A number of folks have asked me just how and/or why the sawmill waste pictured above would be used in winemaking. In my rush to press, I forgot to mention that these things are used in a number of ways.
1) To fake you out into thinking a wine wine was aged in a new barrel by a little ol’ winemaker. This is done by “infusing” the wine in stainless steel tanks with what look like giant “tea bags” filled with this stuff.
2) They’re often used in the “micro-ox” stage of industrial (and NOT so industrial) winemaking to “smooth” tannins.
3)They’re used in fermentation tanks to “set” color, and “improve mid-palate texture.”
4)They’re dumped into the crusher/destemmer right in with the grapes, again, to “set” color, and “improve mid-palate texture.”
sawmill waste...er...oak chips being put into the crusher/detemmer.
Any way they’re used, for “flavoring” or “smoothing,” using sawmill waste in “winemaking,” is, IMHO, an abominable practice, and un-necessary if the grapes used are well-farmed, from good vineyard sites.