‘I think small barrels are very often used without due consideration.’ ‘I think in South African right now there are very few wines actually worth being aged in small, new barrels.’*

These are the opinions of Paul Pontallier, Director of Bordeaux First Growth, Chateau Margaux. What he has to say shouldn’t come as a surprise; they are frequently and widely expressed sentiments. The surprise is that Pontallier made these remarks twenty years ago, in 1990.

Of course there have been improvements;  economics have determined that winemakers use less new oak (Wineland reports a new French oak barrel can now cost between R8 000 and R12 000), while there are also a growing number for whom aging their wine in a mix of new and used  barrels or eschewing new barrels altogether is an aesthetic choice.

That said, the inappropriate use of new oak remains an issue; just read Tim James’ notes on the  Cape Winemakers Guild auction wines; nearly every one mentions oak, not always pejoratively, and much more in respect of red than white wines when it’s overdone. That’s an interesting divide in itself; is it because of riper, better balanced fruit in the whites or that there is a feeling that generously-oaked reds command higher prices? Whatever, at this level such a problem should be a thing of the past, as it so often is with other, non-CWG auction offerings.

The corollary to this is that there are still winelovers who enjoy the taste of oak; let’s not forget what Diemersfontein Pinotage has done for heavily charred oak staves (too much oak doesn’t have to derive from a barrel!) and the number of ‘coffee’ – um ‘wines’ it has spawned.

In the same interview I had with Paul Pontallier, he acknowledged then that consumers liked oak flavours (though I doubt he imagined the ‘coffee mania’!), but expressed the view that this trend would change and disappear. Twenty years on we’re still waiting!

In wines which have the right structure and concentration to benefit from oak ageing, oak flavours positively add to the wine’s complexity, but they should be complementary to the wine; in otherwise really good wines, I often find fruit and oak flavours are at odds. Getting this right isn’t achieved overnight; the permutations - oak type, cooper, toasting, barrel size and age provide - are something that can take several vintages to resolve. Speak to any serious winemaker and he or she will tell you that a close relationship with the cooper is very important.

Illustrating the effects of different oaks on the same wine formed an experiment the late Dr Julius Laszlo undertook when Cellarmaster at the Bergkelder in 1986. At a recent event to celebrate the re-opening of this atmospheric cellar set into the mountainside of the Papegaaiberg (Parrot Mountain) in Stellenbosch, it was instructive to have the opportunity to taste one of the few remaining sets of 1986 Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon aged in five different types of oak

with the sixth bottle, the one that was released under that label, a blend of all five.

The Nevers and Allier examples again proved their compatibility with cabernet; as one might expect, the wine aged in the looser-grained Limousin showed greater colour development and oxidation, while that from American oak tasted of … American oak – the wine was incidental. Spanish oak had some positives (pleasant spicy, cedary tones) and negatives (overwhelming dry tannins). Unfortunately, the blend was badly oxidised; Cellarmaster, Andrea Freeborough confirmed another bottle recently opened was in much better shape.

The main point made by this tasting was that the wine just didn’t have the guts to match up to all that new oak. The vintage for one thing didn’t provide the right fruit; 1986, one of the earliest on record that decade and was notable for wines with very high acid. A more general problem of the time was leaf-roll virus – there were even fewer virus-free vineyards then than now - so late-ripening cabernet rarely reached full physiological ripeness, a concept then less at the front of winemakers’ minds. What they were aware of was the considered necessity of adding acid, so it’s not surprising to find unpleasant levels in cabernets especially. Its harshness was one of the negatives for me in that Fleur du Cap Cabernet.

The sextet were shown up by Laszlo 2006, the premium blend honouring the Bergkelder’s late cellarmaster (the bottle pictured here with Freeborough); this wine – Bordeaux varieties with shiraz – combines concentration with structure sufficient to benefit from 18 months in 100% new oak. I hasten to add that current vintages of Fleur du Cap reds also show vast improvement of that 24 year old predecessor.

Where to seek those producers whose understanding and use of oak is of positive benefit to the wines? From my Platter experience, and strictly alphabetical, I’d start with Buitenverwachting. The illustrious Christine Bordeaux blend and its varietal components are forged in the classic mode, which means they need time for oak, fruit and tannins to meld, but all are balanced and worth the wait. In the meantime, the more youthfully accessible Meifort will still appeal to the classic palate. Francois Naudé and family are behind Chateau Naudé Wine Creation, a single wine – pinotage naturally – drawn from the various producers Francois now consults to. His 2008 shows the sort of fruit richness that has benefited from the input of oak; it supports rather than dominates.

Money aplenty has gone into Delaire Graff, thankfully that includes vineyards and, despite a dizzying game of musical chairs with a regular turnover of winemakers, the whole range is very smart; let’s hope continuity is maintained under Morné Vrey. His Cabernet Reserve 2008 is one of those attention-grabbing wines (sadly for most, with an attention-grabbing price tag – R490) with its mix of cab cassis scents and cedary oak. It might be incredibly youthful still, but oak and fruit make such happy partners, I can just see a much more complex wine some years hence.

Despite its prominent position on the M12, next to Neethlingshof, Lovane will probably be a name new to many. The Gous family moved there in 2000, with not an idea of what they were going to do nor with any winemaking experience. I can only say Philip and his family have natural talent, as I’ve been impressed by their red wines since I first tasted them for the guide. It’s still early, experimental days, but if the quality of the Bordeaux-style blend, Isikhati (future in Zulu) is anything to go by, a great future is assured. Quality, I should add, that has been achieved without any new oak – a decision driven by economics rather than anything else, admits Philip Gous.

These and several other producers’ wines I’ve tasted these past few months, are making lovely wines, where the fruit isn’t overwhelmed by oak and all have the potential to benefit from at least a few years’ aging.

As Paul Pontallier told me all those years ago; ‘We barrel-age wines not to give them oaky flavours – but to allow them to go through the necessary changes in order to acquire the potential to be bottle-aged for many more years. That’s THE reason for the small barrel.’  ‘Just remember, wood is not something which makes a wine better – very often it makes it worse because the oak overpowers the wine.’

* Wine of the Month Club Newsletter No 50, August 1990.