I ‘m often asked about the relative merits of using oak barrels to add a flavor dimension to wine. Does the oak do anything to actually improve the taste? Doesn't using oak just inject an artificial element into a naturally produced product? Can oak be used to age both red and white wine? These are just a few of the more commonly asked questions regarding the ancient relationship between wine and oak which I will explore for you today. (Also, see my own oak wine barrel at my house and on-camera musings on this subject on the latest 'WineBoy' webcast, online this Wednesday).

While historians can't pinpoint when the first wooden barrel was produced (some credit the Celts in ancient Burgundy in 1300 BC), those ancient vessels were simply a utilitarian method of storage and were not seen as adding any complexity or nuance to the wine. However, for the past century or so, vintners have been using different types of oak barrels to influence the flavor of the wine inside them. Today, oak trees grown here and abroad are used to make the barrels holding some of the world's greatest wines.

Limousin and Nevers are famous types of French oak which are used to make very expensive barrels in which cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay are aged. American white oak from Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas is also used by wine makers around the world to age their wines. In fact, wine makers have discovered that certain types of oak impart pleasant taste and smell characteristics to wine, particularly when the inside of the vessel is charred over a fire burning the same wood used to make the barrel. These barrel makers (or coopers) are very skilled in charring the inside of the vessels with either a light, medium or heavy toasting – depending on the wishes of the wine maker.

Incidentally, the use of oak also comes with a price since most wines, particularly ones aged in French oak, are more expensive. The cost to produce a 60-gallon Limousin barrel can exceed $2,000. That hint of vanilla in a fine Bordeaux or cabernet or that toasty, buttery bouquet in a good chardonnay are examples of how the proper application of oak aging can positively influence winemaking.

So where do I stand on the issue of oak aging? Well, if you’ll bear with me a few more paragraphs, I think a short digression will answer the question. When I was a child (sometime after the Korean War but before John Kennedy became president), my grandfather would regularly direct me to fetch a jug of wine from the earthen cellar he had dug in the basement of his home. It was in this dark and dank room where he made strong, red wine that was aged in large oak barrels. Illuminated by a single hanging bulb, the room was cast in an eerie half-light and smelled of damp earth, pleasantly sour fruit and old wood. It was a mysterious place -- a solemn enclave where the fruits of my grandfather's labor lay in serene harmony within the old oak barrels.

Those oaken casks worked their magic by imparting to the wine inside them a round and supple texture. This allowed the wine to be consumed and enjoyed after about one year of aging. According to my grandfather, "It is the natural way of things." Those barrels, now long gone, held a special fascination for me, and etched forever in my mind the indelible view that oak aging is an essential step in the process of turning grapes into good wine.

It should not be surprising then that, when I began to make my own wine a few decades ago, my first purchase was a small, 15-gallon American oak barrel. Since a 60-gallon barrel is considered small by today's wine making standards, I was aging my first vintage California zinfandel in a mini-cask where the ratio of wood to wine was very great. This, of course, was the metaphorical equivalent of swatting a gnat with a telephone pole. After six months in the barrel, the resulting beverage tasted like liquid oak with hints of red wine! I have since learned to be more moderate in the application of oak to wine.

However, some people feel that oak-aging is nothing more than an unnatural intrusion in the wine making process, and adulterates the true taste of wine. And indeed, some heavy handed wine makers overuse oak (just as I did the first time I made wine) and the result can be disastrous.

To oak or not to oak? That is the question dear Bacchus… and that's what makes this whole wine appreciation thing so much fun! My choice, though, was made years ago in that subterranean room with the earthy smells and the ancient barrels that held my grandfather's labor of love.

The headline on a November, 2007 press release from the (California) Wine Institute states: “California vintners praise high quality 2007 wine grape harvest.” While I don’t doubt the veracity of the winemakers assessing the vintage, it is very difficult to make broad generalizations regarding the harvest of any geographically large and diverse region such as the state of California.

To their credit, the Wine Institute folks then interviewed vintners from most of the major growing regions for their individual assessment of the harvest in their particular areas or appellations. Reading these individual reviews provides a better gauge of how the wines will actually show when they are released in the next few years.

I bring this to your attention so you will be better equipped to sort through the marketing hype regarding the various vintage assessments around the world, and so you can make better decisions regarding wine selection in the future.

As the resident wine guy (boy?) for our fair state, I am often asked for my assessment of various vintages as in: 'How was the 2004 vintage for cabernet sauvignon?' I usually fire right back with a few questions of my own like: to which country -- and which wine region or sub- region of that country -- are you referring?

