Are bourbon-barrel aged wines worth the hype?

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The first bourbon-barrel aged red wine from California was launched in 2014 as a small batch label to gauge consumer interest. Blurring the lines between alcohol categories quickly proved to be a success for the 1,000 Stories Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel. A new style of wine was developed and continues to experience sales growth even as more producers in the United States and other countries bring new wines to market.

There are 60 California wine brands, including Apothic, Beringer, Fetzer, Josh and Robert Mondavi, reportedly making full-bodied and boldly flavoured wine as of last year. These products are praised for bringing new consumers into the wine category, even if traditional wine lovers see the style as a marketing gimmick that won’t last.

A used bourbon barrel typically costs between US$100 and US$200, subject to the quantity purchased, while a new French oak barrel can cost $1,500 dollars or more. Laws overseeing production stipulate that new American oak barrels are used to age and mature whisky made in the United States, which is why so many distilleries, breweries and, now wineries, buy up older casks that cannot be reused.

Despite increasing interest in bourbon-barrel wine styles, the use of second-hand bourbon barrels for winemaking in the United States isn’t new. The practice started in the early 1980s in California out of necessity. French oak barrels prized by winemakers were difficult – or too costly – to obtain. But the approach was different at that time as winemakers looked to avoid the vanilla, smoke and char whisky notes in the finished wine.

Today the move is to amplify the flavours developed by aging wine in those heavily toasted American oak casks. The burnt wood imparts caramelized sugar flavours, including caramel, maple syrup or brown sugar, along with spice and other flavours that make for wines with rich and sweet flavours as well higher alcohol content and a robust character.

Wine spends a shorter period – typically one to three months – in used bourbon barrels compared to traditional wine barrels, which could age as long as 24 months depending on the desired style and quality. The uptake in flavour happens quickly and wineries usually see 0.5 – 1 per cent increase in alcohol in the wine as it ages in the former bourbon barrel. (Wineries have branched out to using tequila and rum barrels to create different labels as well.)

The premium price commanded by bourbon-barrel aged red wines and chardonnays is a significant benefit for wineries. Whisky barrel wines typically sell for more money than traditionally made wines from the same producers. For consumers who desire rich and robust styles of wine, seeing bourbon-barrel aged on a label helps them understand the style of wine that’s in the bottle. And it’s worth noting that the style is seeing steady sales during winter months as well as being successfully marketed as wines to enjoy at a barbecue.

Sommeliers and wine professionals might sing the praises of light and elegant styles of wine that reflect the place where the grapes were grown, but there are also consumers who haven’t lost their taste for rich, oaky and powerful styles of wine. As long as there are wine lovers looking for concentration and complexity, there is sure to be an appetite for wines aged in used bourbon-barrels.

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