Drink This Now! Lesson 4: Got Wood? The Influence of Oak on Wine

This lesson was a fun way to learn firsthand the influence that oak has on the aroma, appearance and taste of Chardonnay.  The first step in the lesson was to purchase two bottles of Chardonnay, un-oaked and one oaked.    I went to Trader Joe’s and asked the wine consultant for some help because I could not find the bottles on the suggested list. He was able to suggest some excellent substitutes.  I settled on the following:

Un-Oaked - Trader Joe’s Coastal Chardonnay 2014.  This un-oaked Chardonnay is from Central Coast of California which runs from Santa Barbara County to the San Francisco Bay.

Oaked – Butternut Chardonnay 2014.  This oaked Chardonnay is from the Napa Valley region of California.

First , prior to chilling , I opened both bottles and wrote down my experiences of smell, taste, and body. Next, I chilled both bottles for 45 minutes until they had a good chill. Again, I jotted down my experiences.  For the final step, I ate some bread along with each drinking a glass of each of the Chardonnay’s. 

Below are my findings:

	Un-oaked Chardonnay	Oaked Chardonnay
Just Opened
Color:	Pale Yellow	Straw Yellow
Bouquet:	Floral, lemon	Oaky & smoky
Taste:	Lemon, acidic	Smoky, charred, oaky
Body:	Light bodied	Medium-light bodied
Other Comments:	Overly acidic, finish was bland and flat, did not enjoy at room temp.	Balanced acidity and smooth slightly nutty finish did not enjoy at room temp.
Chill- One hour later
Bouquet:
Taste:	Mineral, honeydew melon, lemon	Smoky, buttery, oaky and hazelnut flavor
Body:	Light bodied	Medium-light bodied
Other Comments:	Acidity was more balanced when chilled and more fruit flavors were present. I enjoyed this chardonnay more when chilled.	The barrel flavors were more evident. Buttery, creamy, nutty and oaky taste was more pronounced when chilled, which I enjoyed.
With any food	Bread	Bread
Taste:	Straw and Lemon and flavor	Nutty, oaky, creamy and toasty taste
Other Comments:	Acidity was more balanced with the bread but did not enjoy the pairing	The bread worked well with the chilled oaked chardonnay. It gave the bread a pleasant nutty and toasty taste

I enjoyed this lesson as it reinforced the significance the winemaker’s decision plays on the outcome of a aroma, appearance and flavor of a wine. While both bottles of wine were from the same type of grape variety, Chardonnay, the addition of the oak completely changed the flavor profile. The un-oaked Chardonnay was acidic and fruity and very pale in color. The oaked Chardonnay had a smoky, buttery and toasty taste, which I preferred more than the un-oaked Chardonnay.