Comments on: Does Spain Need French Oak?

By: Bruce Schoenfeld

Bruce Schoenfeld — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:27:30 +0000

Sorry, just stumbling across this now.

Somehow the discussion on French oak morphed into a discussion on new oak. Not the same. New American oak imparts even more of its personality into Tempranillo (in particular) — that’s one of the reasons many producers (Alvaro Palacios, Artadi, etc.) now use French.

And while Ryan may be “tired of hearing” that Spanish whites have long been perceived as inferior to Spanish reds, sureky he wouldn’t deny that the perception is there? I believe I’ve written more about white wines from Spain over the past 15 years than anyone, in Wine Spectator, Gourmet, Saveur, and beyond, but you can’t tell me that a 200-case Emilio Rojo (as great as it is) or a limited-production Vina Godeval is going to change perceptions.

Not sure if anyone will ever see this, but I just wanted to respond.

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Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:02:44 +0000

[...] Does Spain Need French Oak? – January 15, 2009 – Please listen up Spain, New Oak, big oak…not needed, or wanted! [...]

By: Benito

Benito — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:14:38 +0000

I’ll also stick up for Spanish whites, just having enjoyed a saucy Xarel-Lo.

Also: Are “Food/Wine Trends for 2009″ lists becoming the press release version of the wedding speech that begins “Webster’s defines marriage as…”

I remember seeing a few last year but this year they seem to be everywhere. It seems the world of fashion forecasting has infected unrelated fields, when what folks eat and drink tends to happen naturally and outside of the control of trendsetters. Did anyone successfully predict the national spread of chipotle peppers or sun-dried tomatoes? And did these events occur in just one year or over the course of several years?

By: ryan

ryan — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:35:39 +0000

Here, here! New oak needs to go, or at least be moderated. Just got done tasting 10 wines from a producer, the only really interesting one was the young wine with no oak. The rest were vanilla/cherry bombs.

That said, I’m tired too of hearing this: “Spanish white wines have traditionally been perceived as inferior cousins to the country’s bold reds. Today, Spain’s whites are on the verge of stepping up to challenge the red for dominance – though perhaps not market share, as production of the best wines is destined to be limited.”

Truth is we make great white wines over here and people are taking notice. Albarinos are hot, Verdejo is incredible at times, Sherry, well I love it, though it’s always doomed to be a black sheep, and Cava, when the good stuff starts making it to the US, you’ll see how 20$ for a Cava vs 20$ for a Champange is a no brainer!

Hope to hear more from you on other Iberian trends and treats! Cheers,