Lowering alcohol levels in wine In the world of winemaking, the demand for lower alcohol wines and recent duty changes on alcohol in the UK are bringing a fresh challenge to the forefront: finding ways to reduce alcohol levels in wine without compromising on the flavour and quality. As consumers increasingly seek wines with lower alcohol content, winemakers are faced with the delicate task of keeping sugar levels low in the grapes and controlling alcohol levels in the winery. In this article, we’ll delve into the intricacies of this winemaking balancing act, exploring both vineyard and winery practices and techniques that potentially allow winemakers to achieve this goal while preserving the essence of the wine. The challenge of high alcohol levels in wine High alcohol levels in wine have become a concern for some consumers seeking to decrease their alcohol intake whilst still wishing to enjoy a glass or two of their favourite tipple. In addition, recent duty changes in the UK have seen a £0.44 increase in duty on bottles of still wine with ABV between 11.5% and 14.5% to £2.67 – and to compound the issue, from 1st February 2025 duty on all wine will be calculated according to the ABV such that wines with higher alcohol will attract higher duty. I have written before about the new UK duty system and how it is good in theory but has not, in my opinion, been executed very well. A wine with a fairly average 13.5% ABV will incur duty of £2.89 from February 2025 whilst the price of a 15% ABV wine will include a whopping £3.21 duty tariff. Consequently high alcohol wines are now increasingly becoming a concern for winemakers. However it is not easy to produce low alcohol wines in many wine-making countries; the natural sugars in grapes ferment into alcohol during the winemaking process so in hotter climates grapes naturally have elevated sugar content. Climate change is already making it more difficult to rein in the alcohol content. As a result, wines with alcohol content exceeding 14% have become increasingly common. But there are potentially several ways to try to lower sugar and alcohol levels. Vineyard options to reduce alcohol in wine Winemakers have a number of options in the vineyard to help them achieve reduced sugar levels in the grapes: Grape Variety Selection Theoretically one of the first decisions a winemaker makes is choosing the grape variety although in practice many winemakers inherit or purchase a vineyard with older vines that they might not want to change (read why older vines are often considered to produce better wines). If there is an option however to start afresh with new vines, there are some grape varieties that inherently produce wines with lower alcohol levels, for example, varieties like Riesling, Muscat and Melon de Bourgogne (the Muscadet grape). However reduced alcohol often means sweeter wines which are not to everyone’s taste and those varieties may not suit the vineyard’s terroir, which is usually the winemaker’s principal criteria for grape variety selection. For somthing quite low in alcohol c. 5% and just slightly sweet, try a Moscato d’Asti – especially with desserts! Vineyard Location and Microclimate The location of the vineyard and even specific parts of the vineyard play a vital role in grape ripening and therefore a wine’s potential alcohol content. Cooler climate areas tend to produce grapes with lower sugar content because the growing season is longer, allowing grapes to ripen more slowly. This is why cool climate wines are generally spoken of in hallowed terms and why more commercial, entry-level wines are more likely to originate from hotter climate areas. Within a vineyard whether winemakers choosing specific plots with cooler microclimates make a huge impact on sugar levels is debateable however. Harvest Timing Picking grapes earlier, when grapes have lower sugar levels, might help maintain lower alcohol content but there are several other considerations. Firstly, since acidity in grapes decreases as sugar increases, picking needs to be at a time when sugar and acidity are balanced. If sugars are low and acidity too high, wine can taste quite sour and sharp. Conversely high sugars and low acidity leads to flabby, wines with higher alcohol and a shorter longevity. Acid can be added in the winery but most discerning wine consumers would prefer minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Winemakers also need to ensure grapes are ripe enough to provide their desired flavour profile. Grapes which are picked too early can lead to undesirable green, vegetal flavours in the resulting wine. Pruning There is a direct relationship between the number of leaves surrounding the grape bunches on the vine and sugar levels in the grapes since it is the leaves that initiate the sugar through photosynthesis (and the vines that transport he sugar to the fruit). Cutting away some of the leaf coverage or canopy could therefore potentially reduce sugar levels but there are other factors like nutrients, water and sunlight to take into account and the remaining leaves are believed to compensate to a degree and so pruning is not a sure-fire method for reducing alcohol or sugar. Winery practices to reduce alcohol in wine Reverse Osmosis A process also used to desalinate seawater, this advanced technique involves passing wine through a membrane that separates the alcohol and water from other larger components. The water and alcohol are then separated from each other by distillation and the water added back into the wine to dilute it. Whilst reverse osmosis allows winemakers to control alcohol levels more precisely, it is a costly and resource-intensive process. Most importantly however, some of the things that are effectively filtered out are the tannins and some of the aroma, colour and flavour components. The taste, balance and whole character of the wine can therefore be seriously compromised. Spinning Cone technology This has been around for several years but has only caught people’s attention in recent years, as low and no alcohol wines
