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BARRELS

develops any problem that could impair the OAK - CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND
quality of the wine. ITS EFFECT ON FLAVOUR
But nothing lasts forever, not even a well- Many of the best wines are fermented and/
-made barrel. At Simi, we use white wine or aged in oak barrels. The barrels can be large
barrels for six or seven years and red wine or small, old or new, or a combination of these
barrels for five years. After that time, the oak factors. The smaller the barrel, the newer the
has little or no beneficial flavour components barrel, and the more time spent in the barrel,
left to impart to the wine, and the barrel be- the more oak flavours will be imparted into
comes essentially a neutral container. But it is the wine. The source of the wood is also very
still a sound container for wine, and we usual- important. Barrels are made by cutting wood
ly sell it to some other winery who wishes to into long, narrow pieces called staves. After
use it for storage purposes. The final phase in seasoning, the staves must be heated so they
your barrel’s life is when your barrel is cut in can be bent to form the barrel. Steaming is the
half and sold for flower planters, at about ten cheap method. The best method is to expose
dollars per planter. them to a flame. The longer the flame expo-
But although your barrel is no more, the sure, the more toasted or charred the wood
wine that was aged in it is still being enjoyed, becomes. This greatly affects the flavours
and the connoisseur taster is exclaiming about imparted to the wine. The following informa-
its rich notes of toast, vanilla, almond, caramel, tion is from World Cooperage (www.worldco-
and clove. These are all nuances of complexity operage.com), makers of oak barrels.
added to the wine from the barrel you made Wine making has enough mysteries.
so many years before. That’s why we’ve taken great steps to

Marqués de Vargas, Rioja Alta, Logroño, Spain

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