Check on the availability of your favorite wines or spirits before you head to the store! If you don't see what you're looking for, please fill out our Product Request form.From the golden hued Chardonnays of Montrachet to first-growth Bordeaux, the most expensive wines in the world are produced with oak aging. This isn’t an opinion, it’s true. The top fifty most expensive wines in the world are oak-aged in some way. Oak is a crucial and often overlooked component in the world of fine wine. Everything from the type, size, age, grain, and treatment of an oak barrel greatly affects the finished wine. Let’s take a closer look at the three main types of oak trees used for wine oak aging, as well as treatments that add the perfect ‘je ne sais quoi’ to a finished wine. The oak forests in France are the source of several species of European Oak trees, including white oak used for oaking wine. French Oak (Quercus robur) is common throughout Europe and Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) is a finer grain species that is more sparse.

The forests used for barrel oak are selected for their fine-grained consistent wood. Most notably, well-made barrels from Alliers, Vosges, and Tronçais command the highest prices (upwards of $4,000 per barrel). Limousin oak is more loose-grained, making it more suited for Cognac, Armagnac, Sherry, and whiskey aging. French Oak is very popular for oak aging premium wines. It tends to add flavor compounds (see below) in a more subtle way than the other main types of oak. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are an ideal match for French Oak because they “soak up” flavor more easily than other varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon).best wine bar long island Different grains of French Oak trees. new age red wine priceOld growth trees have the tightest grains.best wine deals london

There are many types of oak trees in America, but the species used for oaking wine is American White Oak (Quercus alba). Quercus alba grows throughout the Eastern US and is commonly found in Missouri. American cooperages predominantly produce barrels for the Bourbon industry. Because of the demand, whiskey makers like Scotland’s “The Macallan” own forests in the United States. American oak tends to be in less demand for wine barrel use. American Oak imparts a lot of flavor. Wine experts often describe the American Oak flavors as dill, coconut, and vanilla. One thing is for sure, it adds ruggedness to clean, fruit-forward new world wines. Examples of American wine producers who’ve championed the use of American oak include Silver Oak and 5 Star Cellars. American White Oak grain sizes tend to have looser grains than both French and Eastern European Oak (Quercus robur). Hungarian and Eastern European Oak is the same type of oak tree as French Oak (Quercus robur).

More and more Eastern European Oak barrels are being used at wineries for oaking wine. The popular choice for Eastern European Oak is because it’s remarkably similar to French Oak, but costs much less. After talking with several winemakers about using Hungarian and Eastern European Oak, many like to use it on full-bodied varieties, such as Malbec and Petite Verdot. They believe the wines are strong enough to “hold up” to the richer, nutty flavors the wood imparts on the finished wine. European Oak is commonly considered the midway point between American and French Oak. Besides making a cellar look cool, oak adds aroma compounds to wine. Fundamentally, oak lactones have coconut aromas. Some oak is “toasted” by either burning with fire or by using heat radiation to increase different aroma compounds. No matter how you look at it, using new oak barrels for every vintage is wasteful. It’s also very expensive. An oak tree will only make enough wood for about 2 barrels, which will hold only 50 cases of wine.

As demand for wine worldwide increases, oak forests will be strained. Oak barrel alternatives are a good idea and here’s why: A lot of the aroma compounds in new oak barrels are wasted in unused surfaces (i.e. the outside of the barrel). Oak staves, oak chips, and oak cubes are smaller and can use all sides to add aromas to wine. It’s perfectly okay if a winemaker is using oak barrels, after all, they last for up to 100 years. Using oak barrels to store wine is great because forests are a renewable resource. After the first 2-3 uses, an oak barrel stops flavoring a wine and is considered “neutral.” See the Life of Cask, From Wine to Whiskey. Not only are oak barrel alternatives cheaper because they can use more of a single oak tree, they are also more efficient to ship. Oak alternatives take up a much smaller carbon footprint than costly and heavy barrels.When you buy a bottle of wine at a restaurant for $60, that same bottle probably costs $30 in a liquor store and $20 at a wholesaler.

But how do you know you're getting the best value when you buy a $30 bottle, anyhow? "The growth of the Internet wine business has enlightened wine drinkers with price transparency and access to wines from around the world, all at a fraction of what buyers are used to paying," says Rob Imeson, CEO and Founder of Splash Wines, in a phone interview. Splash Wines is part of a growing trend in online wine clubs dedicated to giving consumers the ability to buy great wine at similar costs to what you would pay at the vineyard. You can also return the wine if you're unhappy with the product. Best of all, you can do all of this from your couch. Online wine sales have risen 600% since 2006, to an estimated $6 billion in 2014. A Global Wine report from Rabobank predicts wine e-commerce will grow 12% per annum for the next four years, outpacing growth in retail stores 3x. Not All Wine Clubs Created Equal Traditionally, wine is marked up by distributors and then again by retail stores and restaurants.

These middle man markups are, inevitably, passed down to consumers. provide side-by-side price comparisons for thousands of wine bottles making it difficult for businesses to charge savvy buyers inflated prices, explaining the growth in popularity in buying wine online. But not all wine clubs are created equal. Some wine clubs use back-loaded auto ship programs. The Wall Street Journal Wine Club, or WSJwine, for example, is promoting a case of 15 holiday wines for just $69.99, a savings of $170 from their actual worth. However, customers are re-billed at $149.99, more than double the discounted introductory deal, if they don't cancel their membership to WSJwine by the second shipment. These sorts of deals may be alluring at first sight, but are often referred to as the 'dark underbelly' of the wine club industry and are clearly marketing ploys that prioritize high margins at the expense of a short customer lifespan. Splash Wines is trying to change how consumers view wine clubs with a bold disclosure: they apply a 15% markup on wines across the board, and are the only wine club to disclosure their pricing structure to consumers.

"Our 15% margin policy is a cornerstone we are proud of because it shows customers that they are paying the true value of the wine whether it's a $100 bottle or an $8 bottle," explains Imeson, as he compares Splash Wines to industry peers. Like Costco, Splash Wines deals with bulk quantities. In doing so they offer free shipping on 15-bottle cases. This places focus on generating profits from repeat customers. "Our model is to make 15% on a customer that returns for multiple shipments rather than make 50% margin on a customer that will unsubscribe after the second shipment." Helping Average Consumers Pick Great Wine An estimated 40% of Americans are wine drinkers. But most people simply don't have the expertise to make an informed [wine] purchase. For years, boutique wine shops bridged this gap by offering professional help at the counter, with the cost of this service built into each bottle. Now, companies like Plonk Wine Club offer a similar service, digitally. "Plonk distinguishes itself by offering buyers the option of letting us, the experts, do the wine picking.

We take the guess work out of the equation," explains Etty Lewensztain, the Owner of Plonk. Before placing orders, customers filter their selection online by choosing wines based on variety (red and white) or grape variety (cabernet, pinot, sauv blanc). This curation process allows Plonk to determine each individual's preference and suggest a suitable wine. Plonk's selection features wines from vineyards that are under the radar and don't get much attention elsewhere. In our interview, Lewensztain spoke about the significance of a vineyard's practice, "Wine that is grown organically and without external intervention possesses purity, vitality and is a direct expression of the vineyard site. This, in turn, creates a unique taste experience for the end consumer." Plonk's proposition offers all wine drinkers access to "hidden gems" that would otherwise remain under wraps. Gone Are the Days of Shopping for Wine in the Dark Choosing the right online wine retailer will depend on what you prioritize.