Concrete vs. Oak Barrels

What is that egg-shaped thing I am seeing in some wine cellars?

From the time of Caesar, around the world, oak has been the choice for wine barrels. Its attributes have been many. It was readily available in most wine-growing regions on the planet. Using steam and/or flame, it could be shaped [not easily, but effectively] into leak-resistant vessels to hold fermenting and aging juice. Its structure was such that a very slow transpiration of oxygen from exterior air to interior liquid allowed for measured maturation and controlled aging. Its flavors contribute interesting complexity to the finished wines that would eventually be bottled. Oak-made barrels were, [at least after the use of Greek amphorae] and likely will, in the foreseeable future, be THE universally accepted vessel used by vintners in the most prestigious international cellars as well as in the basements of amateurs everywhere.

However, some interesting alternatives are making their mark in our business. Concrete wine tanks are showing up in famous and not-so-famous cellars everywhere wine is being produced, including in well-known French, California, and even our local Northeast Ohio wineries.

Concrete is naturally neutral and typically does not impart flavor components as do oak barrels. The recent interest in concrete was piqued when, about a decade or so ago, several concrete companies in California saw them in Europe and began producing them experimentally. [Before 2007, the only concrete tanks, weighing over 4 ton, were produced in France, and hence the expense of transport prohibited much experimentation in this country.]

The rationale used by those choosing to consider the option has been many and varied. Some winemakers like the neutrality of concrete. A few like to think of themselves as “influential” and frequently try to be on the cutting edge of the business. Others have had custom blends made from soils collected from their vineyard sites to strengthen the theory of terroir [finished wines better reflecting the conditions in which the grapes have been grown.] Since concrete can be decorated, the exteriors can be colorful, textured, and can carry a winery logo. The winemaker can dictate the location of the cleanout and drainage ports anywhere on the outside. There are also a wide variety of shapes available: from cubes, cones, pyramids to egg-shaped. With the latter profile, gases from fermentation naturally are forced through the top, which eliminates some of pump-over labor in a cellar. Concrete tanks have very thick walls and can help stabilize temperatures, especially during fermentation, providing more quality control. Some winemakers claim concrete, like oak, can breathe through the tiny pocks created as the concrete cures. Micro-oxygenation does not come from the outside air, but rather from the interior of the full vessel itself. Some like it because it can be poured and shaped to fit into the dimensions of any wine cellar. And still others are using it as an educational and marketing tool, for themselves and their customers. Using the same grapes from the same vintage, they often produce two versions of a wine to be released and then compared by their cellar teams and marketed to their most curious consumers. Finally, the initial investment is significant [hence preventing many start-ups from considering the option], but in the long run, are cost cost-effective. The initial expense can range up to $30,000 for a 2000-gallon version, but they can last 20 or 30 years, whereas a 60-gallon oak barrel requires considerable labor to keep it in service, may cost as much as $1500 each, and will lose its potency with need to be resurfaced after just a couple of years.

While the benefits are oak are many and barrels will surely populate our wine cellars for centuries to come, it is interesting to look at new and innovative production techniques coming to our wine co