Why champagne tastes like champagne
Why champagne tastes like champagne Why does champagne taste like it does? This ‘quick & general’ guide to the champagne flavour profile looks at what champagne tastes like and the reasons why. Essentially, why champagne tastes like champagne. It compares the production of champagne and other wines made by the champagne method to the production of other sparkling wines like prosecco because the differences in the techniques used in the winery have perhaps the biggest influence on the flavour profile. Other things of course affect the taste of sparkling wine not least the grape varieties, terroir and weather variations, the sweetness and alcohol level so there are many contributing factors that lead to such a wide range of sparkling wine types and flavours. But here the focus is on techniques in the winery. You can also find an explanation of some of the terms you will find on Champagne labels. Different wines produced by the Champagne method We all know and love champagne but did you know that there are a number of other sparkling wines made in the same way (known as the champagne method)? These include: English sparkling wines like the lovely Lyme Bay Classic Cuvée make a great alternative to champagne. Long compared, perhaps unfairly, to champagne, the quality of English sparkling wines has been improving year on year and it is now, rightly, a well-respected category of its own. Cava and Penedès wines; you may be surprised to see Cava in the list as there are far too many commercial style Cavas on the UK supermarket shelves so you do need to take care in your choices. This commercialisation of Cava has led to several producers moving their wines to the Penedès appellation and getting back to the classic, higher quality style of Cava as in Colet’s Tradición. Franciacorta from Italy tends to be a little lighter and less rich in style but not as light or sweet or fruity as Prosecco. South African Cap Classique wines labelled Méthode Cap Classique like Krone Borealis and Krone Rosé Cap Classique. Saumur & Vouvray from the Loire Valley; often made from Chenin Blanc and usually lighter than Champagne with more smoky characteristics. Crémants like Manoir du Carra’s Crémant de Bourgogne. Crémants are French sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne region by the Champagne method. They come from regions such as Burgundy (Crémant de Bourgogne), Bordeaux, the Loire and Alsace. Strict regulations dictate that only wines made in Champagne by the Champagne method can be called Champagne however. What creates the flavour profile of Champagne method wines? Grapes of course are a major factor in the taste of any wine. English Sparkling Wine tends to be made from the three main grapes used in Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir but Cava, Franciacorta, Saumur, Vouvray and the Crémants allow more latitude. Manoir du Carra’s Crémant de Bourgogne is a Blanc de Blanc Crémant as it is produced exclusively from white grape, Chardonnay. What all these wines have in common is the champagne method of production and this probably has the biggest influence on the flavour profile. The Champagne method in a nutshell means that the second fermentation takes place in individual bottles rather than in a pressurised vat or tank. The second fermentation takes place after yeasts and sugars are added to the base wine created by the first fermentation and the interaction of these substances creates the carbon dioxide or bubbles in the wine and increases the alcohol level a degree or so. What is the significance of a fermentation in bottle you might ask. Well, it means that the wine has exposure to the yeast cells as they die and then break down, a process known as yeast autolysis. The compounds released into the wine from interaction with the dead yeast cells or lees is essentially where the aromas and flavours of champagne are developed and why champagne tastes the way it does. The bottles are stored for many months (at least 15 for champagne) and sometimes for years, initially flat to maximise the contact of the wine and the lees. Subsequently, they were traditionally moved to riddling racks or “pupitres” like those below and turned over time to move the sediment to the neck of the bottle ready for removal. This process is now more often than not done by a mechanised palette known as a “gyropalette”. Of course by the time you have your glass of champagne there is no yeast left in the wine but it has had a major impact on the taste. Autolysis is responsible for the biscuity, brioche type of aromas and flavours associated with champagne and other champagne method wines. It also helps create complexity and the rich, rounded texture of the champagne. The source of these toasty flavours is often assumed to be from oak but in most champagne method wines it is from the lees. A wine left on the lees for longer will show more intense bready aromas and flavours so aging is also a factor. For sparkling wines not produced by the champagne method this second fermentation takes place in a large vat or tank so although there may be some interaction with the lees, especially if they are stirred as sometimes happens, the effect is much more diluted or subtle. Sparkling wines like prosecco are usually fermented in tank to preserve the fruity taste of the grapes rather than to take on any secondary aromas or flavours. Conclusion? The champagne method leads to richer, more rounded wines with bread and biscuit characteristics (in addition to fruit) and usually finer, more persistent bubbles. Terms you may see on champagne labels & what they mean Non-vintage or NV: the grapes used do not all come from one harvest, i.e. they come from different vintages. Most champagne is NV and every champagne house has its own house style of NV champagne. They use mainly the grapes from one vintage but they add some reserve wine
How to tell if a wine is a good wine?
