News & Press
Mar 17, 2023
Oak & Sustainability
At O’Neill, we talk a lot about sustainable grape growing but barrel-fermented Chardonnay relies on two crops – grapes and oak – and the sustainability of the latter is just as important.
Oak trees are selectively harvested at 80 or older – often decades older. Choosing suitable trees ensures the correct balance of light and water for those remaining. If too little light penetrates the canopy, the oaks can’t grow tall and straight; if too much enters, other species will out-compete the oaks and crowd them.
The harvested trees are split into staves, which are stacked and “seasoned” outdoors for several years before being coopered. This painstakingly slow process requires careful management; unlike cork trees, which are harvested for bark every nine to ten years, the oak harvest cuts down the entire tree. Careless or excessive harvesting would have a harmful, decades-long impact.
Like most California wineries, we source oak from the United States and France. Forests cover 25% of France’s surface, so forest management is closely tied to the country’s overall environmental well-being. Many of the trees are Quercus petraea and Quercus robur, the European oak species prized for barrels.
![Oak-and-Sustainability](https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=2200&s=31b34e3861e68c85784c2b8ea345462b 2200w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=2000&s=d33ef1c23101fdd57b7cc1e74122c24b 2000w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1800&s=aae78517b1997164d91ea947014f996d 1800w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1600&s=e2e68b5428881b1c68d04c6b1750753c 1600w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1400&s=2a8f2d16c00317044ada507b33ef5417 1400w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1200&s=a9887d197c51185b5fb60cba100aaa69 1200w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1000&s=80b09cfa94f5f4e80187954f168e057b 1000w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=800&s=d85ee3ed3294b1f57f5430d525971431 800w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=600&s=7b4520c3765deb9607575e25251ff5a7 600w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Reduced.f1679096708.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=400&s=7095bdb84db5f8c41e8ae10dd1d2ace3 400w)
North America is swimming in a diversity of oak species, but it’s the American white oak, Quercus alba, that is used for barrels. In recent years, concerns have arisen over the stability of these white oak forests, which are primarily in Missouri and other eastern states. Their barrels are used not only for wine but also spirits; new, heavily charred American barrels are a requirement for bourbon production, which has increased dramatically over the last twenty years. Leading bourbon producers have teamed up with cooperages and other stakeholders on sustainability programs to preserve oak ecosystems and ensure sensible long-term forest management.
O’Neill’s primary barrel supplier — World Cooperage — works exclusively with sustainably certified forests and mills; its domestically-made American barrels are produced to the standards of the highly regarded Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Additionally, 100% of the timber is used; the portion unsuited for barrel staves is directed into winemaking aids such as tank staves and chips, used internally as fuel or sold as other industrial products. There is zero waste per tree.
Sustainably managed oak forests are crucial to maintaining the rich style and consistently high quality of Harken Chardonnay. We’re proud to have partners who share our commitment to borrowing from nature rather than exploiting it.
- Kryss Speegle MW, Senior Director of Business-to-Business
![Oak-and-Sustainability-Winemaking-Team](https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=2200&s=8b4e9508e569f6d4f6a1d2c8d70dcda0 2200w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=2000&s=cb949c7c4cba6d980d1666ffe421d49b 2000w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1800&s=1f21a490c6e19da54f30a8197b6bccd1 1800w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1600&s=dcb13513b69269cf1661f6e12e268664 1600w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1400&s=4abffd19d89292a75d3798795b06c4e1 1400w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1200&s=15cc51de6d4ba3518dd1deb106118573 1200w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=1000&s=32f290995de5cba1e17f77c74c8c4a13 1000w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=800&s=f9a01041191cc2f656d49110c4c5baa9 800w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=600&s=e1c7d33867491cd04558fff4d4849adc 600w, https://oneillwine.imgix.net/images/Oak-Team-Reduced.f1679096686.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=80&w=400&s=f0f817b8d4d091ef4a5e313e2c5da902 400w)