> ago.

“Last | : ‘year:
Michelle Wines moved from
; Victoria to the new winery in
“Surrey, it took along what
must be the oldest and most-
“travelled ‘oak’ ‘vessels. in the
Province. “a

, Called ovals. ‘because of
; ‘their. ‘shape; these containers

ranging in size from 900 to :

.1,700 gallons — were made
‘in. ‘France about 110 years
‘They were sold to
Christian Brothers, the well-
known California winery,
and were used there until
Prohibition began in the
United States in 1919.

_ Growers’ Wine Company,
one of the predecessors to

’ Ste. Michelle, was started in .

1923. The young winery

en ‘Stes: a

‘how t to use > ak. Few. white
wines receive appreciable

oak ‘aging (the exception
being some

flavours can overwhelm the

wood.

‘It is another story with the

big character reds, for here:

the oak flavour adds

shrewdly - went bargain-- -

hunting .in California’. and .
came. back with 80 ovals. .

Over : the years, they have

aged such wines as sherry ©

‘and berry wines and they
_. have «= also been used for
brandy aging.~°--—

Sixty-five were still usable

when the winery moved — ,

but also they needed repair.

Small barrels can be
“coopered” in Canada. But
Ste. Michelle has had to ship.
its large ovals, which need
special craftsmen and tools,
to Canton, Ohio. The final
repair bill will be about
$100,000, equal to one dollar
for each gallon of capacity
which the ovals have
altogether. New ovals,
however, would have cost $6

a gallon, if they had even & :

been available.

While most of the con-
tainers at Ste. Michelle and
at the other wineries in
British Columbia are modern
stainless steel, there is a
combination of oak and
redwood at all wineries. Oak
plays a special role in the
winemaker’s art, which
explains why Ste. Michelle is
prepared to have its histofic
vessels rebuilt.

Wooden vessels are risky
storage containers, prone to
springing leaks and far more
difficult than glass-lined
stainless steel to clean.
Wooden containers remain
in use in many countries for
reasons of tradition and
economy. Certain woods —
California redwood, for

example — are considered ©

neutral flavoured and do not
change the taste of the wine.

Oak is different: it will
give flavour to wines which
most winemakers find
desirable. The best French
oak, from the forests of
Limousin, imparts a vanilla-
like flavour. American oak is
judged to be somewhat
stronger and perhaps a trifle
harsh.

Most winemakers would
agree with Ron Taylor of
Andres Wines. “Oak has got
to be kept'to a subtle level. It
can be overdone.” A new
barrel!’s flavours could begin
overpowering the wine in as
little as two weeks.

Slight over-oaking is by no
means a tragedy if wine
buyers have the patience to
lay those wines away to age
for several more years. The
first Pinot Noir made by
Cazabello wines in 1967 was
in barrels a touch too long.
Consumers who still have a
bottle or two of that winc
have been rewarded: it has
become mellow. .-

Different wine makers
have different idcas about

AMC Spirit L 5

. California |
Chardonnays), since woody.

‘complexity. ‘The Cabernet

‘Sauvignon wines made by

Andres and by Ste. Michelle
spend time in oak “as, of

“course, does Casabello’ s.
: Pinot Noir. eh -

- wine's delicacy. Similarly, i .
lighter red. wines and rose’s -

* The wineries ‘are. fully
spend little. or no time in not

agreed on whether or ‘not to
oak the wines. “made | ‘from

7 British  Columbia™ grape
varieties. Taylor has ‘given a
little. oak .aging to Andres

Chelois but not to Foch or

r

Re a

“De ‘Chaunac. Ste. Michelle

has. oak-aged its blended.
Chateau Rouge and
currently has a Foch in wood

‘—- a wine ‘which general
. manager, Bob Holt describes

as “inky
“AS for: the ovals, they are

dark."

. being placed in the Surrey

winery’s-aging room as they

‘are repaired, beginning a

second century of mellowing
sherries and big red wines.

Now check the

Page 27, February 28, 1979 - North Shore News

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i

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We believe Spirit offers the best
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“f