RIVELLA, ONE OF THE TOP WINE EXPERTS, FOR WINENEWS: “OAK WOOD CHIPS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MASS EUROPEAN WINE THAT IS EXPERIENCING VICIOUS COMPETITION FROM NEW WINEMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN USING OAK CHIPS FOR DECADES RESULTING IN THEIR MARKET SUCCESS”

Debates have exploded in the press, in winemaking circles, within authoritative organizations and even non authoritative ones, over the proposal by the European Union in regards to the use of oak wood chips in winemaking. As often happens, the reactions are visceral and hysterical, far from productive pragmatism.
Many instinctively attack this latest attempt at “fraud”, suggested by the perfidious and unqualified extra-European producers who create unfair competition with our superior quality production by tricking the consumer. Introducing this Trojan horse in Europe means devastating our patrimony of quality! Authorities and organizations are promising a tough battle in Brussels “in defense of the barrique”.
But, as always, we are fighting windmills, just as in the past over generic terms, American winemaking practices, the “exclusive patrimony” of indigenous varietals, and other amenities. It is surprising that those furthest from the real and practical problems are precisely the agricultural union organizations, who are more worried about acquiring notoriety in the media than defending the interests of producers. Italy is the champion defender of the “barrique”, the technique of ageing wood in oak barrels that was originally created in France and largely propagated by California winemakers, and only then adopted as a method here in Italy. Italy’s patrimony of precious wood barrels counts on a consistency that is certainly inferior to that of California, Australia, Chile, and is surely surpassed by France and Spain. We produce 20 million hectoliters of wine that is destined exclusively for distillation (what a future?), and maybe it’s not the case to impart lessons to those who already know how to conquer the market! The fear of unfair competition has no sense, and special labeling regulations are not necessary: the difference is in the quality of the product that the consumer is capable of evaluating. The use of oak chips does not substitute “l’élevage en futs”, because the qualitative results are vastly different. Whoever has seen the monumental cathedrals of barriques in California and Australia, knows perfectly well that, regardless of the regular use of oak chips, the barriques also continue to increase in number. The fundamental problem remains the elevated cost of winemaking in French oak barrels: from 1 to 1.5 euros per liter of wine. This cost is acceptable solely for high quality wines that are sold to consumers for over 10 euros.
For the lower priced wines, oak chips can be used. But why is there the need to put the oak wood in contact with wine? It is not to give it a wood flavor, as some simplistically think. The tannins in the wood are an optimum combination with antociani and the tannins in wine, and further increase stability and color, giving it more depth, and rounding out its flavor by giving it more consistency and resistance during aging, as well as elegance in presentation. This is a style that calls for quality that has been confirmed and appreciated by consumers, otherwise producers would not spend such large amounts of capital on precious oak barrels. This process is more perfect and elegant and slow, done together with all of the technological accompaniments required when using “barriques”, while using oak chips is a much cruder and more imperfect process.
Therefore, oak chips represent an opportunity for mass European wine production that today is undergoing vicious attacks from competition from newer winemakers who have been using oak chips for decades and are thus winning on the market.