OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF KÁDÁR HUNGARY
The Evolution of the Barrel The Barrique All but Forgotten? The Importance of Stave Seasoning
Introduction The history of Kรกdรกr barrels dates back to 1951, when 17 coopers established the Cooper Cooperative of Budapest. In 2008, they joined forces with the owner of Taransaud and Canton cooperages, the Chene & Cie Group, to create what is known today as Kรกdรกr Hungary Ltd. Just as the world and wines change, the way we use barrels and our entire company is changing with it. This publication is intended to provide closer insight into our profession and our activity. We will look back on the evolution of barrel-making during the last 30 years, and also give our perspective on the present and future of the barrel. We asked our partners to share their opinions about the general role of the barrel and the cooperation between coopers and winemakers, sneaking a peek into the mind of a winemaker who have decades of wine selling experience, and how she sees the world of barrels within the cooper industry. Over the years, our efforts have yielded high quality products. Our desire is to relentlessly expand our knowledge of factors that influence the correlation between wine and barrel and to incorporate this knowledge into our development. All winemakers have the opportunity to see the results for themselves. The fact that our greatest challenge is keeping up with the ever-growing demand, is the best feedback we could ever get.
Andrรกs Kalydy Director
The Evolution of the Barrel
Although the barrel was invented more than 2000 years ago, the evolution of its current function only began in the 1980s. The explosive growth of wine barrel production, an approximately five-fold increase within a mere two decades, was followed by the much slower understanding of the properties of barrels and their related effects. This does not come as a surprise if we consider that it evolved from a branch of wood industry into one where research is concentrated on winemaking, even though it covers a wider interdisciplinary area. Even today, lay people may voice opinions that reflect ideas from over 30 years ago. Therefore, it’s necessary to contemplate what’s taken place in past decades. Although
development
went
in
several
various
directions at the same time, it is possible to provide a narrative of events. In the 1980s and 1990s, a fundamental step was to realise that different barrels yield wines with completely different characteristics. In the 1980s, the properties of trees in socialist countries was still unknown, so barrels were distinguished by the two leading barrel producers. This is how the label of ‘American’ and ‘French’ barrels was created. The ‘European’ label was added in the 1990s, used primarily for timber coming from Eastern Europe. Research was directed at identifying the differences. Soon it became clear that labelling barrels by country, or even continent (such as ‘European’ which covers half of a continent), was not suitable for defining their characteristics — a fact we take for granted today. During the 1990s and early 2000s, it was established that terroir has a huge influence on the properties of barrels. As a consequence, ‘terroir’ quickly became the buzz word of the day. At that
time the forests of
Tronçais, Allier, Nevers and their barrels became wellknown even outside of France, and most producers started labelling the iconic forests on their products as a unique feature. Soon it became apparent that although terroir is very important, it is not the determining factor alone either.
Also by the end of the 1990s, there was more serious scientific research aimed at the effects of toasting. In 1999, a lecture held at an international conference reported on a broad comparative study where the tasting panel was better able to distinguish the cooper responsible for the toasting than the oak origin, although the toasting was performed in the same cooperage with the same technology. The development of toasting technologies is still an ongoing process. However, in more advanced cooperages, it is more integrated with other factors influencing a barrel’s characteristics. In certain barrels, toasting is no longer even offered as an option. In such cases, the barrel is fine-tuned to a certain variety of wine, and as the details are not shared with the winemaker there is no opportunity to choose specifications. Fibre structure has been given greater emphasis since the mid-2000s. The reasoning behind it is that two trees grown in different locations, but with the same fibre structure, may share greater similarities than those trees grown in the same location. At that time, some of the most prestigious cooperages adopted this as their guiding principle. Since then, however, this hypothesis has been discarded. Our ever-expanding knowledge has disproven the idea that fibre structure in itself is the only defining factor. Starting from the mid-2010s, more and more emphasis has been laid on the oak species used for barrel production. As understanding increased, more complex correlations were revealed and attention was drawn to a sensitive issue. In most of the world’s production sites, different species of oaks are mixed and cross-pollinated. Therefore, the number of hybrids is relatively large, with different species having different characteristics. In the case of the sessile oak, which has a more elegant and sophisticated character and rarely grows in homogenous forest, leading cooperages are engaged in research to develop a tool that can be reliably used for identifying the exact species of wood used in making the barrel.
