Wood Chips in French Wine? Don�t Be So Sure!
In March, Wine Sediments reported on to in order to better compete with �New World� wines. Hold on, Simon. The decision may well never be applied to the best French wines. The (Institut National des Appellations d�Origine) has just announced, to the astonishment of French winemakers favorable to the change, that it plans to forbid the use of wood chips in the fabrication of wines.
Let�s take a look at the timeline here. The decree (1507/2006) allowing the use of oak chips in all European wines was approved in March and went into effect on Friday October the 20th. But on Thursday October 19th, (link in French):
�Without waiting for the publication of this regulation, the national wine and spirits Committee of the INAO proposed to the government, during its June 2006 meeting, a decree allowing to limit, control or forbid the wine-making practices that European wine regulation allows the member states to use.
It also approved, during the same meeting, the principle of forbidding the use of wood chips in the fabrication of AOC wines, considering that this technique did not enter into AOC wine-making practices, and could weaken the link to terroir.(Translation by Wine Sediments)
The INAO is thus fighting the European decision head-on. According to its press release, the Institute�s national committee will officially vote on the ban in November. This dramatic turn of events will certainly rekindle the already passionate debate on the issue � and perhaps allow French winemakers to conserve a semblance of individuality and independence in the increasingly globalized wine market.
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