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John,

At our wine tasting, we had this Zinfandel called 2014 Predator Old Vine Zinfandel. It had almost a BBQ flavor to the wine which I could only come close to thinking was some type of oak. I've had American oak and French Oak. I've possibly even had Hungarian oak, but if I have. I'm not completely sure.

All I could guess is that it was Hungarian Oak. It was a very smoky type flavor that wasn't buttery, but almost BBQ like. By BBQ I mean as in barbecue sauce, but not sweet. Not as many people consider BBQ as grilling in the backyard. (or charcoal taste)

Do you believe that might have been a Hungarian oak? I honestly have no idea what Hungarian oak tastes like.

This is the wine. At $13US, it's a fantastic wine.

predator-lodi-old-vine-zinfandel__35334.1398016621.1280.1280.jpg
 
John,

At our wine tasting, we had this Zinfandel called 2014 Predator Old Vine Zinfandel. It had almost a BBQ flavor to the wine which I could only come close to thinking was some type of oak. I've had American oak and French Oak. I've possibly even had Hungarian oak, but if I have. I'm not completely sure.

All I could guess is that it was Hungarian Oak. It was a very smoky type flavor that wasn't buttery, but almost BBQ like. By BBQ I mean as in barbecue sauce, but not sweet. Not as many people consider BBQ as grilling in the backyard. (or charcoal taste)

Do you believe that might have been a Hungarian oak? I honestly have no idea what Hungarian oak tastes like.

This is the wine. At $13US, it's a fantastic wine.

predator-lodi-old-vine-zinfandel__35334.1398016621.1280.1280.jpg

The wine is aged in a mixture of French and American oak barrels. Most of the reviews laud it's nice, smoky finish.....
 
The wine is aged in a mixture of French and American oak barrels. Most of the reviews laud it's nice, smoky finish.....

Thanks. Can you name a wine I can try that is Hungarian oak? I would definitely like to compare the flavor profiles of the three oak styles.
 
I would suggest that you try a Hungarian red wine. Just about the only Hungarian wine you can find in the states is Egri Bikavér (or bull's blood), but if you can find it, I would highly recommend a nice Kékfrankos (one of my all time favorites).

I have no doubt that (if actually a product of Hungary) these wines will have definitely been aged on Hungarian oak.

Another option is to simply do a test run with your own wine. Hungarian oak is readily available in most supply shops.
 
Hungarian oak is the exact same Genus and Species (for the most part) as French Oak.

Makers of Hungarian oak barrels spout that all the time. Same exact oak at 50% off. But in reality oak is not oak. Even if it is the exact same genus and species many many factors come into play that make up the flavor characteristics of oak. Call it "terroir" for lack of a better name but things like amount of rain, sun, temperature, soil all factor in and make the oak different including variation in chemical composition, grain tightness etc.

Then toss in the fact that different conditioning treatments, wood working techniques, and eventual toasting styles, times, and temperatures within each cooperage facility leads to further variation in barrel composition.

It is because of this variation that you really can't say that French/Hungarian oak gives a wine A, B, and C qualities, while American oak gives D, E, and F qualities. It sounds nice for the winery tours, but scientifically it really doesn't hold up.

Thanks. Can you name a wine I can try that is Hungarian oak? I would definitely like to compare the flavor profiles of the three oak styles.
 

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