Roll out the barrel!

It may be a fad, or it may be just another evolution in the beverage industry, but in recent years, it has become very popular to finish wines and beers in used whisky or rum barrels. There are examples too, of whiskies, such as Glenlivet, being finished in sherry or port casks.

California’s Fetzer got the ball rolling with its bourbon barrel 1,000 Stories Zinfandel in 2014. Winemaker Bob Blue, in a December 18 2017 Vinepair article, indicated that using these barrels was a means of keeping the costs low while boosting flavour and richness. By law, the barrels used for bourbon have to be 100 per cent new, heavily toasted American oak. Usually only used once to produce bourbon, the barrels are then available to be re-purposed.

As spirits age in their barrels, the barrels themselves absorb a fair bit of the spirits themselves, so that the wood takes on the character of the rum or bourbon that it was housing. So that this effect isn’t over-whelming, winemakers generally limit the time spent in whisky barrels, and may only age a portion of the wine in that fashion.

Some of the flavours people associate with this treatment include caramel, vanilla, coconut, maple, brown sugar, and sweet spice. Whether or not bourbon or other spirits are truly discernible, people, in general, anticipate them and, as a consequence, perceive them. The flavours seem warm, slightly sweet, and bigger.

Today, there are several wines, both red and white, that are marketed on the basis of their temporary residency in “spirited” wood. The longer the time spent in a whisky or rum barrel, the greater the extraction. 

In price, wines can range from about $11 to $60, and while there are similarities, there can also be significant differences, both in time of barrel exposure and in the character of the wine.

A number of these wines are currently available as limited time offers, and so I picked up a few to check them out.

Black Cellar Whisky Oak Aged Shiraz/Cabernet from Peller Estates in Ontario is currently $2 off at $10.95. Aside from the blurb on the back label, it is difficult to find out anything specific about this red; however, the LCBO tells us it carries just 7 grams of sugar per litre, which is a respectably low number, indicated a fairly dry wine. It is also relatively low in alcohol for wines of this type, coming in at just 13 per cent.

There is ample smoky cherry fruit coming across on a wine that has a moderate body with more depth showing on the finish. Some tannin comes through on the aftertaste, along with a tinge of char to offset the fruit. In all, it is a very successful example and clearly out-performs its price-point.

California’s Beringer Bros. Bourbon Barrel-aged Red Wine Blend 2016, now $2 off at $16.95, has more alcohol (14.5 per cent) and sugar (11g/l) and over-all a much sweeter impact than the Black Cellar wine. It truly is a “red blend, with 5 different red grapes making up 80 per cent of the mix, including 41 per cent Petite Sirah, 21 per cent Syrah, and 18 per cent Petite Verdot. The wine is fermented in stainless steel, with 20 per cent then spending 60 days in charred Bourbon barrels which impart a smoky vanilla character that accompanies the strawberry/cherry impressions we experience on the palate. There is a round mouthfeel, and on the finish, a light tannic burr comes into play.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Aged in Bourbon Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, $17.95, ($3 off) is probably the most popular wine in this category. In the glass, it appears slightly darker than the two wines mentioned above. It has more weight to it, and a deeper, more intense smoke-and-vanilla mantle. The dark fruit and tannins seem to coat the tongue equally. There is more complexity here with the dark fruit at play with caramel bourbon elements that have resulted from at least 3 months in barrel for a portion of the wine. It, too, rings in at 14.5 per cent alcohol, but only 4 grams of sugar per litre. A dry finish, but a heady, whisky accented impact is a definite characteristic.

Stave & Steel Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon, now $16.95 (-$3) is another California entry into the booze barrel market. It checks all the boxes for ample red/dark fruit, whisky nose, appealing density, and a velvet tannin finish. The Bourbon impact is a little more muted but persists through a long after-taste. A successful effort all-round. 

Australia’s Jacobs’ Creek Double Barrel Shiraz 2017, $3 off at $17.95, brings a different dimension to the category, with the wine, after aging in regular oak, being finished in Scotch whisky barrels. The fruit is distinctive, as expected with the Shiraz grape, and the Scotch impact is more integrated throughout the experience. A darker, drier impact over-all with 14.8 per cent alcohol, 7 grams of sugar per litre. Here is a wine that would best be enjoyed with food.

In contrast, the 19 Crimes The Uprising 2018, $16.95 ($2 off) is an Australian blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that spends 30 days in Rum barrels along the way. There is a world of difference between this and the Jacobs Creek. Here, jammy fruit is dominant, and the molasses influence of the rum can be noted. At 15 per cent alcohol and 15 grams of sugar per litre, the sweetness here remains constant throughout. Tasty, no doubt, but it doesn’t have the same dimension as we can find in both the Mondavi and the Jacobs’ Creek.

At $59.95, the Jackson-Triggs Bourbon Barrel Aged Merlot 2016, which is just being released, brings the dynamic to a whole new level. After first being aged in French and American oak to develop a classic merlot profile, the wine was then finished for an additional ten months in small-batch Kentucky bourbon barrels. Only 500 cases were made. A tightening tannin finish suggests that this wine is still quite young, but the keyword here is nuance. What the previous wines took a brass band approach to, this one instead is symphonic, with the elements integrated and totally in harmony. A smooth entry, an impression of blueberry, blackberry and cherry fruit, and a vanilla bourbon grace note on the finish.

