What kind of wood is the right kind of wood?

French? American? Old? New? Does it matter?

And if you like French oak does it matter what kind of French oak? These are just some of the questions winemaker Mark Foster has to ponder as he nurtures the wine from grape to bottle.

The wines are now all safely tucked into barrel. The oak has a chance to exert its subtle influence on the wine. The next step in the process will be blending but for right now, the wine, like a day at the spa, is soaking up the luxury of the moment.

Mark says that experimenting with different types barrels is just as important as experimenting with grapes from different vineyards. He describes it as a continuing process of learning which flavors different types of oak have to offer and which wines they fit with best.

French oak adds a subtle, vanillin character while American oak adds a bold,  dynamic, spicy character.

But within the world of oaks there are variations. Some are tight grained, some less so. The tighter the grain the slower the oak flavor is passed on to the wine, the looser the grain, the more quickly the oak is absorbed.

Then there is a matter of toast. All barrels are toasted in the process of making the barrrel. The more the staves are singed, the toastier the flavor that the barrel has to offer. Barrels are available in light, medium or heavy toast.

Mark has been working on the creation of two wines specially made for our Bottle your Own Bottle party during our annual Open House. Here are two barrels of the Cabernet Franc that will only exist for that event.

Does it matter what kind of oak Mark selects? Recently he did an experiment with the same wine aged in six different types of barrels. The differences were so big that you would never have thought they could be the same wine.

Generally Mark prefers American oak for Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo and Syrah.

He typically uses French oak for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

But as he says, its an ongoing process matching the right barrel to the right grape for the right fit for the best wine.