I’m not trying to be difficult, but there really is no simple answer to the vintage date question as there is so much variability from wine region to wine region. As a matter of fact, there are usually significant differences among wine-producing regions from within the same small geographic area. Take Sonoma County in California for example.
Sonoma has about 10 distinct appellations or wine growing regions within its boundaries. Each of these regions has different soils, elevations and climates, and specific grape varieties are planted to take advantage of these horticultural, topographical and meteorological vagaries.

The Carneros, Russian River and Sonoma Coast appellations of the county are very cool regions where morning fog gives grudgingly away to warm afternoons with a return to cool evenings. Therefore, the grapes that seem to do the best in these areas are the ones which like cooler weather such as chardonnay and pinot noir. In the Knights Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley appellations, the afternoon sun blazes and the warm weather varieties such as cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and merlot abound.

Add to this the effect of soils, which range from volcanic to chalky, as well as the influence of elevation, which rises from sea level to more that 1,500 feet, and you can see how many different influences can affect a particular vintage. And this is just for Sonoma County, California.

Remember that infamous wine word terroir (pronounced tare-WAH)? Terroir, which is a combination of all of the above, may actually be the most important factor affecting a vintage. Terroir’s meaning in the wine lexicon is so loosey-goosey (now there’s a good non-word for you) that defining it as “all-encompassing” would be too restrictive.

Okay, so what does it mean? Well, as near as I can tell, terroir starts with the place where the grapes are grown. The vineyard location, its slope, topography and angle toward the sun, and its longitude and latitude are all part of terroir. So is the soil type, the climate, rainfall and other precipitation in the vineyard, as well as the type of vine or clone of the vine used.

And what about the ability of the winemaker? Trust me when I tell you (from personal experience) that even an excellent vintage can be ruined by an incompetent winemaker.

So where are we? Well, since I was asked about the quality of the 2004 vintage for cabernet sauvignon, I suppose I would have to research all of the vineyards of the world that grow the variety and then apply the above-mentioned rating criteria to come up with an answer. However, in the interest of time, I could simply advise you to consult one of the hundreds of vintage charts which are available in magazines, online and in books that have already done this for you.

Checking my vintage chart, I find that 2004 proved to be an excellent vintage in northern California and produced very high quality cabernet sauvignon, which could be drunk now. But it will probably benefit from several additional years of bottle aging.

So the next time you wish to know about the quality of a particular vintage, consult one of the many vintage charts available, but be aware that these guides can be general in nature and somewhat misleading. In the end, it’s really up to you and your trusty palate.

If you could afford to pay $100 or more for a “trophy” wine, wouldn’t you expect that bottle to be memorable? I had a friend who recently plunked down $125 for a bottle of cabernet that, indeed, was memorable, but for the wrong reasons. He described it as “rancid, overbearing and lacking character.”

Since that description could fit a plethora of animate organisms, including cheese, over-the hill rock stars and the entire French Parliament, my friend assured me that he was describing wine.

I suppose the lesson here is that expensive does not always mean quality when it comes to buying wine -which is why I always do a little research (usually online) before I spend more than $20 for a bottle.

Conversely, inexpensive wines are not always inferior. As a matter of fact, in my never-ending quest for excellent wine at bargain prices, I am often pleasantly surprised by the quality of wines I did not expect to be very good.

The point here is that often our expectations are colored by the price of wine.

If the price is under, say, $10 a bottle, we do not anticipate wine Nirvana, but we’re hopeful that we’ll find a good-tasting wine to accompany the comfort food we enjoy on a daily basis. In other words, we want a god quaff to accompany our meatloaf or macaroni and cheese.

On the other hand, if the bottle price exceeds $20 or $30, most of us expect the wine to be from good to exceptional so we can pair it with a “Saturday night” meal, such as fillet mignon or Chilean Sea Bass.

Even though we should know better (i.e., that predicting wine quality based on price can be a costly mistake), most of us fall into that trap. Even WineBoy! However, since I do not often spend $30 or more for a bottle, my wine price stereotyping errors are usually on the other end of the spectrum -- but they’re probably just as costly.

For example, I spend hundreds of dollars a year on lower-priced wines looking for that little gem I can tell you about. What I sometimes discover, however, is that bargain wine (i.e., “Carlo’s Red” at $2.99 a fifth) is a better accompaniment to four-day old road kill than to the beans and weenies meal I had hoped to match it with.

