Why Amsat?
AMSAT is 100% Australian and family owned. Simon Ewart, a winemaker himself, is the sole owner and general manager of AMSAT.
We have over 25 years of experience in wine, barrels and oak – supplying wineries around the country, from boutique producers to the largest commercial wineries. So with 25 years in the game we’ve learned a thing or two!
We only make oak alternatives, that’s our sole focus. Rather than using barrel offcuts or oak unsuitable for coopering, we source our oak purely to produce alternatives. That’s our forte.
We’re not on-sellers, we’re the producer. This means that we can make bespoke products to suit your needs, and create products on demand.
We love wine, love the industry, and love helping people out. So don’t be afraid to say G’day – we’d love to work with you!
Why Oak Alternatives?
While stylistically many wines are dialing down the oak, instead highlighting more varietal and terroir-driven attributes (and as wine-lovers, we applaud this), oak still has a key role in winemaking. Whether it be fine chips at the crusher, liquid oak prior to bottling, or anywhere in between, oak can add significant character and benefits to a wine. With that said, what benefits do oak alternatives offer over traditional barrels?
Cost
To be competitive in the Australian market, and globally, we must compete on price. While a 300L new French Oak barrel will cost anywhere between $1,500 and $2,500, we can supply the equivalent oak impact with stave inserts for around $60. Add to this the increased cost of storing barrels, analysing each barrel, and the loss of wine from barrels, the cost benefits of alternatives are clear.
Ease
Anyone who has spent time in a winery moving barrels around, racking them, emptying them, cleaning them, topping them, repairing them, and so on, will know that barrels take a lot of time and energy to maintain. Beautiful and tasty as they are, they do require a lot of additional effort.
Environment
Shipping barrels is not an efficient way of moving oak, and not great for the environment. A 40ft container can carry 104 x 300L hogsheads, which means we are shipping a lot of French air from one side of the globe to the other. The same 40ft container can ship the oak impact equivalent of 2,748 x 300L hogsheads. Just think about the carbon footprint difference!
Sustainability
Oak that is fit for barrel production makes up a small percentage of the overall oak tree’s timber. Oak alternatives, on the other hand, can utilise almost the entire tree! Oak forests are rightly protected and managed very well; however oak alternatives take sustainability the extra step further.
