Wine Asylum

Posted by kjg (A) on July 13, 2003 at 05:50:20

In Reply to: Re: Charles Shaw 2001 Cabernet posted by Leisure7 on June 25, 2003 at 14:50:19:

Many winemakers use wood chips and ferment in stainless steel tanks to make less expensive wines. This isn't an uncommon practice, and while not exactly the winemakers art, does have practical value.

In the process, however, the nuances of fermenting in oak barrels (surface area differences, gas exchange across the barrel walls, aging of the wood, etc...) are lost, and what you end up with is a wine with little complexity or balance. For the cheap wine market though, these chacteristics aren't terribly important, and the wine can be produced for a much lower cost than with traditional methods.