Sunday, Jun. 15, 2008

Alcohol a burning issue with wine

By Andy Perdue, Wine Press Northwest

Whether you've read about it in wine publications or seen it on the bottle, you've no doubt noticed the rising level of alcohol in wine.

The reasons for higher alcohols are many, but they come down to these:

- In the vineyard, winemakers are demanding lower tonnage than ever before. Smaller crops tend to mean higher concentration of natural sugars in the wines, which converts to higher alcohols in the bottle.

- Through the years, viticulturalists have fine-tuned their irrigation practices to the point where they are able to nearly add water to the vines by the teaspoon. Water usage in vineyards is vastly lower than it was 15 or 20 years ago, which means better control over the vines, canopy cover and berry size.

- Winemakers are letting fruit hang longer on the vines. Winemakers like to see deeper, more complex flavor development in their grapes, which comes from time on the vine. Two decades ago, many Northwest winemakers were happy to hit 20 brix (a measurement of sugar in a wine grape) and thrilled with 24, which theoretically would make a wine with 12 percent alcohol. These days, 24 brix would be the minimum ripeness for a red wine grape - and 26 to 28 brix is fairly common.

- Temperatures seem to be warmer, winemakers say. Side-stepping the politically explosive issue of global climate change, warmer temperatures do cause grapes to ripen more, thus accumulating more sugars, raising alcohols, etc.

- The world's most influential wine critics (not us) would seem to favor wines that are more powerful in flavor and structure. This means wines that are riper, bolder - and higher in alcohol. Thus, winemakers chasing higher scores will let their grapes hang longer to try to achieve those bigger wines and scores.

So what's the big deal? Why should any of us care if alcohols are rising in wines? Here are the arguments:

- Varietal differences tend to dissipate with higher alcohols. The riper grapes become, the more they taste the same. That's the major argument put forth by Dan Berger, the Santa Rosa, Calif., wine writer (and Wine Press Northwest columnist) who has often understood Don Quixote's plight while tilting at 16 percent alcohol Zinfandels.

- High-alcohol wines tend not to go as well with food. This is partly because the alcohol can overwhelm foods, especially those with more delicate flavors and spices. It's also partly because grapes that have hung on the vine longer drop their natural acidity, thus making the resulting wines much more plush and soft. Acidity acts as a backbone for wine, helping the marriage with food. And alcohol dulls the senses, making food taste more bland.

- High-alcohol wines tend to age poorly. Again, the higher a wine's pH, the less chance it has of being in balance with fruit, acidity and (in a red wine's case) tannin. An out-of-balance wine will rarely age gracefully. (The exception to this is Ports and Port-style wines, which are fortified with high-proof alcohol. They're also sweet and have good acidity and, thus, are balanced and are among the world's most age-worthy wines.)

- Higher alcohols mean more alcohol in your system. Thus, you can drink less if you're at a restaurant or dining with friends. It doesn't take too many glasses of 15 percent Syrah before you reach 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level.

What is the solution? Actually, there are several. Many winemakers are leaving more grapes on their vines, thus distributing the ripeness further. They can still get their hang time without the fast accumulation of sugar. As a bonus, they get more wine to sell. At least one Napa Valley company makes its living by reducing alcohol in wine (and sells that same alcohol to other wineries making Port-style dessert wines). A regionally famous wine merchant in Sacramento, Calif., is now refusing to stock wines higher than 14.5 percent alcohol.

Winemakers are starting to feel the, er, heat of higher alcohols. Some are picking their grapes earlier or using vineyards at higher elevations and cooler regions.

One of Washington's up-and-coming vineyards, Stillwater Creek in the Frenchman Hills, is able to let its Cabernet Sauvignon hang through October and barely move past 24 to 25 brix. This is because of elevation, location and good viticulture. Guess which vineyard is becoming a favorite with the state's top winemakers?

In this issue, please take note of two details:

- In our extensive report on Northwest Rieslings, notice the alcohol levels. While they aren't in the 8-10 percent range typical of German and Alsatian Rieslings, they are much closer to 11-12 percent. The lower alcohols allow the fruit to shine and seem fresher and lighter - and go better with food. Few Rieslings topped 13.5 percent, even though Riesling often is harvested into October.

- In March, we asked readers of our Wine of the Week newsletter and The Wine Knows blog if they wanted alcohol levels included with our wine reviews. Overwhelmingly, the answer was "yes." This isn't a political thing for us, but rather giving readers what they want: more information before buying a wine. It's also interesting for me to see what our tendencies are with wines that are higher or lower in alcohol. But that's fodder for another column.

Let me know your take on the whole alcohol issue, either by e-mail or on the blog.

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