The There There Letter: Oak, More Oak, and Even More Oak
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Oak …
Where I sit as I key letters and words into my laptop: beneath a window that looks out on the most amazing tree. All I can see when I look up from my screen is a tangle of writhing branches dappled year-round with green leaves. It's an evergreen oak, which doesn't mean it isn't deciduous. It drops leaves year-round, much to the consternation of our neighbors across the street, who hate leaves, but unfortunately, live directly south of us. Winds from the north are most common here. Our tree is a Southern Live Oak, the state tree of Georgia. I suppose it ought to have moss hanging from its branches, but this is dryish northern California, so, no. It was originally a street tree (city-planted) and our house is 60-years-old. I'd guess the tree is a year or two younger. But it's a big mature tree. It keeps our front garden shady and leafy and magical. I'm thankful that it fills my work-day vision.
How street trees can save cities
Second up this week, More Oak …
When I do leave my desk, and leave my house (not as common during the current pandemic as it once was and hopefully will be again), it's a short step to a small urban forest. The Peter J. Shields Oak Grove at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is a remarkable restorative refuge. Hundreds of mature oak trees in a ten-acre grove with winding paths, restful benches, charming lawn and open space vistas -- it's a Sacramento Valley treasure, and worthy of a special trip even if you don't happen to live nearby. Cooler and shady in the heat of summer, the Grove is quietly calm in winter (although the paths do get muddy). Just thinking about the Oak Grove makes me ready for a shaded step out.
A Walk in the Woods
Third up this week, Even More Oak …
After glass bottles, few containers are as iconically-tied to wine as barrels. Barrels made from oak contribute vanilla-spice aromas and flavors to wine. Sometimes toasty character, too, depending upon how the barrel was made. But with each use, the aromatic and flavor contributions of a barrel to a wine decrease. It's like using a teabag over and over again. The first time you use it: Lots of extraction; the 20th time you use it, not so much. But even older, neutral oak barrels serve a purpose in winemaking, helping soften astringent tannins through very slow oxidation (because wood is porous). I think of oak barrel character as a spice in winemaking. Where it comes from and how it's produced make a difference to the flavor. And fresher or younger means more intense flavor. And, certainly, some wine types and styles don't want that added character at all. Keeping us on our toes: More modern methods of adding oak character without a barrel (liquid or powdered oak extract).
How Oak Barrels Affect the Taste of Wine
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Oak …
Where I sit as I key letters and words into my laptop: beneath a window that looks out on the most amazing tree. All I can see when I look up from my screen is a tangle of writhing branches dappled year-round with green leaves. It's an evergreen oak, which doesn't mean it isn't deciduous. It drops leaves year-round, much to the consternation of our neighbors across the street, who hate leaves, but unfortunately, live directly south of us. Winds from the north are most common here. Our tree is a Southern Live Oak, the state tree of Georgia. I suppose it ought to have moss hanging from its branches, but this is dryish northern California, so, no. It was originally a street tree (city-planted) and our house is 60-years-old. I'd guess the tree is a year or two younger. But it's a big mature tree. It keeps our front garden shady and leafy and magical. I'm thankful that it fills my work-day vision.
How street trees can save cities
Second up this week, More Oak …
When I do leave my desk, and leave my house (not as common during the current pandemic as it once was and hopefully will be again), it's a short step to a small urban forest. The Peter J. Shields Oak Grove at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is a remarkable restorative refuge. Hundreds of mature oak trees in a ten-acre grove with winding paths, restful benches, charming lawn and open space vistas -- it's a Sacramento Valley treasure, and worthy of a special trip even if you don't happen to live nearby. Cooler and shady in the heat of summer, the Grove is quietly calm in winter (although the paths do get muddy). Just thinking about the Oak Grove makes me ready for a shaded step out.
A Walk in the Woods
Third up this week, Even More Oak …
After glass bottles, few containers are as iconically-tied to wine as barrels. Barrels made from oak contribute vanilla-spice aromas and flavors to wine. Sometimes toasty character, too, depending upon how the barrel was made. But with each use, the aromatic and flavor contributions of a barrel to a wine decrease. It's like using a teabag over and over again. The first time you use it: Lots of extraction; the 20th time you use it, not so much. But even older, neutral oak barrels serve a purpose in winemaking, helping soften astringent tannins through very slow oxidation (because wood is porous). I think of oak barrel character as a spice in winemaking. Where it comes from and how it's produced make a difference to the flavor. And fresher or younger means more intense flavor. And, certainly, some wine types and styles don't want that added character at all. Keeping us on our toes: More modern methods of adding oak character without a barrel (liquid or powdered oak extract).
How Oak Barrels Affect the Taste of Wine
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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