Comments on: One easy step to a “greener” wine experience…

by: brooklyni

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:58:00 +0000

Tom. Great post. Thanks for bringing this issue up. I try to think about the environmental impact of everything I do, and I drink a lot of wine. I also thank you for mentioning the “greeness” of corks. Corks are in fact, the greenest way to plug a bottle of wine. As you pointed out, the trees are not destroyed. Also, the need for all these trees has had a pleasant side effect. The cork forests in Portugal, having been left alone to grow cork, are some of the most ecologically diverse places in Western Europe. The Audobon Society did a great article on this in last month’s issue and I encourage everyone to look it up. Many species (birds, elk and even the Iberian lynx) actually have a place to live because of these cork forests. If the demand for cork is lowered by the rising demand for synthetic corks, that relatively untouched land could be in jeapardy. Anyways, thanks for brining this important issue up.

by: David

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 08:25:57 +0000

Thanks Tom, it’s something I haven’t thought about before.
I think that there’s an important point to be made about renewal of forests. I don’t know to what extent this is done, or to what extent the current stock of oak forest is being depleted by modern maturing trends - presumably replanting is important from a survival point of view for the industry. If forests are replanted after harvesting for barrels/chips/staves, then there is some clawback on the environmental damage. This is similar to the idea of wood-burning stoves being more carbon neutral than other forms of heating.
Then you’re left with the problems created by the manufacture of barrels, which is equally applicable to almost every aspect of wine production.
But oaking is definitely something to bear in mind for the environmentally concerned.

by: TagWorld Brian

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:16:02 +0000

Thanks. An interesting, informative topic as always.

by: Tom C

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:22:55 +0000

TWB-

Wood chipping is undoubtedly a lesser way to “oak” a wine (which in my opinion is a questionable action to begin with - if barrels impart a certain flavor to a wine, so be it, but the first (but not the only) reason for barrels is to STORE wine, so the choice to wood-chip is the choice to FLAVOR wine, no different than making Key Lime Sauvignon or Very Berry Bordeaux. No top wine maker would ever use wood chips (or least never admit to it)…it is both in perception AND reality a cheap short-cut

Yes, people who only age their wines in new barriques do indeed sell off their used barrels to other winemakers, bourbon, whiskey producers as well, but they’re still having to buy new barrels every year anyway.

TOM CIOCCO

by: TagWorld Brian

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:40:59 +0000

Tom, my point about wood chips is that it seems a few wood chips flavors the wine like an entire wood barrel, but using a much smaller amount of wood. I don’t know how the taste actually compares, to someone who knows the difference - but I’ll bet some wineries agree but still resist abandoning wooden barrels for fear of offending purist consumers and critics, or possibly violating some arcane winemaking law/reg. Is this so?

Another question: even if a winery won’t use a barrel twice, can they recycle it by selling to another winery, or selling for use in storing liquors like whiskey, cognac, etc.? Does this only account for a small percentage of such barrels?

by: Tom C

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:38:02 +0000

Fiorentina-

The difference between oaks used for barrel making and cork oaks is that the cork from cork oaks is harvested like fruit (not nearly as frequently though - I think a cork oak can be stripped once every 7 years or so) in that it doesn’t kill the tree. This is clearly impossible with wood sawn for barrels.

Though it has barely elicited even a glance from most producers and consumers, the glass cork (see my earlier piece on enclosures) is 100% recyclable, but glass manufacture requires lots energy, so I’m not sure that cork doesn’t STILL come out on top for “greeness”.

TOM CIOCCO

by: Tom C

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:28:46 +0000

Alco-

Point taken, but with regard to Rioja and Bordeaux, it’s not only the effect of new wood on the wine but as much the length of time that these wines are left in barrel…though many CONTEMPORARY Rioja and Bordeaux producers re-new their barrels evey vintage, this is a modern trend.

TOM CIOCCO

by: Fiorentina!

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:12:01 +0000

Hey Tom-
Nice article. I was wondering…what you stance was on cork production? I can’t help, but wonder if your argument for new barriques could be used for corks. Yet, your argument for stainless steel might be meaningless in an argument for screw caps and/or boxed wines because they cannot be re-used (even though they can be recycled). I guess what I’m asking is what is the ‘greenest’ form of wine storage? Which form do you prefer?

by: Alco Holland

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:01:10 +0000

If we abandon oak entirely what would this do to traditional wines whose very nature is to have a stronger oak component, eg Rioja or Bordeaux?
While I know these are not to your taste many enjoy them for what they are. I think being “green” can be taken too far. What’s next suggesting we require vineyards to use residential labor to harvest grapes because the carbon footprint of illegal immigrints are too large?

by: Tom C

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:16:26 +0000

TWB-

In my eyes, wood chipping would only exacerbate the problem - it woulds likely mean more amateurishly oaked wines, the availability and lower cost of chips would likely cause more producers to use them, which would then in turn lead to cutting down even MORE oaks (or clearing natual lands to plant artificial “oak farms” to keep up with demand)

…or do I misunderstand you?

TOM CIOCCO