NJ Wine Potpourri #3-Oaked vs Unoaked

One of my favorite cartoons in the New Yorker pictures a customer doing a wine tasting, who states, “I’m getting a hint of grapes.” Today I want to discuss how oak contributes to the taste of your wine, whether you’re drinking New Jersey wine or wine from anywhere in the world. How do oaked wines compare with those produced with stainless steel fermenters? This came up recently when a couple of friends asked me about how oak makes a wine different from an unoaked wine. I really think this is an important fundamental concept about wines, no matter what your preference. Personally, when well made, I love them both. The photo above pictures three Chardonnays from Auburn Road Vineyards. One is unoaked and two are oaked. The Barrel Reserve Chardonnay just has a little more oak influence. What is oak influence you ask?

Oak

The extent and way that oak contributes to the taste of wine depends upon numerous factors. Among them…

• Type of Oak– American and French oak are the most commonly used. American oak is generally the cheapest and contributes a stronger impact on aroma and taste than French oak.
• Age of oak-new oak contributes more to taste and other qualities than older (more “neutral) oak.
• Length of time in oak-The more time, the greater the impact on taste and other qualities.
• Oaking all or only some of the wine (and fermenting the rest in stainless steel-more on that below)

How Oak Can Contribute to Wine Taste

Here are just a few of the more common tastes attributed to the oak:

• Vanilla
• Coconut
• Caramel
• Cocoa
• Smoke
• Hazelnut
• Toasted wood

In addition to the contribution to aroma and taste, oak can also contribute to the body of the wine and helps smooth the tannins in wine because the wood barrels allow the wine to “breathe.” This is more of an issue with red wines that tend to have more tannins (with more exposure to the skins).

Using oak barrels used for storing spirits like Bourbon can add a couple of other notes to the aroma and taste in wine. Like this great bottle from Autumn Lake: Squankum, It is made with Chambourcin that is fermented in Bourbon barrels. While you may be able to ascertain a hint of Bourbon on the nose or the palate, it is definitely not over-the-top. Yet it also adds to the caramel and vanilla notes. Bottom line: this is a wonderful, full-bodied red wine. For you local history buffs, Squankum is the name that the Native Americans who settled in the Willamstown area gave to this area.

Stainless Steel (Unoaked) Fermentation

So, now that I have shared just a few things about what can you expect when choosing an oaked wine, what about unoaked wine?  Unoaked wine is most often fermented in stainless steel, though the oldest source was amphora. It is still utilized in a few places today. Blue Cork Winery in Williamstown uses oak, stainless steel, and even amphora for a couple of their wines. Cape May Winery also uses oak and stainless steel and for a few wines they use concrete cylinders, similar to the amphora fermenters (their Stone Series). But I want to focus on the more common stainless steel unoaked wines.

Here are a few of the qualities attributed to tastes and qualities of wines fermented in stainless steel:

• Retains the freshness and fruity quality of the grapes.
• “Purists” enjoy the natural tastes without any external influencers.
• Apple, pear, and citrus are common flavors.
• Unoaked wines tend to be lighter-bodied and crisper than their oaked counterparts.

White wines tend to be more commonly fermented in stainless steel than red wines. Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are two of the most common wines done “naked.” However, many others that are more commonly done in oak, can be beautifully done in stainless steel. A great example of this is the Unionville Vineyards Cab Franc, which they call “Silver Lining Cabernet Franc.”

Coming Attractions

• Rootstock ’25 at Hawk Haven Vineyards
• Grill Night ’25 at Cape May Winery
• Plagido’s Winery Summer ’25
• White Horse Winery Summer ’25

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