Some of the other wines in this category include the Bodacious Bourbon Barrel Aged Red, now $1 off at $10.95, and one of the sweetest at 25 grams per litre of sugar, and Apothic Inferno. The Apothic is seasonal, and currently unavailable, but I expect it will be back.  On their website, the producers suggest that “hints of maple and black cherry give way to fermented rebellion and winemaking anarchy…wine with a whisky soul.”

There are even a couple of Australian white wines in this category, specifically the 19 Crimes Hard Chard Chardonnay – now $2 off at $15.95, and Jacobs’ Creek Double Barrel Chardonnay, $3 off at $16.95.

It is all a matter of taste. Some drinkers will find that these wines are too flavourful, too far beyond regular norms. Others, however, will love them, and still others will simply enjoy the change and embrace them for what they are. With the “limited time offers” in effect until November 10, it is a perfect time to decide for yourself how much they appeal to you.

Two Pinot Gris

I confess that I particularly enjoy good wines made from the Pinot Grigio grape as they manifest themselves as “Pinot Gris”. Where ‘Grigios’ can tend to emphasize lemony crispness, Pinot Gris wines go in a totally different direction, usually.

Currently available are Niagara’s Angels Gate 2017 Pinot Gris, $14.95, found at both grocery store-incorporated Wine Rack stores and at the LCBO, and New Zealand’s Kim Crawford 2019 Pinot Gris, $19.95, in Vintages.

Angels Gate winemaker Philip Dowell has a knack for coaxing classic expressions of the grape varietals in crafting his wines, and that skill shines through again with his Pinot Gris. The goal here was to create a balanced wine with flavours somewhere between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and this has been realized successfully. Some aging in mature oak softens the potentially overwhelming acidity, resulting in a wine in which stone fruit such as peach play on the nose and the palate, with the impression of vanilla also apparent in the bouquet. The wine has a satisfying weight to it, and the flavours extend through the finish and the aftertaste. A very successful effort.

Kim Crawford Pinot Gris is as fresh as it gets, with the 2019 harvest just 6 months past. On the nose, you can find wonderful aromas of pear, peach and nectarine. In the mouth, the orchard fruit is accompanied by signals of spice – Cinnamon? Nutmeg? The impact is lovely and lengthy, continuing through the remarkable aftertaste. Everything is in proportion, and despite it having only 3 grams of residual sugar per litre, the rich fruit prevails to keep everything in balance. Classic and fine.

October 26 Vintages Release

White Wine

Emiliana Novas Gran Reserva Pinot Gris 2018, $15.95, gives us another example of this grape, this time from Chile. An organic wine, it is aromatic with impressions of ripe pear, melon, honey and lime, with a chalky note to the mouthfeel. Vintages suggests a “gorgeous elegance” in a wine that “hits all the marks.”

Cave Spring Estate Gewurztraminer 2017, $18.95, from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara promises to be lush and layered, with great depth and complexity. Crisp at the outset, the wine opens up with lychee and ginger, tangerine and honeyed pear tones opening up mid-palate. The persistent flavours continue to play through the finish.

Kellerei Bozen Bolzano Chardonnay 2018, $18.95, originates in northern Italy’s Südtirol-Alto Adige region. Unoaked, it carries tones of green apple, ripe pear and peaches, and even pineapple and mango. Dry and focused, it finishes with a sensation of citrus and wet stone at the end.

Nals Margreid Pinot Grigio 2017, $19.95, hails from the same region in Italy and will offer an intriguing comparison to the Pinot Gris wines we have mentioned. The Wine Enthusiast suggests that “it’s creamy and enveloping, doling out mature yellow pear, Rennet apple and lemon drop before a white-almond finish.” – 90.

Red Wine

La Mascota Cabernet Franc 2016, $16.95.  We are starting to see more Cabernet Franc from South America. James Suckling describes this Argentinian as “a fine and silky wine with blackberry and chocolate. Medium body, firm and refined texture.” -92. 

Xavier Vignon Côtes du Rhône 2017, $16.95, is described by robertparker.com as having “excellent ripeness and concentration”, boasting “assertive blueberry and blackberry fruit….a charming mouthful.” -89-91. The same reviewer raved about the producer’s Cuvée Anonyme Châteauneuf-du Pape 2015, $59.95, which is also available. He explains “this full-bodied wine boasts broad shoulders, a plush, creamy center and a muscular finish loaded with ripe tannins and spice.” -94

Primus The Blend 2015, $19.95, is a fine Chilean Bordeaux blend. According to timatkin.com, it is “elegant, seamless and smooth, with textured tannins, aromatic oak and layers of grassy, dark berry fruit”. – 94.

Montecillo Gran Reserva 2009, $29.95, provides us with an opportunity to experience a very well-aged and classically produced Spanish Rioja.  Mature and earthy, it is described by the Wine Spectator as having a “silky, supple texture [that] carries modest but harmonious flavours of cherry, tobacco, leather and spice, supported by light tannins and balsamic acidity” (90). Further, the Wine Enthusiast tells us that “this feels full but not heavy, with balance and cushion to the palate. Spiced black-fruit flavours show a tea-like note, while this is dry, spicy and a touch chocolaty on the finish. – 91.

There’s lots to enjoy, so…Enjoy!