Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/57720
Grapes of high-alcohol wine THE MYTHS High scoring of high-alcohol wines is waning. by Melissa Hansen T he recent trend of higher alcohol wines is related to winemakers wanting riper fruit so they can produce super-ripe, intense wines to meet mar- ket demands, concluded wine industry experts during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. But it's a waning trend, considering today's wine market that is more complex and segmented than ever. Steve Heimoff, wine critic, blogger (www.steve heimoff.com) and California editor of Wine Enthusiast, led the panel assembled to bust the myth that high- alcohol wines (14 percent or higher) taste and score better. Heimoff, with more than 20 years of experience covering California's wine industry, recalled that in the 1970s, wine quality was the issue in California's wine circles, not alco- hol levels. "Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the push was to boost quality and match French wine quality," he said, adding that ripeness; the absence of harsh, green tannins in the fruit; and balance were the goals. High-alcohol wines gained traction in the late 1990s at the same time that wine critic Robert Parker, Jr., and others began giving high scores to super-ripe wines, according to Heimoff. "Conventional wisdom was that Robert Parker, Jr., was the cause of high alcohol. Everybody said that he preferred super ripe wines from the Rhone Valley and California, and because he was the dominant force in world wine reviewing, the theory was that a winemaker who dared not march to his preference was in danger," he said. "Was it true? Yes." While some point to climate change as a primary rea- son that Brix levels in harvested fruit are higher now than years ago, Heimoff suggested otherwise. He believes that higher Brix levels in California grapes in recent years are due to the quest for high scores. Data of the California Department of Agriculture show that the statewide aver- age Brix level for Cabernet Sauvignon wine grapes in 2010 was 24.1°, up from 23.2° in 1994. In the Napa Valley, the average in 2010 was 24.5°. The Brix range (24–27°) at which winemakers typically harvest grapes now would shock winemakers of 30 years ago, he said. "What was different back then? No Parker. No [Wine] Spectator." Taste Do high-alcohol wines taste better? They can be richer, more full-bodied and intense, but they can also be hot, overextracted, and unbalanced, just as low-alcohol wines can be, Heimoff said. "Fifteen percent alcohol is a guarantee of nothing." High-alcohol wine producers risk turning off a grow- ing cadre of consumers who are complaining on social media about the health aspects of high-alcohol wines, he said. Some claim that food-friendly wines are those lower in alcohol, not the high alcohol "fruit bombs." Juan Muñoz Oca, head of winemaking at Columbia Crest Winery in Paterson, Washington, said that as Brix goes up, alcohol levels go up. Winemakers want grapes with ripe flavors and phenolics, which is one reason they aim for higher sugar levels. Alcohol adds weight to the wine and helps cope with tannins and fruitiness. Glycerol is a key element to high-alcohol wine, he said, because it helps coat the palate, balance tannins, add fatness and roundness in the mouth, and minimize the heat from higher alcohol levels. "We do a lot of things to maximize glycerol in the wine." ALCOHOL depresses wine aromas E thanol (alcohol) interacts with sensory attributes of wine and can decrease the potency of aromas as the amount of alcohol increases, according to Dr. Carolyn Ross of Washington State University. Ethanol affects the solubility and volatility of binding properties, masking or swamping out other aromas, said Ross, WSU food sci- ence professor. Research literature also shows that ethanol enhances heat, roughness, and can be bitter, she said, adding that it interacts with major wine components like glucose, glycerol, and catechin. "Ethanol affects the head space of wine so that you smell fewer compounds when you take a whiff of wine," said Ross, manager of WSU's sensory evaluation unit. Ross has conducted several studies on the effects of ethanol on the sensory perception of wine, using trained panelists to learn when consumers can notice changes in alcohol levels and detect sensory differences. In her sensory studies using model and actual wines spiked with odorant compounds, she found that as alcohol concentrations increased, panelists detected a decrease in fruity, floral, and caramel aromas and an increase in sulfur aromas and flavors. "Ethanol was the main factor influencing sensory perceptions Carolyn Ross of wine," she said. "As ethanol increased from 8 to 16 percent, we saw an increase in sulfur notes and a decrease in the fruit and floral notes." —M. Hansen 40 MARCH 15, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com