`What exactly is unwooded Chardonnay?" a friend asked the other evening, peering at the bottle on the dinner table. The jargon of wine sticks in a lot of throats. For every wine fanatic who is turned on by the secret mysteries of oak and yeasts, vine clones and fermentation temperatures, there are, I imagine, 1,000 people who just want to drink the stuff in peace. But that's getting harder by the minute.
The language of winemaking is creeping on to more and more labels - maybe because of an increasing thirst for knowledge, but more probably because certain buzz words suggest a wine is in tune with the latest trends. The good news signified by much of this emerging label lingo is that practices traditionally associated with luxury, handcrafted wines are now being applied to bargain bottlings. You'll find examples below, with decodings of some trendy terminology.
`Unwooded'
This is sliding on to more labels - usually affixed to bottles of New World Chardonnay. It's a reaction against the tendency, in Australia especially, to produce butter and spice blockbusters by putting the wine in prolonged contact with oak barrels, staves or chips. Such heavy-handedness is now seriously out of fashion - so far out that in some quarters Chardonnays without a hint of oak are seen as ultra-cool. There's nothing really new about them, however. Some white Burgundy (e.g. crisp Chablis) never gets anywhere near oak, and the same is true of plenty of Chardonnays from other regions, with never a word about it. But the Aussies feel they have a point to make.
Wakefield Promised Land Unwooded Chardonnay 1997 (Superquinn, Roches Stores, some SuperValus and many independent off-licences, usually £7.99) is a good example of Australia's new infatuation - refreshingly light and fruity.
`Barrel-fermented'
Here's another label-phrase that's on the increase because of the widespread view that, if oak is to be used in white wine making, it should be done cleverly and subtly. The flavours are better integrated if the wine is first fermented in oak barrels, rather than fermented in steel tanks and simply shoved into barrels to mature - because of a chemical reaction between the yeast in the still-fermenting wine and the oak flavour molecules. So there. Barrel-fermented whites are extra-smooth and creamy.
Trapiche Chardonnay, Oak Cask, 1997 (Dunnes Stores, Superquinn, some SuperValus/Centras, Molloys and many independent off-licences, usually £6.99), fermented in new French oak, is one of the best white wines from Argentina at the price. A lovely texture, with baked apple and gentle spice flavours.
`Barrique-aged'
Ah, the barrique. The obsession of the 1990s, even though it has been around for ever. It's just an oak barrel, but barrique sounds so much sexier. Never before can a simple wooden container have become such a fetish, so seductive. Vast oak forests are being hacked down to make new barrels for wineries which feel they daren't press on without piles of these must-have accessories. There's no doubt that they influence wine flavours, making them richer and more complex - but they're a status symbol as well as a badge of quality because they cost a bomb. Strictly speaking, the term barrique refers to the small French oak barrels used in Bordeaux - but it's often used loosely, much further afield.
Coto del Varal Tempranillo, La Mancha, 1996 (Tesco-Quinnsworth, £4.99) is stunning proof that wines aged in new oak barrels needn't necessarily cost much - though I can't see how they make one taste as good as it does for under an Irish fiver. Light, juicy, moreish . . . it's best with food.
French or American oak?
French is the swankiest, hence the most vaunted. Winemakers all over the world like nothing better than to tell you precisely which part of France their oak came from - Allier, Nevers etc. And the newer their barrels are, the wider they smile, since new oak has a bigger impact on the wine it comes in contact with than wood that has leached out some of its properties into previous vintages. (There are exceptions - regions such as the Rhone, which favour maturation in big, old casks.) French oak is associated with subtle, spicy flavours. American oak is a bigger beast (think of what it does for Bourbon), giving overtones of sweet vanilla and cloves to wines such as Rioja, Australian Shiraz, Zinfandel and some Portuguese reds.
Fetzer Home Ranch Zinfandel, 1996 (Molloys, Superquinn and many other outlets, usually £6.99) is matured in both American and French oak, but the former is the one you'll recognise in this spice-and-vanilla-laden winter warmer. Fetzer, although a US giant, has also embraced organic methods on a wide scale (see below).
'Organic'
Twenty years ago, organic wines were a few sad things found languishing in health food shops. Organic methods - in general use until chemical fertilizers arrived - had been abandoned by all but the most prestigious wine estates and a handful of early Greens. But now, with the realisation that chemicals can cause long-term damage to soil and hence grape quality (never mind consumers), organic viticulture is widely seen as the way forward. Good old manure is back in fashion. Pests and diseases are tackled with spray treatments such as camomile tea and grapefruit juice. A growing trend.
La Tour du Prevot Reserve, Cotes du Rhone, 1997 (Marks & Spencer, £7.99) is a smashing new wine from the Perrin brothers, vigorous proponents of organic viticulture for all their wines, from the popular La Vieille Ferme right up to the duly famous Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneufdu-Pape. See Bottle of the Week.
`From old vines'
Vines, unlike humans, can go on reproducing every year for an unbelievably long time: there are some fruitful 130-year-old Shirazes in Australia's Barossa Valley, for instance. The down side is that they don't produce an abundant crop, and the grapes are small. The big plus - increasingly appreciated - is that those little berries deliver rich, concentrated flavours. How old is old, generally? Anything over 30 years is worthy of respect. A bit like humans.
Chateau des Estanilles, Faugeres, 1996 (Wines Direct, £7.99) is a tasty exception to the rule that wines made from low-yielding old vines are on the pricey side. Another classy thing about it is that it has spent 13 months in barrique. A blend of Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache, its luscious raspberry and loganberry flavours are backed up by soft tannins and plenty of spicy grip. A winner.
Wine log
From tomorrow until December 5th, Tesco-Quinnsworth is holding a wine sale to celebrate its first birthday. There are lots of price reductions, on worthwhile newcomers such as Tesco Chianti Classico Riserva 1995 (down from £7.49 to £6.49) and Tesco New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 1996(down from £6.49 to £5.89), and on old favourites from the Quinnsworth days such as Chateau Cap de Haut, HautMedoc Cru Bourgeois, 1995 (reduced from £7.99 to £6.99). Indeed, Tesco Ireland stresses that 300 popular wines sourced directly by the old regime are still on offer, alongside 160 from Tesco.
Grape vine
IF Dunnes Stores's wines are regularly recommended in this column, it's because the range gets better and better, offering both excitement and outstanding value. Read all about it in the new Dunnes Stores Wine Guide by wine consultant Jacinta Delahaye. Snappy tasting notes and food suggestions for more than 300 wines are arranged according to colour and price, and the guide contains useful information on grapes, regions, labels, vintages . . . even navigating restaurant wine lists. It's available from £5 from Dunnes off-licences.
Gripe vine
Recently spotted on the wine lists of no fewer than four Dublin restaurants which should know better: Sancerre, Chateauneufdu-Pape, Cotes du Rhone, Cotes de Beaune, Macon Superieur, Alsace Riesling . . . all without a whisper of the producer's name. Don't be fooled, customers - these sound-good wines may taste dire unless they come from a reliable source. Ask where!
Match of the day
Looking for something modest to liven up the mid-week pasta? Piero Mancini, maker of the super Sardinian red Saccaia (£7.99£8.50), has come up with a budget-priced baby brother - slightly less intense but still well made. Mancini Rosso is exclusive to SuperValu/Centra at £5.99.