On Oak...

(pic of oak barrels from B.R. Cohn Winery)

I still consider myself quite new to wine. I struggle every time I taste a new glass, dissecting the layers, detecting the subtle scents, coaxing the colors out...

But one of my favorite things about wine, I've discovered, is oak. Some, but not all wines, are oaked. This means that it spends at least some time in an oak barrel. Traditionally this is a French or American Oak. Interestingly, Central Minnesota is home to some of the finest American Oak barrels.

Now - the process of properly oaking a wine is extremely complex. Not only does the amount of time that a wine spends in oak vary greatly, so do the methods. For the most part, wine is exposed to oak in an oak barrel. How else would it be, you might ask? Well, some less scrupulous wine makers will add oak chips to a steel barrel.

Don't worry, I won't name names ;-) But isn't that like adding a few mesquite chips to Match Light charcoal?

Speaking of charcoal, another aspect of barrel aging is that most barrels are "toasted", or slightly burned in the manufacturing process. Some are purposely charred on the inside, imparting all sorts of wonderful aromas, colors and flavors (in fact, charring is the only reason that a fine Scotch has any color at all).

The balance of air, oak and time yields the most amazing results. In a white wine, oak can sometimes be sharp or nutty but in a red it is a vital aspect of the experience, adding layers of spice and vanilla.

Oak is usually one of the first layers that I can pick up when tasting, and it is something I both enjoy identifying and actively search out when rolling the first drops across my tongue.