In The Winery Part 3: Barrel Fermentation

Sometimes we so easily take barrel ageing of wine for granted that we forget how controversial it can be, and how much the function of the barrel has changed over the years. We forget, for example, that barrels were originally used to store and ship everything, literally from soup to nuts, until the development of metal containers eliminated the need for expensive cooperage.

While we often consider the addition of flavor, aromatic and textural components to be the barrel's primary contribution to wine, that overlooks the revolutionary aspects of its functional design. Its bulging cylindrical shape allowed it to be rolled and spun, and its strength allowed it to withstand rough handling and extended transport conditions and to be stacked either horizontally or vertically. These were enormous advantages over the clay amphorae and other vessels that were used prior to the time that the Iron Age Celts began wide use of the barrel. And, as vintners soon found out, the barrel's bulge meant that wines could be more easily and effectively clarified, since with the barrel in horizontal position, sediment could be collected in the bulge and the wine could be easily racked off the sediment.

But, when we walk into a cellar full of barriques, it is easy to forget all this; we leave the world of mechanics and enter the world of chemistry. The interplay of anthocyans, tannin, phenolics, lactones and oxygen is uniquely transformative, producing rich hues, suppleness and complexity where there was once murky, astringent, simple wine. As with most important discoveries, the effect of oak ageing on wine was unexpected, as merchants began noticing more rapid and profound changes in wine shipped in wood as opposed to clay or other materials.

Ageing itself became a powerful and influential aspect of the wine trade, as merchants with the wherewithal to maintain large stocks of aged wine could always command a premium price. This in turn helped define stylistic standards of winemaking that are still in force today. The model of Bordeaux, ageing new wines for up to two years in oak barrels, is still the norm, in both the old and new worlds.

The concept of barrel fermentation of white wines, chiefly Chardonnay, traditional to the Cote d'Or, was the next natural step as winemakers concluded that fermentation on the lees in a barrel could better integrate the flavors of the barrel while protecting the fermenting wine from oxygen. This technique is now widely used by winemakers throughout the world in regions where Chardonnay is grown.

The difference now, of course, is that for many wineries, flying the banner of More Is Better, the use of 100% new oak has become commonplace. The trend towards excessive extraction of flavor, either from prolonged skin contact or ageing exclusively in new barrels, is a highly controversial topic of conversation among winemakers; suffice to say, as you will see in the above video, that our winemaker Mark Lyon falls squarely in the camp of classic winemaking.

Artistry is at the core of every aspect of cooperage, from the making to the using, and as Mark points out, the close, historic links between coopers and winemakers is one of the great joys of our business.