Say it ain't so, Joe

It looks like the axe is falling, literally:

Cracks begin to show in American oak

"Oeneo, whose two core businesses are in closures and barrels, has sold its US oak stave mill in Bloomfield, Iowa for €0.9million. The company disclosed that the plant operated at a loss of €0.7million in 2004 and at €0.9million in 2003."

So what, right? Aside from a few (hundred?) people losing their jobs, this is possibly further evidence of 'the trend' that myself and others have yammered on about in the past. The rise of wines that are either 'un-oaked' or wines where the oak takes a back seat (read 'supporting role') to the qualities of the grape/s. At the risk of waxing eloquent on the virtues of oak, this is pretty interesting. Most people recognize oak (or the effects of it on the wine in their glass), but very few can really identify and point out the individual characteristics that the various types of oak possess. The role of oak and from whence it came will make your head explode if you think about it too much, but it is one of myraid variables that makes wine so interesting to me.

"Serpette told BeverageDaily.com that the operating losses of the factory reflect, at least in part, a shift in trend. “American oak has been declining over the last two years. The stronger, I could say, ‘more woody’, taste given by American oak is no longer popular, and is therefore losing favour with the winemaker.”

I, for one, am not going to lose a wink of sleep over this. I have had my fill of American Oak, at least where it pertains to wine. Start monkeying around with Bourbon, and we're going to have some problems.

Serpette explained that “American oak is stronger and faster - French oak takes more time to impregnate the wine.” The American variety has much higher levels of flavourants - especially lactones that give wine a ‘woody’ flavour. Analysis carried out at Stellenbosch University in South Africa ascertained that the levels of lactones are between 1 to 77mg per gram in French wood but as high as 158 mg per gram in American. Vanillins are also more prominent in American oak (11 vs 6 mg).

At the risk of taking this entry to the 'blue' end of the spectrum, the opening statement nails it. And not only about oak, but about the overall wines that emerge. To explain, 5-6 months ago, I was reading an article. I believe it was in Decanter but may have been somewhere else. The gist of it was that the author had taken 12 wines from France to California, and vice-versa. The author sat with the winemaker and tasted through the wines. A sort of 'straight-from-the-horse's-mouth' tasting, with all parties involved supposedly as candid as they cared to be. While tasting the California wines with one winemaker, I believe he was Burgundian, he said

(I paraphrase): 'There is nothing wrong with these wines. They are sound and will age fine. But, drinking these wines is like going on a date with a beautiful woman and she arrives with no clothes on...You know how the night is going to end. There is no dinner, or dancing, or opera...Just straight to the fun."

I don't know if I have ever heard a better analogy than this one, and I wish that I could take credit for making it up. Go read the first line about impregnation again.

"The strong flavours of American Oak can complement some wines, in particular rich reds such as Australian Shiraz and Spanish Rioja. But, according to Serpette, popularity of the ‘woody’ taste is waning when it comes to other wine styles."

For all the things that I have said about American Oak, I do enjoy its presence in Spanish wines. Of course, the wines are generally aged in a mix of American and French so the two sort of keep each other in check. I trust that while this one cooperage is closing (actually, it's only a stave mill, I'm sure the construction of the barrels is 'outsourced'), there will still be availability for those who want American Oak. Again, you can't make Bourbon without it.