Oak Barrels

[Two stories on a wine barrel making seminar listed here]

Wine’s Science Revealed

Published in Oregon Wine Press

By Janet Eastman

CONSIDER the oak barrel. It stores, ages, flavors wine, and that’s about the extent of most of our barrel knowledge. Phil Burton wants to change that. He’s been working for Barrel Builders in Calistoga, CA. since 1975 and he’ll be one of the presenters at the Science of Wine, three days of wine education May 6-8 in Ashland.

May 7, Burton will explain where the world’s oak comes from, how it differs and why it costs $1,000 for a French barrel. Then he’ll reconstruct a barrel before the audience’s eyes. “Building one from scratch is messy, noisy and requires a fire,” Burton says. “I will bring a finished barrel in pieces and put it together in about 20 minutes.”

He’s prepared to answer anything from “Are all barrels made of wood?” to “Can you discuss the development of trans-lactones during toasting?” Afterward, there will be a wine and food reception.

Here’s the lineup for the 7th Annual Science of Wine, which funds ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum’s educational programs for 15,000 schoolchildren and teachers each year. 

For more information, call (541) 482-6767 or go to www.scienceofwineashland.com.

May 6

6-10 p.m., Winemakers’ Dinner at the Ashland Springs Hotel with each course introduced by the winemaker from Pebblestone Cellars, Red Lily Vineyards, RoxyAnn Winery, Trium, Wooldridge Creek Vineyard and Winery, and Velocity Wine Cellars. Fee: $85        

May 7

6-9 p.m., lectures and reception at ScienceWorks Museum on barrel making by Phil Burton of Barrel Builders and biodynamic wines by Bill Steele of Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden. Fee:  $40

 May 8

6:30–11 p.m., Science of Wine Gala fundraiser with offerings by 15 wineries and 15 restaurants. Fee: $65

 

Learn how to make a wine barrel

Posted on Examiner.com

Oh, sorry, Rogue oenophiles, but the elegant Science of Wine Winemakers’ Dinner at the Ashland Springs Hotel this Thursday is sold out. You can still get tickets to the ultra-popular, more casual, more peopled Science of Wine Gala ($50-$60) Saturday night at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland. There will be 15 wineries paired with dishes specially created by chefs, chocolate- and cheese makers (see list below), and nightlong dancing to the Mixers Band’s swing, jazz and West Coast blues tunes.

In between Thursday’s and Saturday’s big-attendance fundraising events is the Friday night lecture and wine reception ($25-$30) in which just a few dozen people will get a chance to jumpstart their knowledge of Southern Oregon’s distinct approach to grape growing and winemaking with hints at what may be coming in the future. Lecture-goers will hear Bill Steele of Cowhorn Vineyard and Gardens explain his philosophy of caring for the land and why he’s chosen to be a Biodynamic grape grower and wine producer, which means he adheres to even stricter standards than organic practitioners.

Attendees will also have a chance to meet Phil Burton with Barrel Builders in Calistoga who will reassemble a barrel on site – from the toasted head to the bung hole and last rivet – and explain how different wood depart lingering character traits. Read more about Phil, who began as an apprentice cooper in 1975 and bought the company in 1991, in the Oregon Wine Press.

On Friday night, there will also be a special screening of the short film "Crush" about mega-producers Don Sebastiani and Sons. “Twenty people picked the weight equivalent of a locomotive,” says the documentary’s narrator about a Zinfandel harvest in Lodi.

Afterward, Somerston Wine Co. – Highflyer 2008 Grenache Blanc and 2007 Centerline (a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo and Grenache) will be poured with specially matched tastes of food.

ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum hosts the three days of wine education each May to further its mission as an educational center to adults and to raise funds for its respected science programs that reach 15,000 schoolchildren and teachers each year.

Here's a list of Food and Wine Pairings at Saturday night’s Science of Wine Gala:

For more info: ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum, 1500 E Main St., Ashland, Oregon 97520, (541) 482-6767, www.scienceworksmuseum.org. Friday lectures, May 7, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., $30 ($25 non-members); Saturday, May 8, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., $60 ($50 non-members)