing, what a waste of energy and money that could and should be spent on a better product in the bottle.

By: Felipe Méndez

Felipe Méndez — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:58:58 +0000

If you do good not knowing why, you won’t do it for long

By: Alex Anthopoulos

Alex Anthopoulos — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:35:05 +0000

I have a feeling that less expensive types of oak barrels and the use of oak chips have replaced expensive high quality French barriques. I get a headache just thinking about it …

By: Bill Haydon

Bill Haydon — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:07:19 +0000

I think the day of the oak-bomb wine is taking a well deserved dirt (terroir?) nap. In the Chicago market, you can’t give expensive Napa Cabs and Chards away, and the trend is only gaining steam.

The rule of thumb among individual consumers is that once they transitioned against Napa’s hedonistic fruitbombs towards classically styled old world wines (not disputing that plenty of old world producers jumped on the RMP bandwagon) they rarely came back. What will be most interesting to see is that, as entire metropolitan markets, largely transition away from California wine at the high end, if there will be any resurgence or comeback possible.

In my honest opinion, not unless California can drastically change their stylistic reputation across the board.

By: Aaron Meeker

Aaron Meeker — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:38:16 +0000

Not sure the concept of less oak = more “terroir” is real. Oak adds complexity and depth and when used correctly can enhance terroir. More new oak is certainly a detriment at times, but no more than more alcohol, more pH, more sugar, more VA, etc.

Overall I find that most sommeliers and wine buyers are preferring more lightly Oaked wines. That said there are still plenty of incredible wines with a judicious oak treatment.

By: gdfo

gdfo — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:53:09 +0000

Before the economic slowdown/slump/depression
there was already a trend for wines with less oak. Many consumers were already looking for wines that were not masked with oak or oak-chipped. That stated, along with that many people are eating lighter and want wines to match. Add to this mix the cost of Oak itself and a reasonable person can see that less oak is good if it becomes too expensive or too offensive.

By: Weston

Weston — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:33:41 +0000

As long as they reverse the trend of nakked Chardonnay, its so boring without a touch of oak / malo

By: Kristy Kelley

Kristy Kelley — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:22:59 +0000

Personally, I’m okay with less oak and more of the taste of the grape and the terroir. And hopefully this means lower costs (or at least not rising costs) to the end users. Cheers!

– Kristy @ Wine Logic

By: Frank Haddad

Frank Haddad — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:59:47 +0000

The producers in British Columbia have dialed their oak use way back. Less new oak and for shorter time periods. Much for the better.