Oak

[summa]

Joeyz, So far as the word Reserve, as it is used in the U.S. it can mean almost anything, and therefore means nothing, especially for less expensive wines. There are no laws defining it's use so far as U.S. wines are concerned.

So far as Oak is concerned, of course wines have been stored in oak barrels for many centuries. As WW has stated, when used properly, in storing a very good, concentrated wine, it adds another dimension to it, which can make it even more complex and sublime.

However, especially in California, many winemakers have come to realize oak is sometimes a cheaper and easier way to impart flavor to their wines, that somehow more flavorful wine is better wine, regardless of it's balance or what that flavor is. So, rather than growing less grapes per acre, to concentrate their juice, they take over-produced insipid watered down juice and inflict oak on it, in the hope that oak flavor is better than no flavor. They feel somehow the quality of the wine is always increased by oak, regardless of how concentrated the juice is. So much wine, especially lower end wines, but also higher end wines that are not a good as they should be, are "overly oaked". Also, in many less expensive wines, American Oak is used, as opposed to French Oak, because it is less expensive. American oak is much stronger and sharper than the French, and so imparts even more of a wood flavour the the wine itself cannot stand up to.

I find the best place to find information on how a winery uses oak is the internet, or the merchant at your local wine store. On the internet now, many wineries have their own web sites, often with very technical information on how long the wine was stored in oak, and even what barrels were used. A good place to start for California wines is www.cawinemall.com.


[This message has been edited by summa (edited 09-04-2001).]