VINIDA - Understanding the effect of oak on wine

Oak is one of the most influential yet often misunderstood tools in a winemaker's arsenal. We often describe wines as "oaky," but what does that actually mean? Is it the flavour of vanilla and spice? The smoky aroma? The creamy texture? Or is oak doing something much more subtle than simply adding flavour? Does wine literally taste of oak? There are also tannins - despite mostly coming from grape skins, oak maturation shapes them and changes how they’re perceived.

In this tasting, we will explore the many ways oak shapes a wine by tasting a series of carefully selected wines served blind in pairs. Each comparison has been chosen to highlight a different aspect of oak maturation, allowing you to experience firsthand how choices made in the cellar influence the final wine. We will consider factors such as barrel size, age, toasting level and length of maturation affect aroma, flavour, texture and structure, and discuss why different winemakers make different decisions when using oak.

But oak does not act alone. Its influence depends greatly on the wine it accompanies. A cool-climate Chardonnay may respond very differently to barrel ageing than one from a warm climate. Delicate grape varieties can be overwhelmed by new oak aromas, while other, more powerful wines seem to absorb it effortlessly. Throughout the evening, we will examine how oak interacts with different grape varieties and wines from contrasting climates, revealing why the same barrel can produce remarkably different results depending on what is inside it.

Whether you love richly oaked wines or prefer styles where the barrel plays a supporting role, this tasting will give you a new appreciation for one of the oldest and most important techniques in winemaking. You will leave with a clearer understanding of when oak enhances a wine, when it dominates, and how to know what to expect before opening a bottle.

This tasting will be presented in English by Denmark’s two-time blind tasting champion Domen Prešern DipWSET (domen@talkingwine.dk).

This tasting is open for everyone, but as we sometimes will be very detailed, it does offer a better experience if you have some basic knowledge of wines. A good help is to study this “cheat-sheet” kortlink.dk/2pdep and kortlink.dk/2pdfs, to get a basic understanding of wines, their appearance, aromas, flavors and structure.

It is possible to order a quick snack meal to be served at 18:10.

The presentation will be in English

Find your way to IDA Aarhus

This event is organized by Poul Tang poul.tang@m.ida.dk – 51 71 52 40.