Yet, for every ordinary to awful inexpensive wine, there are two or three good to exceptional ones just waiting for you to discover. Today, I’ll give you a tip or three on how to increase your chances of finding that quality wine bargain without suffering through a sea of wine mediocrity.

Tip number 1: When looking for a good “jug” wine or inexpensive regular bottle, pick the wine by the varietal. Varietals are ones which list the grape variety (i.e. cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel) on the label. Given the choice of a wine labeled as “Red” or “White,” or one described as chardonnay or merlot (for example), choose the one with the grape name.

Tip number 2: Look for wines with a vintage date to insure freshness. More than any other means, picking jug wines with a recent vintage date is a reasonable way to insure that the wine has not gone “over the hill.” In less expensive wines, most wineries concentrate on trying to make products that exhibit good fruit and freshness. Unfortunately, these are the components that go first as most inexpensive wines age. This is particularly important in picking a white wine which is even more prone to losing fruit and freshness as it gets older. My general rule (and remember, there are always exceptions) is to pick lower-priced whites with vintage dates no older than two years. With most inexpensive reds, vintage dates should be no older than four years.

Tip number 3: Choose wines that are from more specific growing areas rather than those labeled as being produced from grapes grown in larger regions. For example, a 2006 chardonnay from Sonoma County is preferable to a 2006 chardonnay from California. This is a very important way of determining the quality of a lower-priced wine. When the specific appellation of origin of the wine is displayed on the label, you can usually count on the product being good.

Some wine shops make it easier than others to find inexpensive wines, and some actually taste them before putting them on the shelf. The Wine Shop at Capitol Market in Charleston is a good place to find inexpensive wines and knowledgeable wine sales people. These folks actually have a whole rack of wines that are priced at $12 a bottle or under, and they can usually describe the wine’s taste characteristics.

Look for a couple of bargain wines I'll recommend in this space over the next few days.

The answer: Comfort food and hearty wine! But what's the question? What do you need to ward off that psychological malady brought on by gray skies, cold weather, a general lack of sunshine and the end of football season?

Clinically known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), Doctor Feelgood -- me -- has just the prescription: Braciole or Italian beef roll-ups with penne in a thick tomato sauce. This past weekend, after preparing and then consuming this dish (with a full bodied red I’ll tell you about later), my outlook on the week ahead was definitely brighter.

So, here’s what I put together that should feed four to six hungry and depressed friends.

Tomato Sauce Recipe 1. First, the sauce. Here’s one of my favorite quick red sauce recipes. You’ll need: 3 ounces of extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 red pepper chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (try San Marana or Red Pack) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.

3. Add the pepper and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, basil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for about one hour or until the sauce is thick.

Now, to the wine. Open a bottle (red or white), take a break and have a glass – hey, this ain’t KP, enjoy yourself! While the sauce is cooking and you’re sipping, you can begin preparing the Braciole. (Incidentally, I went to my local butcher -- Johnnie’s at the Capitol Market-- selected a two-pound rump roast and asked them to slice the meat into quarter- inch pieces.

Braciole Recipe 1. Place each piece of meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them to about 1/8 inch thickness. (You don’t want to do this if you have a hangover). If you don’t have a meat pounder, you can use a heavy iron skillet (or a clothes iron if your spouse isn’t looking).

2. Rub a combination of black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, minced garlic and olive oil into each piece of meat and dust them with flour.

3. Now you’ll need to prepare the stuffing for the roll-ups. Into a sauté pan, put about an ounce of extra virgin olive oil and cook one-half diced onion, one diced red bell pepper and a handful of chopped Italian flat parsley. Sauté the ingredients for about three minutes and set aside in a bowl to cool off. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Once the mixture is cool, put in 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano and 1/2 cup grated provolone along with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs then break one egg into the stuffing and mix together.

5. Onto the pounded meat, place a piece of thinly sliced prosciutto (or regular ham, if you prefer) and spread the stuffing evenly across the meat. Roll each piece of meat and then use toothpicks to keep the rolls from falling apart.

6. Into a skillet pour about two ounces of extra virgin olive oil, brown each piece of meat on all sides and then place them into a dutch oven, casserole or other pan with a cover that can accommodate all of them.

7. Take about 2 ounces of red wine and deglaze the skillet and pour the resulting mixture into the pot with the Braciole. Then pour the tomato sauce into the pot, cover, place in the oven and cook for about one and one-half hours (turning the meat once about halfway through the cooking process).