How to tell if a wine is a good wine As the old and unattributed adage goes, life is too short to drink bad wine – but what makes a wine good or bad? What exactly is a good or quality wine? You may read ‘Quality wine’ or similar phrases on the label of a wine bottle but does that really mean that a wine is well-made? In this blogpost I share with you the best way to assess the quality of a wine by tasting it, what the 4 specific things that should be evident in good wine are and what good wine tastes like. Don’t the label & price give an indication of a wine’s quality? As mentioned above, you can look at a wine’s label but unless you know that particular wine already or you have had a recommendation from someone you trust, a label is unlikely to tell you more than the origin of the wine, its vintage and its alcohol level and possibly the grape varieties from which the wine is produced. The price of a wine can give you a hint of its quality level but it is by no means the best indication; an expensive wine may be poorly made if the winemaker or his/ her PR is not entirely ethical. Conversely you can find cheap wines that are well-made although you may have to make your way through a lot of wine to find the decent ones. A quality wine does not have to be very expensive but it really is worth moving away from entry-level wine as you have a much higher likelihood of finding a good quality wine above that level – only about £1.70 of a £7.50 bottle relates to the wine itself, the rest being made up of VAT, duties, packaging, transportation etc. At £15 that figure rises to about £6, so better bang for your buck. The things to look for when assessing a wine’s quality The best way of working out the quality of a wine is to taste it and here are the 4 things that you should be looking for. This is not a matter of how a wine tastes. Personal preference in wine is very important but it is also very subjective. To assess whether a wine is good or not requires a more objective view and there are 4 main criteria that you can look for (you may recognise a few words that pop up in Wines With Attitude’s unique tasting notes). Balance First and foremost, quality wine should have balance. You may well ask what is balance in a wine? To be specific a well-balanced wine’s acidity, sweetness, fruit, alcohol and tannins should all be in harmony. Each of these components should be integrated and complement other components of the wine and none of them should be too obvious. A certain amount of acidity is good as it balances the sweetness of the grapes and gives the wine freshness; it can usually be felt on the sides of the tongue. Acidity is important in all wines but especially important in sweet or dessert wines. You need a degree of acidity to stop the wine from being sickeningly sweet; you should almost feel the mouth-watering freshness cut through the sweetness. Too much acidity though will make a wine taste austere and too little will make the wine flat, often described as ‘flabby’, as acidity can help to lift the fruit flavours. Sweetness is essentially the residual sugar in a wine left after fermentation has stopped the conversion of the grape juice sugars into alcohol (though it may be added sugar in cheap plonk). As already mentioned, sweetness in any wine needs to be balanced with acidity so that the wine is not cloyingly sweet. Fruit flavours in wine vary depending not only on the grape variety but also on when the grapes are harvested (too early and they will be green and more vegetal, late and they risk tasting more like jam than fresh fruits) and how the wine is made. Essentially though wine should have a good concentration of fruit flavours; without this concentration a wine will be rather flavourless and as my husband describes some wines ‘thin’. The fruit characteristics do fade as a wine ages which is how wine experts can assess how long a wine can be kept for before it is past its best. Tannins (in red and to some extent in rosé and orange wines) give a wine structure and help a good red wine to age and develop further. Tannins should be smooth and integrated – or with the potential to soften as the wine ages in bottle. Too few tannins and a wine can seem flat; too much tannin will “fur up” the inside of your cheeks and leave you gasping for a glass of water. Tannins can completely overpower a wine and hide the flavours so wines with high tannin need a lot of strong fruit flavours to balance the wine. Alcohol should be sufficient to give the wine body but should not be overpowering; too much can catch the back of your throat and hide the flavours of the wine and/ or cut them short. If a 15% ABV wine is balanced you will not notice the high alcohol as the alcohol will be tempered by the sweetness and fruit. On the other hand, too little alcohol can make a wine seem somewhat lacking, hollow even. That is not to say that all low alcohol wines are hollow; in a good 5% ABV Moscato d’Asti for example, the low alcohol is balanced with fruit flavours, some sweetness and good acidity. There are certainly a number of components that you have to consider when looking at whether a wine is balanced or not. But that’s not the end of the matter. There are still 3 more characteristics to consider before you can decide if your wine is good quality. Complexity Secondly look