Recently, research has been concentrated on either sensing the presence of the newly identified chemical component, quercotriterpenoside, or the examination of DNA. Among the many areas of research, these few have gained prominence as these time periods can be more well-defined. Time constraints are not rigid, but show well the timeline how the directions of the industry leaders moved. The priorities of these various periods, such as terroir, grain, species, seasoning or toasting, were not forgotten but have been integrated into a complex matrix using hundreds of variables. These are suitable for researching such correlations as the antioxidative capacity of the barrel, effect of the barrel on aftertaste or tannin perception, depending on oral mucosa composition. We at Kådår Hungary consider ourselves lucky. We use some of the highest quality and most homogenous sessile oak in Europe, grown in ideal geological and climatic conditions. Since we were dissatisfied with the industry-standard regulatory systems used for toasting, we developed our own unique IT system, which probably calculates with the most parameters in the world. As a member of one of the world’s leading barrel-making groups, we have access to cutting-edge innovations by French and US researchers, in addition to our own resources.
The Barrique All but Forgotten? How the barrel is used today With the passing of time, our taste in wine inevitably changes, would we have it any other way? Values are eternal, but we know that new trends and rediscovered ones will surface from time to time, as in fine arts, music or styles. Many of us still remember that in the not so distant past the word ‘barrique’ on the wine label was a selling point for a large part of consumers who preferred full-bodied wines and the strong flavour of toasted barrels. Today wine critics give the barrel a bad reputation and the use of new barrels is closely linked to the manifestation of ‘dark forces’. The reason is likely two-fold; the first being the changes of taste in wines at the international level, and the second is the natural evolution of viniculture with its unavoidable consequence of riding the fence. However, if the most important factor shaping the world of wine is the constant shifting of tastes, how do we explain the steady rise in demand for barrels? Looking at recently integrated data from previous years, the main trends clearly emerge. One of our most reliable sources is the association of French cooperages, which comprises the most significant part of the worldwide production of wine barrels. According to their data, the number of barrels assembled by their members grew from 525,100 to 601,595 in just 4 years. For the same period,
the International Organisation of Vine and Wine reported that the amount of wine produced worldwide remained almost unchanged. To sum it up, the same amount of wine is produced, trends are against the use of barrels, the quality of alternatives, such as oak cubes or oak chips, is steadily growing — yet the demand for barrels continues to increase. What is the driving force behind this phenomenon? Most likely, the answer lies in the changing ways we use barrels. There may be other hidden causes as well, but our professional experience allows us to draw the following conclusions. I.
Working with barrels is a lot of work. Comparing
the situation at huge wineries today to 10 or 15 years ago, one might be surprised to find that they have generally reduced the number of barrels produced from 30-50,000 to a few thousand. For inferior and lower-middle category wines, alternative products have clearly taken over as the first option. However, the average age of barrels used today is significantly lower, and they are used only for higher quality wines. II.