8. About 20 minutes before serving, boil one-pound of ziti or penne pasta until al dente.

9. Take the Braciole from pot, remove the toothpicks and slice the meat into one-half inch rounds, spooning red sauce over each piece. Add the pasta to the red sauce in the pan and serve with the meat. WINE RECOMMENDATION: I have the perfect wine for this meal. The 2005 A-Mano Primitivo ($13) from Puglia in southern Italy is a deep purple, fruit-forward wine with characteristics of zinfandel. Rich and full of blackberry flavors with a nice balancing acidity, this wine is a great match for the Braciole. Enjoy!

"In defense of my decision, it helps to know a little about the wine I chose over my children’s need for nutritional sustenance. " -- John Brown
One of the advantages of advancing age is that you can sometimes live long enough to see youthful acts of irresponsibility redeemed later in life (though probably never forgiven). Let me explain. In the early 1980’s, when I was just beginning my life-long affair with wine -- and when I had little or no disposable income -- I made a profligate, yet fateful, buying decision. That decision caused me great initial pain, but over the long haul, I feel, has turned out quite well.

The year was 1983 and I was on my way to buy the weekly groceries when I stopped by the local state liquor store to check out the wine selection. Back then, the State ABC store was the only place where you could purchase wine. As I casually browsed the aisles searching for any wine not bottled in big green jugs, I came across three bottles of 1978 Chateau Fortia. At that time, Fortia was considered the best producer of Chateauneuf Du Pape, and the ’78 had gotten great reviews.
Unfortunately, the wine cost $18 a bottle, a stratospheric price to pay for wine back then. I agonized over the decision for all of five minutes before using our weekly grocery money to buy the wine. When my wife asked why I had not gotten all the items on her grocery list, I sheepishly presented her with the three bottles of wine and, as I recall, some peanut butter, bread and lunch meat. To put it mildly, she was not happy, and I heard the words “selfish” and “irresponsible” used repeatedly to describe me over the next several months.

In defense of my decision, it helps to know a little about the wine I chose over my children’s need for nutritional sustenance. Chateau Fortia is a storied property and it’s late owner -- Baron Le Roy de Boiseumarie -- not only produced among the best Chateauneuf Du Pape, he developed a system of governmental regulations to insure the quality for everything associated with making wine. This system was the foundation for the Appellation Contrôlée system for all France. I had read about the exploits of Baron Le Roy and the legendary wines he was making so when I saw the opportunity to acquire a few bottles of this monumental wine…well you know the rest.

Now, fast-forward 25 years. (Incidentally, despite even more egregious acts by yours truly over that quarter century, I am still married to the same long-suffering wife). Anyway, this year on Valentine’s Day my wife asked me to go to our cellar and surprise her with a nice bottle of wine to accompany a special meal she had prepared. You can probably guess what I selected. Suffice it to say, I did surprise her - with 1978 Chateau Fortia. But the biggest surprise was magnificence of the wine itself!

As I decanted it, the wine’s orange-brown color did not bode well for its drinkability. There was also about one inch of sediment in the bottom of the bottle (which I expected) and when I put my nose to the carafe, there was very little aroma. At least it didn't have any off odors, I thought to myself.

I set the wine aside for about one hour while dinner was being completed and then, as we sat down to eat, I poured it into our glasses. It had been transformed. As I sniffed and then sipped, the wine had morphed into an aromatic, complex and delicious elixir. Aromas of mint and leather were followed by layered flavors of cherries, caramel and white pepper. What a spectacular wine and one which, surprisingly, held up well to the fillet of beef it accompanied.

After we leisurely consumed the bottle, I went online to Robert Parker’s website (eRobertparker.com) and this is what that esteemed critic had to say about the wine (he rated it 95 out of 100) when he last reviewed it in 2000: “This has always been my reference point for Chateau Fortia (until I tasted the 1970). It remains a prodigious, full-bodied, spectacular Chateauneuf du Pape possessing a deep ruby/purple color with only a hint of amber at the edge. A stunning nose of blackberries, pepper, smoke, dried herbs, and licorice is followed by a full-bodied wine with a seamless personality, a multi-layered texture, and a fabulous wealth of fruit. While fully mature, it is capable of 5-7 additional years of life.”

Well, here it is eight years later and still holding, though for how much longer I cannot predict.

So, did my wife forgive me for that act of profligacy 25 years ago? She’s not willing to go that far, but I may be able to get closer to redemption since I have two more bottles of the 1978 Chateau Fortia lying in repose in the cellar.