Wednesday Wine 101

The other day we were hosting a wine tasting for a private client, and the inevitable question happened:

“I don’t like oaked wines so I stay away from Chardonnay and stick mostly with Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Is there any way to tell if a wine has been aged in oak?”

This question happens at pretty much every tasting we are asked to host, and while we totally respect your wine preferences (hey – we’ve always said, we don’t care what you’re drinking as long as you’re drinking), we thought it was high time we address the question on Wednesday Wine 101.

Before we answer that, let’s start by asking why you don’t like oaked wines. Millions of wines are made using various amounts of oak, from full-on barrel fermenting and aging in new, toasty oak, to wines that have just a whisper of old oak influence. In our experience, most wine drinkers who don’t like oaked wines are thinking of Chateau 2 By 4, where the wine has been heavily oaked and is out of balance, and in that case we can’t blame you for being turned off. But if you’re willing to try oak again, we promise it’s worth it. Many reputable wineries produce wines that are oaked, but judiciously so. In fact, during our tastings we’ve almost always had the anti-oak wine drinkers have a change of heart – and wine taste.

Related: Sulphites in wine

With some exceptions, the vast majority of red wines are oaked. In whites, there’s a much wider oak-free selection. Our anti-oak wine lover was right; Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blancs are usually made in stainless steel, but you can also find unoaked Chardonnay (which, incidentally, is what Chablis is), Riesling, Soave … the list goes on, and on – and on.

But to your question, there’s no real way to know for sure if a wine has been aged in oak or not, except to get to know the producer and the wine itself. It will require a minor bit of research, but after some reading and tasting, you will quickly develop a roster of go-to wines that suit your drinking style.