Redwood and wine make mellow companions

Ff EDWOOD and wine have been fllinked together for many years, both in production and as a lovely setting for sampling.

Selected initially because it was readily available in the redwood forests close by the vineyards, redwood has been used for many years in California for making wine barrels and tanks. While many woods are too porous and some have resinous flavors undesirable for wine, redwood is neutral as far as adding to the flavor of wine. In extractable elements, it is limited to very small quantities of various phenolics or natural wood compounds. These help wine withstand continued oxidation during extended aging. Redwood is most often used to soften and mellow full-bodied red wines.

The inherent stability of redwood combines with the highly specialized manufacturing of the tanks to eliminate "weeping" or leakage. Tanks are of redwood graded tank stock, an extremely high grade. After being dried for 12 to l8 months to remove the water content, the wood was carefully engineered to order.

In the fine redwood tanks no glues or adhesives have been used. The staves are made so that the wood mates and actually acts as its own gasket with steel bands to provide a cinch. The redwood wine tanks are often huge with large capacities. Those used at the Sebastiani Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley range in size from 377 gallons to 60,000 gallons.

Many wineries have selected redwood for the exteriors and interiors of their buildings. Redwood pavilions and gazebos are often used in landscaping. At the Simi Winery, wood taken from old redwood tanks dating back to 1876 was used for paneling and decking.

Homeowners including wine cellars in plans for new homes or remodeling present homes to add a wine room usually opt for redwood because of its beauty and natural insulating qualities. Insulation is important sincewine should be stored at a proper coolness of 60 o to 65 '. Redwood also provides the appearance of warmth and congeniality associated with wine.

Both architects and do-it-yourselfers tend to like redwood because of its appearance, durability and natural characteristics. Redwood was selected for the wine cellar added by those remodeling a Greek Revival farmhouse into the "Idea House for

Story at a Glance

Redwood helps to age red wine . . insulation quallties important in storage beauty contrlbutes to appearance of wineries and cellars.

the '80s" viewed nationwide on the public television program "This Old House."

Redwood also is an ideal wood for small projects relating to wine such as gift boxes, built-in and free standing wine vaults, wine racks of all sizes and wine storage bins for retail sales as well as home use. Again, these items can be individualized d-i-y projects as well as commercially produced.

Dealers can capitalize on the natural relationship of redwood and wine by displaying photos, plans and vignettes to both educate and inspire the consumer.

RE0W00D and wine go hand in hand both in aging 0f the product and providing a beautilul setting for sampling. Top photos show the vast aging tanks at Almaden Wineries, Almaden, Ca., from both the outside and inside. Wine cellar shown below was crealed by remodeling the basement of the David Hirshfeld home in Saratoga, Ca.