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Feature Article
TO OAK OR NOT TO OAK: A backlash to the overoaked California wines of the recent past has resulted in "unoaked" being heralded on labels. But wait a minute: oak is not the problem. So...
Like vineyard terroir, oak terroir can be a wonderful thing.
The oak's on us.
by
Alan Goldfarb
September 23, 2008
We’re such a reactionary society. When a notion in this country reaches critical mass (thought to be about 20 percent of the population), we:
1. Cease and desist;
2. Do it until it bleeds, disgusts, or we grow wearisome;
3. Fine-tune it until it becomes acceptable, once again.
When it comes to wine, we’re in the throes of redefining our feelings about oak. Do we really overuse it? Does it mask the true flavors of the grape and ameliorate terroir? Or do we sink it altogether and make “un-oaked” seem like the best idea since - well, since we began marketing wines to keep enabling Americans’ love of all things sweet? (“No, don’t take my buttery Chardonnay away!”)
1. Cease and desist;
2. Do it until it bleeds, disgusts, or we grow wearisome;
3. Fine-tune it until it becomes acceptable, once again.
When it comes to wine, we’re in the throes of redefining our feelings about oak. Do we really overuse it? Does it mask the true flavors of the grape and ameliorate terroir? Or do we sink it altogether and make “un-oaked” seem like the best idea since - well, since we began marketing wines to keep enabling Americans’ love of all things sweet? (“No, don’t take my buttery Chardonnay away!”)
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