Booze or Buzz

nwooded chardonnay is out, sauvignon blanc has packed its bags, booze is no more, all are replaced by that new buzzword in Australian consumer intoxication, marijuana. According to a just published University of Western Australia research paper, The Economics of Marijuana Consumption, "Expenditure on marijuana.is about twice that on wine.is roughly equal to that on wine plus spirits [and] is about three-quarters of beer expenditure." More startling perhaps is the claim that, "Expenditure on marijuana in 1995 was a little over $5 billion (equivalent to about 1 percent of GDP), or $351 per capita."

In their report authors Professor Ken Clements and Merta Daryal also predict that if marijuana were to be decriminalised marijuana consumption would increase by about 13 per cent, while consumption of spirits, wine and beer would decrease.

The report must be of grave concern to federal and state governments as not one cent of this massive cash flow is taxed. Legislators will undoubtedly see this potential source of revenue as a powerful incentive for the decriminalisation of marijuana and its introduction to the taxable marketplace. Alcohol producers on the other hand, with their traditional monopolistic domination of the feel-good market, will be in a quandary as to whether they should lobby for or against decriminalisation.

If, as the report suggests, a third of the population over the age of 14 has used marijuana then we have a sadly neglected commercial demographic, especially when compared to the coverage afforded wine drinkers. Where for instance are the glossy dope magazines and media marijuana commentaries?

There are commercial opportunities galore and I offer a few suggestions. Can't you see it? In the Weed Spectator this week: Jancis R. reviews Nimbin Sinsemilla. The Darling Buds of May - hydroponics for the home gardener - the only place to deal. Martin F. revisits '73 vintage zombie grass. Report: Vertical skunk smoke-off at the Exhibition of Victorian Ganja Growers. TV: SBS presents The Dope Lovers' Guide to Australia. But I'll stop there or next thing you know the government will be levying another GST (Grass and Seeds Tax).

Toasted oak

Light toast? Medium? Heavy? No it's not the waiter asking how well you'd like your raisin bread done, rather it's the current menu for winemakers buying new oak barrels. Coopers traditionally use fire to bend barrel staves to the correct curvature - during this process the staves can be charred to a light, medium or heavy toast at the customer's request. The degree of charring determines how smoky or toasty the wine will taste after barrel fermentation and/or maturation.

As well as contributing toast, wood tannins and obvious woodiness to wine, oak can provide more subtle elements. Of these the most readily identifiable are the flavours and aromas of vanilla and coconut. Vanillin is the compound found in wood that creates the familiar sweet fragrance of vanilla pods and vanilla essence. Another wood compound, lactone, is responsible for the coconut character more easily detected in American oak.

Oak barriques, 225 litre barrels favoured by makers of premium wines, also significantly influence the cost of finished wine. A new American barrique will cost the winemaker more than one dollar for each bottle of wine produced, a new French barrique will add more than three dollars per bottle. American oak has bigger and brasher flavour components than French and is therefore more likely to be used with big warm climate wine styles. In contrast, the restrained attributes of French oak are more likely to suit elegant and complex cool climate wines.

So oak barrels, which were once humble wine containers, have come to play an ever-increasing role in influencing wine flavour. Indeed one of my pet hates is that some modern wines, especially chardonnays, are so wood-influenced that consumers may sometimes wonder whether they are drinking oak essence instead of fermented grape juice.

Luckily for oakophobes there is a definite trend to the production of unwooded chardonnays. Theoretically, these should be a dollar or three cheaper than their oaky siblings - but don't count on it.

Tastings

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Possibly the best wine I've tasted this year, pity it's out of the reach of most pockets. Deep red to black, faint purple edge, a nose of blackcurrants and sweet oak. Rich blackcurrant in the mouth becomes intense towards the back of palate. Fine chewy texture of medium tannins with a long and most agreeable aftertaste. Save up for a special occasion. Rating: 95/100. Cellar: to 2012. Price: about $100.

© Martin Field