Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/51841
WINERY ies? Nothing in the short term, if they're happy with the barrels they get from their cooperage partners. But coopers who buy their wood from other suppliers, and don't have direct-from-forest sourcing, might be dealing with lower-quality wood in the future. As an example of why, Heinemann noted that Demptos formerly obtained about 10% more French oak stave wood than it required for its own produc- tion – in order to sell it on. But he added that those days seem to be over. Consequently, wineries that prize consistency in their barrel programs need to talk to coopers about the continuity of their oak supply chain. GETTING GRANULAR Of all the factors determining house style, the one whose pliabil- ity of meaning may be the great- est surprise is grain. Winemakers could easily assume that "tight" or "medium" at one cooperage means the same thing at other bar- rel producers. We are, after all, talk- ing about the same wood. But once again, house rules drive the specifi- cations. "At Radoux, extra-tight means that the growth rings measure less than a millimeter and a half," said McCarthy. "Though, in reality, we see rings at just 1 millimeter. Tight is designated as grain measuring less than 2 millimeters, and medi- um won't be any greater than 3-1/2 millimeters." inch. Very tight is 18 to 21 grains per inch. (The metric equivalent is about 1.4 to 1.2 mm per grain.) Tight is 16 to 17. The medium des- ignations are around 10 to 12 and 12 to 14. The widest is 5 to 8 grains per inch (5 to 3 mm)." Consequently, buying the tight- est-grained barrels from different coopers will likely give a winery the same structure. But "medium" at one may be substantively differ- ent than "medium" at another. This matters because grain tightness plays a direct role in tannin levels and extraction rates for the wine. As rules of thumb, tighter-grained oak offers lower tannin levels and slower extractions. Conversely, medium-grain wood contains more tannin and extracts faster. Martin McCarthy of Radoux USA points out that there are few industry- wide standards for the terms used to describe grain tightness and toast lev- els. Photo: Gary Werner "Seguin Moreau has five dif- ferent grades," said François Peltereau-Villeneuve, president at Seguin Moreau Napa. "They are extra-tight, tight, fine, semi-fine and medium. Their specifications range from 1 millimeter to 5." "At Demptos, we refer to very tight grain, tight grain, medium- tight, medium, medium-wide and wide," said Heinemann. "In the United States, we characterize them by grains or growth rings per FLAMES OF DIVERSITY Most cooperages point to toast- ing as the most important factor shaping house style, or perhaps the second-most important, after sea- soning. As with grain, winemakers might assume the industry's unifor- mity of basic terminology denotes conformity of meaning. But "medi- um" and "heavy" are in-house defi- nitions at any cooperage. Handcrafted & Authentic Contact: Yannick Rousseau Tel: (707) 332 4524 • Fax: (707) 224 8734 Email: yannickrousseau@sbcglobal.net Website: www.tonnellerie-de-jarnac-16.com 40 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT JAN - FEB 2012 Toasting practices have the most influ- ence on a cooperage's house style. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM