Brasero Fire Toasting
Production begins with the selection of 36 month air dried oak from Jupilles, Loche, Bercé, and Chateauroux forests. Staves are sorted, arrayed by hand and toasted 25 minutes per side for a total of 50 minutes. The Fire Toasting process generates a gradient of sugar conversion and associated compounds from exposure to open flame, providing a unique profile within the source wood which is ultimately transferred to the wine. Brasero Fire Toasted oak products are recommended for use in conjunction with Ceramic Radiant or Hydro Ceramic Toasted oak to provide winemakers the ability to fine tune the desired oak profile for any given program or wine lot.
What to expect from Brasero Toasting?
Traditional Structure
Spice
Lifting, support of red fruit flavors
Complex aromatics
Elegance
Fire Medium Toast
Sensory: Spice, mild sweetness, vanilla, subtle roasted savory flavors
Mouthfeel: traditional structure. Supports and lifts high tone and red fruit flavors.
Ceramic Radiant Toasting
Ceramic Radiant Toasting was developed in 2007 by Tonnellerie Vinea. The exclusive process arose from cooperage owner Jean Christophe Varron’s ambition to master wood sugar (polysaccharides) transformation through the toasting regimen. This technique enhances aromatic clarity, while limiting the inconveniences and disadvantages from the smokey character distinctive of traditional wood fire toasting. Precision toasted oak without convection ovens or fire...Ceramic Radiant Toasting enables a uniform penetration and a selective, in-depth diffusion of heat during the oak wood toasting process. The ceramic elements are so effective, the toast(or sugar conversion) penetrates the entirety of the stave wood. This is accomplished without the over-drying, typical of convection toasted oak, ultimately creating more desirable compounds for extraction.
The process begins with selecting 36 month naturally dried oak from prized center of France forests: Jupilles, Loche, Bercé, Chateauroux. Oak is milled into staves similar to barrels, arrayed by hand, and toasted for 25 minutes per side. The ceramic heating elements are computer controlled, allowing temperatures to move through a series of heating and cooling thresholds, gently converting wood sugars without any charring, lumping or harsh flavors from uneven cooking. The total control aspect of Ceramic Radiant Toasting also helps produce an oak treatment consistent in its flavor profile and reproducibility from vintage to vintage.
From the beginning, Jean Christophe believed that oak should not only be a tool for aromatic profiling, but to also bring sweetness, mouthfeel, body and length to wine. The oak is prized by winemakers for rich sweetness and a notable increase to mid-palate mouth feel without any harshness or characteristics associated with convection ovens or exposure to fire.
What to expect from Ceramic Toasting?
•Early integration of oak flavors and tannins
•Ideal for short to mid-term ageing
•Smooth mouthfeel for both red and white wines
•Sweet, mid-palate volume, notable length of finish
•Preservation of fruit/terroir flavors
Ceramic Radiant Medium Toast
Sensory: Vanilla, candied, plush, sweet aromatics, floral
Mouthfeel: Smooth, round, length, mid palate volume
Ceramic Radiant Medium Plus Toast
Sensory: Sweet mocha, brioche bread, charred caramel, graphite, hazelnut
Mouthfeel: Richness, round, sweet, high level mid palate volume
HYDRO Ceramic Toasting
HYDRO is Jean Christophe Varron’s effort to further develop the unique benefits of toasting seasoned oak with Tonnellerie VINEA’s patented ceramic elements. Ceramic Radiant toasting employs an array of ceramic heating elements developed by VINEA to precisely convert wood sugars (polysaccharides) deep within stavewood.
Compelled by results achieved with Ceramic Radiant toasting, HYDRO Ceramic processing takes the concept further by infusing the oak staves with moisture. Similar to converting sugar to caramel in a saucepan on a stove top, the introduction of moisture evenly distributes heat throughout the source wood. The end result is an oak product with a very soft, sweet mouthfeel and clean finish that is ultimately transferred to your wine.
As with all Aromoak products, production starts with selecting 36 month naturally dried oak from prized center of France forests: Jupilles, Loche, Bercé and Chateauroux. The oak is milled to staves, then arrayed by hand in a specialized chamber at the cooperage and steamed with “vitalized”(purified, magnetically treated) water for an extended period of time.
Another critical benefit of the hood steaming when compared to untreated (non-steamed) wood is the notable rinsing of some of the more angular and rough tannins naturally found in oak. The additional softening and rounding makes HYDRO Ceramic toasted oak especially well suited for treatment on white wine lots. HYDRO Ceramic oak products are then “cooked” via TonnellerieVINEA’s patented heating elements for a toasting regimen with zero exposure to fire, smoke or char. This oak treatment is unmatched in purity, sweetness and soft, supple mouthfeel.
What to expect from HYDRO Ceramic Toasted Oak?
•Less tannic when compared to untreated oak
•Increase to perceived sweetness
•Well rounded gently integrated tannins for both red and white wines -notable benefit to white lots via tannin rinsing
•Emphasis on preserving fruit during the ageing process
•Zero exposure to fire, smoke, or char for ultra clean French Oak expression
•Highly consistent in both flavor profile and reproducibility vintage to vintage
HYDRO Medium
Sensory: Caramel, vanilla, sweet pastry, brioche, sasparilla
Mouthfeel: Ultra smooth, roundness, length, sweet mid-palate volume
HYDRO Medium Plus
Sensory: Coffee, hazelnut, toasted brioche, umami (savory)
Mouthfeel: Ultra soft, richness, round, sweet, high level mid-palate volume.