According to our current knowledge, the barrel is
indispensable for producing high quality wines. There is no alternative that would increase their stability, complexity and finish, to mention the most essential, with such comprehensive success. Looking at the world’s wine production, fewer quantities are matured in barrels. However, as all winemakers strive to prepare top quality wines, among others, the right choice of barrel is becoming more crucial for the top 3% to 5%. Given that more and more new barrels are used and taste in wine is constantly changing, the barrel quality is ever more important. III. Winemakers knowledge about the correct use of barrels is constantly expanding, and the general taste in wine drives winemakers to produce finer,
more sophisticated and more elegant wines, where the blending of simple, new-barrel with great impact and old-barrel or tank wines is not a good solution. More and more winemakers understand the importance of selecting the right kind of new barrels for their wine. With international comparison, Kádár Hungary is not a large company. Still, we sell 150 to 160 different characters each year, in order to find the most suitable match for all varieties of wine. In summary, we can safely say that the effect of changing tastes in wine and the work of major international trendsetters drives the demand towards a more sophisticated use of barrels. The art of choosing the most well-matched barrels with a restrained, yet elegantly complex and vivid character has a great future. In other words, the time is right for high-quality new barrels.
“Full-bodied white wines that reflect the characteristics and flavour of the terroir must be matured in wooden barrels. In this way, the wines receive more oxygen and when mixed with the flavouring agents of the wood, results in a wider, fuller and smoother taste. Wood tannins prolong the wine’s life and aftertaste, increasing its pleasing quality” István Szepsy
Zoltán Demeter
The Mind of the Winemaker A discussion of the different geographical and methodological aspects between the barrel, the wine and the winemaker In your opinion, what difference does a barrel make?
Zoltán Demeter: It’s everything. Choosing a barrel means selecting a technical solution for storage and maturation that will define the formation and future characteristics of the wine, in both the short and long run. Zoltán Heimann Jr: The barrel is one of the things that clearly defines the style of the wine. Selecting the right kind of barrel is a (very important) factor in determining the wine’s characteristics: the terroir, the type, its cloned varieties, the time of the harvest, load on the wine stock, and the method and rate of extraction. We are putting more and more emphasis on the barrel. Our knowledgeable guests never fail to notice that we apply oxidative maturation! When this happens, I usually give a long speech on how this detail is about much more than the decision to use oxidative or reductive maturation. Depending on its maker, size, age, as well as the thickness and toasting of the staves,
Attila Domokos: For a winemaker, an entire year’s work depends on the choice of barrel. If the grapes are successfully protected from the ravages of nature and following the harvest there is a beautiful vintage in our hands, a conscientiously made barrel adds to its value, completing the vintage and contributing to its success. However, if the barrel’s origins are unclear and it is poorly made, it may ruin everything in just a couple of weeks. Péter Vida: It’s responsible for the balance, elegance and harmony of the wine. István Szepsy Jr: Many things. We need to make an educated choice in order to allow the barrel to help finish the wine and create its unique character.
What are some of the effects of the barrel on the wine?
ZD: I expect a fine-tuning of the wine’s character that cannot be achieved by any other means. Furmint wines are especially susceptible to well-selected barrels, used for the right amount of time. It is important to know that Furmint wines can be ruined if left in the barrel for too long. If the wine stays in the barrel for an extended period of time, it becomes stale and uniform, and may lose its particular regional characteristic. However, it also helps to conserve the wine, as proven by several examples past and present here in Tokaj. I am a great fan of short-term barrel use. I like just a touch. When I sense that the wine has matured, I separate it from the barrel. Some of my dry wines have never been in a barrel during their production. The use and amount of time is determined by the region.
István Szepsy Jr.
the barrel is a key factor in producing high quality wines.
“The terroir has the same kind of effect on the wood as on the grape.”
Zoltán Demeter My objective is demonstrating and preserving the regions characteristics. However, all sweet wines need to be kept in barrels, and I respect that. ZH: The first step is selecting the right size. Larger barrels confer a tighter style, more acidic characteristic and a fruity foretaste, while smaller barrels result in a broader, longer and more open characteristic. Depending on the cooper’s style and the toasting level, I expect to get a more or less charismatic wood flavour, toasted notes or even a phosphorous minerality and taste, adding up to a general aromatic complexity. AD: Since the beginning, the Dobogó Winery has wanted to present Furmint wines as a type of wine and a terroir to wine consumers. Therefore, we use new barrels 10% of the time and 90% of our barrels are neutral, having been used three, four or more times. These various wines are blended later, to allow enough time for the wood to add a little extra taste, but not enough to stifle the characteristics of the terroir or the variety. PV: A good barrel ensures strong, yet refined maturity. It allows the wine to maintain its qualities for a longer time. I expect to get a taste that is complex, yet as easy as the soft drawing of the violin.
