BODEGAS ELVARA

INFORMATION, NOTES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE WINE LOVER

American Oak barricas in quiet repose

Ageing wine in oak barrels

Oak gives the wine flavours, tannin and vanillins. The newer the oak casks, the more impact these elements will have. Wines aged in new oak barrels are likely to cost far more than those treated in older varieties. Wines kept in stainless-steel vats will taste simpler and retain more fruit flavour compared to those stored in oak barrels (usually 225 litre casks), where the flavours of fruit mixed with oak are more complex and varied.

There are clearly many effects the winemaker can impart to the wine through the length of ageing, the size of barrels used, the age of the barrels, the type of oak (usually French or American), frequency of racking (moving the wine from one cask to another) – very typical of Rioja wines.

French and American oak – the differences

French oak produces a more subtle taste, due to having smaller pores than American oak. The latter therefore results in faster absorption of the oak and vanilla flavours. Such effects are very general however and much depends on the way the oak is treated, its age, the type of grape and under which climatic conditions it is grown.

Ageing Regulations in Spain

Denominación de Origen credited wines have minimum standards for ageing depending on each region. These regulations are designed to ensure wines are sufficiently mature on release, ready for immediate drinking, although many wines will continue to improve with further bottle ageing.

A Vino Joven has usually seen no oak and is ready for immediate drinking, normally being sold in the spring of the year following harvesting. Crianza red wines, which simply means aged wines, must have minimum two calendar years in storage before they can be sold, including a minimum 6 months in oak (12 months in Rioja and Ribera del Duero). A Reserva red wine is required to spend a minimum three calendar years in the bodega before release, including a minimum 12 months in oak.

The unofficial designation Roble or Barrica will be found on certain wines which means they have been aged for a certain period in oak but with no restriction placed on when they can be released following bottling.

The Denomination System

Denominación de Origen or D.O. labelled wine is the classic quality wine of Spain, subject to each region’s own regulating Council (Consejo Regulador) who sets rules and polices on every aspect of growing, winemaking and marketing of wines.

Denominación de Origen Calificada or D.O.Ca. is a higher category granted to a region’s wines where the highest quality has been consistently maintained. For many years Rioja was the only region credited with D.O.Ca. status since this ranking was inaugurated in 1988; now the Priorato region has just received the title.

Vino de la Terra (VdlT), equivalent to the French Vin de Pays, is a category given to wines from an officially demarcated region that may eventually attain D.O. status.

Vino de Mesa (VdM) is made from grapes grown in unclassified vineyards, or from wines originating from different regions and blended together.

Decanting

Young vintage wines tend to need plenty of breathing time, so decanting would speed up the process. Older wines, indeed some very old wines could lose their bouquet if suddenly exposed to too much air. This is a very subjective issue and depends very much on trial and error regarding the mixture of the wine with a particular amount of air.

A more obvious benefit is that decanting helps the presentation of a wine that contains sediment, as these particles would remain in the bottle after careful decanting. The adverse effect of the oxidation level must be considered however.

Opening a bottle to air the wine prior to drinking  is unlikely to have any effect due to the surface of exposed wine is as narrow as the bottleneck.

Wine tasting

Assuming a wine tasting is purely for social pleasure and interest, we can recommend a few tips regarding procedure and execution:

• The best time of day for a tasting is when the palate is fresh such as before lunch or early evening.
• The number of wines tasted can effectively range between 8 and 12.
• Allow around 10 servings from each bottle.
• White wines should be tasted before red wines.
• Use a white tablecloth to provide a suitable background for the clarity and colour of a wine to be judged.
• Horizontal tastings compare wines from different regions, but of the same vintage; Vertical tastings compare different vintages of wines from the same region. One can of course combine the two or just make up an assortment of interesting wines and taste away. Normally younger wines are tasted before their older, more mature brethren.
• Always prepare a well laid out tasting sheet with room for notes.
• Keep food to a minimum; serve dry biscuits, unsalted crackers and still water.
• 'Blind' versus 'Open' tasting: People's taste perceptions can be influenced by label design and bottle presentation. For a purely objective exercise, taste blind.

Sediment

Deposits of white crystals in white wine and darker particles in red wine are a good thing and a sign that the wine has not been subjected to excessive treatment, thus possibly retaining more flavour. So called 'low intervention' winemaking is claimed by some to result in enhanced flavour retention.

Alcohol levels

There is no connection between alcoholic strength of a wine and quality. Full bodied wines tend to be in the 13º by volume category with light wines containing around 11º. Weight is mainly assessed through taste with high alcohol wines tasting heavier and more intense leaving a hot, alcoholic sensation. High alcohol wines will leave streams or so called tears down the inside of the glass once the liquid has been swirled around.

The Restaurant Wine List

The more adventurous wine drinker should always endeavour to choose new, unknown wines he doesn’t recognise on the restaurant wine list. This way he will constantly enhance his wine knowledge and tasting experiences. Suggestions from the wine waiter are often well worth following.

Copyright © Bodegas Elvara, S.L. Sant Cugat del Vallès, 2003. All rights reserved.