Wood and wine 11-6-2024

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Wine is an agricultural product. Hardly an earth-shattering revelation. But consider its scope. Not just wine vines, as essential as they may be, but in many cases—trees.

Wine and wood have a marriage dating back millions of years. Wine vines are tree climbers, a relationship accelerated after the astroid-Armageddon when 75% of all plant and animals species became extinct. Trees and grapevines survived and flourished in the aftermath.

Fast forward to recent times and the intimate nexus of wood and grape juice becomes more significant. Not only do/did trees provide grape vines a trellis upon which to climb to sunlight, they provide flavors and nuances for finishing wine.

Time scales underscore the magnificence of wine creation. Vines must grow for three years before they deliver anything useable as wine fruit, and 20 or 30 or 100 years for the best. Forests are even more long term. Better quality oak in France and America are at least 200 years old, best longer than that—top French oak comes from 400-year-old trees. Think of that. Wood that enhances and finishes the quality wine you drink today began when the American Revolution began. George Washington could have seen the sapling that grew to make the barrel used in making the red wine in your glass tonight.

Just as there are grapes of varying quality and characteristics, so with oak trees. Wood factories divide raw product according to quality. Oak designated for wine barrels cannot have flaws, so only around 20% is used for wine barrels. The remaining wood goes for furniture, home construction, and other products.

After seasoning for several years, wood destined for wine barrels is sawed into staves. Staves are evaluated for grain and flavor. Smell is important here as staves of different flavors and smell are used depending on what characteristics the winemaker intends. Then staves age two or more years before they go into the cooperage to be fashioned into barrels.

Just as winemakers blend grapes from different plots and different grape varieties, so do barrel makers blend different types of oak, different types of wood grains, and other variables. The variable of grain ranges from extra fine grain to big grain. The tighter the grain, the lesser the micro-oxygenation, which is the interaction between the juice inside the barrel and the atmosphere outside the barrel. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on what sort of wine the maker wishes to make.

Once staves are cut, they go to the cooperage. Another complex story.

Last round

A fool and his money are soon parted, especially in a wine bar.

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