“We do not have to have the
same opinion, but we should
have a refined taste in wine.” István Szepsy Jr.
ISZ: Wine can be separated into a harmony of various aromas and flavours. But good fragrance and taste still doesn’t make a good wine. The barrel may combine these with the balance and harmony needed to make a good wine.
In your opinion, do cooperages have the same personal touch that wineries do? ZD: Absolutely. The terroir has the same kind of effect
on the wood as on the grape. In addition, the skills put into making the barrel are responsible for their unique characteristic. Obviously, the latter is necessary in all production, so I would say that the natural effect is dominant. ZH: I am convinced they do. Firstly, the wood used for making the barrel has its own specific pore structure and composition of flavours. Secondly, all coopers have their own style of toasting. AD: By all means, yes. Based on our working experience with French, Italian and Hungarian barrels, we can safely say that our Furmint variety acquires different flavours from different vineyards. Similarly, the sessile oak indicates different flavours when hailing from a limestone environment, from a volcanic area or from some other terroir. Therefore, coopers can influence flavour by their choice of raw material. PV: Definitely. I know this for a fact, as I witness this phenomenon day by day. It comes as no surprise, as the terroir, maturation, processing, toasting, and skilled touch of the cooper all have a defining influence when the barrel is made. ISZ: Well, if the right person is behind it, then the answer is yes. However, everybody has his or her own style, because the style is the person itself.
“I expect to get a taste that is
complex, yet as easy as the soft
drawing of the violin.” - Vida Péter
Zoltán Heimann Jr.
“For a winery like ourselves, the barrel is a matter of trust, and we fully trust Kádár.” - Zoltán Heimann Jr.
Do you ask for a cooper’s advice when selecting the barrel? ZD: I consider their opinion, but only those that understand the question.
ZH: Kádár Hungary, and in particular András Kalydy, are indispensable in selecting the barrels that match our style as well as in the maintenance and repair of our existing range of barrels. Attila Domokos
They are our most important partners. András always offers a different perspective in taste than the winemakers. Beyond the selection of barrels, working with him is always very exciting and instructive even in matters of taste. AD: Not only do I count on a cooper’s professional assistance, but I ask for it as a rule. Similarly to the winemaker, the cooper’s job requires a high level of trust between the parties. Therefore, having a personal relationship is necessary to make sure that our precious grapes, from pruning to harvesting, will be turned into a high quality vintage product. PV: I was lucky to find a reliable partner. Together we taste the wine and fine tune next year’s vintages. We share the same goals. ISZ: Sure, because he knows more about the wood and the conditions than I do. We do not have to have the same opinion, but we should have a refined taste in wine.
“For a winemaker, an entire year’s work depends on the choice of barrel” - Attila Domokos
Péter Vida
Why did you decide to work with us?
ZD: You have a great product, and offer great services. I don’t need anything more. ZH: The decision was made by my parents a while ago. I intend to keep the tradition. For a winery like ourselves, the barrel is a matter of trust, and we fully trust Kádár. AD: As the barrel is a product that requires a high amount of trust, we like to monitor the entire barrel-making process. Our frequent visits to their site at Erdőbénye have convinced us that they are sophisticated and conscientious in everything they do. But most important, is the elegance their barrels bestow on our wine. PV: I have known the cooperage since its founding, and follow its growth through my barrels from vintage to vintage. Our styles are highly compatible. ISZ: Their professional skills, vision for the future and attitude towards doing business is excellent.
