Page 196 - NEWNORMAL_ANIMATED

NEW NORMAL

It may be that because most Burgundian cel- in flavour and structure by the barrel in which
lars are underground, the barrels work better it is fermented and/or aged. But a barrel that
if they are slightly rounder and therefore roll begins its life with white wine in it always will
more easily and are shorter to fit better through be used for white wine, and the same for red
inside doorways. Or it may be that white wines wine barrels. Never the two shall mix!
fermented in Burgundian barrels have more You will have to hand split the logs into hal-
sediment collect in them from the lees (ex- ves, then quarters, then eighths, and finally
pended yeast cells) and that the bigger bulge into the exact stave size. You could get twice
in the barrel concentrates the sediments more as many useable staves if you were to saw the
effectively. But type of wood and method of logs, but this tends to raise the tannin and as-
making are the same for both pièce and ba- tringency of the oak to an unacceptably high
rrique. level.
At Simi, Burgundian or Bordeaux-shaped You can take a break now, because you‘ll
barrels will be used at our Winemaker’s dis- need to allow the hand-cut rough staves to dry
cretion for Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, for three to five years in the open air. Open-
or Sauvignon Blanc. His/her choice is based -air drying (as compared to the more rapid
on the particular style characteristics each co- kiln drying) decreases the possibility of barrel
operage imparts to its barrels. For instance, if leakage, and leaches more tannins from the
a certain lot of grapes has good ripe fruit cha- wood, resulting in a softer, finer finished wine.
racter but not much spiciness, he might use Although the wood must dry, it will be rotated
a François Frères barrel (pièce) to add that di- on the stack of rough staves and periodically
mension. For wine that lacks length of finish, sprinkled with water so that the final level of
he may use a Taransaud (barrique), and for humidity in the wood is about 15 per cent.
wine that needs more weight on the palate Now you have good air-dried rough staves.
to be well balanced, he might choose a Damy Now that you have good, air-dried rou-
barrel (pièce). Each lot of wine, be it red or whi- gh staves, you can begin to form the finely
te, will be enhanced in balance and enriched finished staves. You’ll cut them to a precise

Juan Alcorta Bodega Campo Viejo,
Rioja, Logroño, Spain

196