A Winemaker in a Cooperage
My friends often ask me whether working with barrels makes me feel alienated from winemaking. My answer is always the same, it does not. Definitely not. I never imagined that working with barrels would be such an exciting and versatile science, and that it would bring me closer to the wine industry than the 10 years I spent working at wineries. Everything depends on the vineyard, as we always say, but it is the barrel that is responsible for the finishing touch. The barrel is the last phase of the process, when the winemaker puts on the finishing touch. Or when he creates a sensation! During my business trips to Central Europe, I have frequently met cases where the base wine is fantastic, but was ruined by an inadequately selected barrel which did not have the optimal capacity, stave seasoning or toasting level. It is as if I toiled over a cake for hours, and then sprinkled it with flour instead of icing sugar. The difference being that, if I made this mistake, I would only lose a few hours’ worth of work, while the winemaker may ruin months of effort by using the wrong barrel. And let’s not forget that they get one shot a year at selecting the right kind of barrel. It is a real challenge to offer professional advice for this type of choice. We thus become a part of the wine-making process, and the finished product anywhere in the world. We belong to the beauty and charm of wine-making, which also means great responsibility. In university, not much is said about the barrel or its correct selection and use. We must make up for this lack of information. To this end, we have founded the professional Kádár Workshop, which has garnered popularity beyond our expectations. After hosting a number of tasting events, we can conclude that winemakers really do appreciate and require our services. Whenever I hear winemakers say that they never thought there would be such a wide variety of tools at their disposal, I always feel rewarded.
Georgina Garai
Commercial Director
The Importance of Stave Seasoning
Our natural seasoning site at Erdőbénye Seasoning the staves is one of the key elements in the barrel-making process. Seasoning is not about drying, which could be carried out through artificial means. When left to dry naturally, approximately 10 months would be needed for the staves to reach a level of humidity allowing further processing. As production intensifies, more and more staves are needed. By constantly varying the placement, density and height of the stacks of staves, quantity of precipitation that reaches the stave, air flow, humidity and the composition of the microflora changes as well, creating the unique characteristics of the barrel. Kádár Hungary has become too big for its stave seasoning site. In part, this is good news, as it means that the demand for our products is constantly growing. However, it poses certain
challenges as well, because we need a new site that is capable of providing the same, or even better, conditions. In order to maintain perfect consistency, we need to ensure that the same seasoning process and conditions are applied. For this, we need to set up our own meteorological station to gain precise information about the microclimate, composition and evolution of the microflora on the staves as well as the effect of the seasoning conditions. In our barrels, the typical oak effect is rather subdued, due to the formation of fungi that play a primary role in enzymatic transformation (primarily Aureobasidium pullulans or Cladosporium sp.), unique conditions at the site, as well as gentle toasting. We want to keep these conditions. After a number of studies, our new stave seasoning space was designed to provide the most suitable environment for both the early phase („nursery�) and the late phase of the maturation process, although these two differ. All is uniquely natural, using streams and live trees. This is how we created our current seasoning space, expanding it two-fold.
Worldwide Kádár Greetings from Napa Obsidian Wine Co.
Europe
North America
557 winery
234 winery
Africa 24 winery
New Petraea barrel is arrived Palumbo Family Vineyard
South America 24 winery
“One of the secrets of Conde D’Ervideira wine is the fermentation and ageing in Hungarian Barrels, essential for the wine profile and quality.” Duarte Leal da Costa
Conde D’Ervideira – Alentejo
Juan Salvador – one of the first Kádár barrel users Ruca Malen - Mendoza
Pinotage and Chenin Blanc in Kádár barrels Deetlefs Wine Estate vineyards
France is the No. 1 user in West Europe Chateau Lascombes – Bordeaux
Asia
14 winery
There is no other wine in the world named after a cooperage Renzo Marinai – Toscana
Jeremy Gordon winemaker and his son Tom from Frankland River Amelia Park Winery – Frankland River
Australia 56 winery
Jimmy Penton and his Shiraz in Petraea
Voyager Estate – Margaret River
www.kadarhungary.com