Featured Winery – Te Whare Ra (TWR)
Featured Winery – Te Whare Ra (TWR) I had been stocking TWR Pinot Noir for a few years and it had become – and still is – a firm favourite of many Pinot Noir aficionados with customer reviews like this “OMG! Superb, beautifully subtle” and many accolades for all its vintages. So when someone asked me to source some of TWR’s white wines, I did not hesitate to investigate. As luck would have it Anna Flowerday of TWR was in London just after that request and so I was able to catch up with her and try all TWR’s wines without having to go to Marlborough, New Zealand (much as I would have liked to!). Here’s me with the lovely Anna on the right. All (good) winemakers tend to talk enthusiastically about their wines but I was struck by Anna’s clear passion when she talked in detail about the vineyards and the whole wine-making process for the TWR wines. TWR WINES AT WINES WITH ATTITUDE It was no surprise that the TWR white wines are of the same high quality and as delicious as the reds and so I added some to the portfolio and keep adding more: TWR Pinot Gris – a very subtle and silky Pinot Gris TWR Toru – a blend of three white grapes & a wine that Anna and husband Jason made “because we like drinking it” TWR Riesling D – D means dry in case you are wondering TWR Sauvignon Blanc – “a New Zealand Sauvignon for people who think they don’t like New Zealand Sauvignon” most recent addition, TWR Riesling M, a medium dry style of Riesling inspired by Mosel Rieslings and of course TWR Pinot Noir, a beautiful Pinot much loved by my customers. But more of the wines later. Firstly more about Anna and TWR… TWR – SMALL, FAMILY-OWNED WINERY Te Whare Ra pronounced Tea Far-ee Ra, is Maori for ‘House in the Sun’ and it is said to be “the oldest small winery in Marlborough”. It has been owned by Anna and her husband Jason since 2003 and it is based in the Renwick sub-region of Marlborough. Anna is from Australia and Jason is a local from Marlborough; after experience in the Australian wine industry they selected Te Whare Ra as the ideal place to produce their own organic wines. It obviously worked as they were named New Zealand ‘Winery of the Year’ in 2014 by the late New Zealand wine guru, Raymond Chan who wrote “I’ve come across very few winegrowers and winemakers who give so much thought to every aspect of the vineyard, winery, winemaking, how their wines show in stylistic and quality terms, and how the wines are presented in the marketplace, as Jason and Anna. This reflects their passion, enthusiasm, extremely high standards, hard work and attention to detail in creating and crafting wines that reflect their vineyard and region, and their guiding the wines sensitively so that they are expressed with great finesse.” TWR – MINIMAL INTERVENTION & CERTIFIED ORGANIC The TWR vineyard & winery is quite small, 11 hectares (c. 27 acres) and has some of the oldest vines in Marlborough planted there, seven varieties in total. It is certified organic with both organic and biodynamic practices being used throughout the vineyards. For the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir TWR grapes were supplemented by grapes from other Marlborough vineyards which if not yet organically certified, use the same practices as TWR. Note that the single vineyard wines come in the tall, long-necked Alsace-style bottles with the “Single Vineyard 5182” on the label, 5182 being the vineyard number designated by BioGro New Zealand. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the TWR approach showing respect for and with the environment produces the best wines in the Flowerday’s view. Biodiversity is considered crucial to keep the vineyards healthy, for example buckwheat is planted between the vines to help keep pests away from the vines and grapes. All TWR grapes are hand-picked and hand-sorted. Yields are kept low and the wines are made with minimal intervention as the aim is to make wines that best express their origins. Don’t think this means they don’t pay much attention to the wines; on the contrary there is great attention to detail, whether it’s the use of different coopers for the barrels to have the right type of oak influence for the red wines or the berry selection to ensure the best grapes for all the wines. By the way, TWR prefer not to fine their wines where possible; this means that all the wines I stock are all suitable for vegans and vegetarians. TWR – WINE STYLE It is not the Te Whare Ra intention to follow the Marlborough crowd producing commercial-style wines. TWR wines are more about finesse and elegance with subtle richness, complexity and texture coming from their old vines and from lees contact rather than easy-to-drink wines that are full of ripe, tropical fruit flavours. These are wines consistently of great quality and balance. So back to the specific wines: TWR – THE WINES TWR Riesling ‘M’ – Scoring 96, 96 and 94 out of 100 from 3 of New Zealand’s top wine judges, this medium Riesling is described as “dangerously drinkable”. The newest addition to the range it is a superb medium dry Riesling – citrus fruits, white peach & green tea. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by refreshing acidity. Especially good with hot Asian food. TWR Toru – a blend of three white grapes, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris that grow together in a single vineyard – Toru means three in Maori. This is a wine that Anna and husband Jason made “because we like drinking it”. I really thought I was going to dislike it as the main grape, Gewürztraminer, can be over-powering but quite the opposite, I love it. It is light and very drinkable either on its own or with spicy food. At TWR three o’clock on Friday afternoon is now designated ‘Toru time’. TWR Pinot Gris – If you are not a fan
Women Winemakers
Women Winemakers In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, I’m celebrating female winemakers in this blogpost. Wine production has traditionally been very male-dominated and that situation has been slow to change however in the last 30 years or so there has been a quiet evolution with more women than ever involved in wine. And, if the general consensus that women are more sensitive to aromas and flavours than men is to be believed, then the industry – and wine – can only benefit from more women in wine. THE FIRST FEMALE WINEMAKER Back in the early 19th century winemaking was certainly not considered a suitable profession for women. But, after the death of her husband in 1805, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, became the first woman to run a champagne house, Veuve Clicquot. Rather than just a figurehead of the business, the widow Clicquot was heavily involved in the business and is thought to have come up with at least two important inventions: – the riddling process whereby champagne bottles are moved upside-down over a couple of months from a horizontal position to dislodge the yeast sediment and – adding a little red wine to champagne to create rosé champagne. So we have a lot to thank Veuve Clicquot for. 3 MODERN FEMALE WINEMAKERS None of the main educational organisations offering oenology courses provides a breakdown of the number of women attending or passing its wine courses but it is evident to me visiting wine regions, attending trade fairs and reading wine trade press that there are an increasing number of women involved in wine. Here are just three of the amazing female winemakers that I work with and whose work and wines I admire: TIZIANA SETTIMO OF AURELIO SETTIMO In 1943 Tiziana’s grandfather, Domenico Settimo bought what is now the Aurelio Settimo estate in the hamlet of Annunziata in Piedmont and the family they practised mixed farming, producing fruit, corn, hazelnuts and grapes and breeding hens, rabbits and cows. Most of the grapes were sold off to local wineries with a small amount used to produce wine for the family as was the custom although by the late 1950s Tiziana’s father Aurelio had begun to bottle some wine. When he took over the winery in 1962 he decided to grow only grapes and expanded the vineyards, producing wine under the Aurelio Settimo label. It was only in 1974 that the winery stopped selling 50% of its grapes and kept them all to produce more wine. Tiziana worked alongside her father from 1987 until his death in 2007 and then took over the wine-making. The business is still a family affair and the philosophy remains the same: a focus on quality and respect for tradition. They continue to produce only red DOC and DOCG wines from the Nebbiolo and Dolcetto grapes from their own six hectares of vineyards. Whilst respecting traditions in her wine-making, Tiziana keeps yields low and practises careful maceration to avoid over-extraction, with the aim of elegant, balanced wines that are not excessively tannic – and wow, does she succeed! The 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo which she describes as her “baby Barolo” is fresh, fruity and smooth in texture – and drinking beautifully in 2023. The 2011 Barolo is fuller in body and more complex given its age and wood ageing but it still retains elegance, balance and a silky long finish. MADELINE FERRAN, DOMAINE DES ESCARAVAILLES In recognition of their daughters’ involvement in the business, the Ferran family business name is Ferran et Filles. Fourth generation and elder daughter Madeline has been involved since 2018 after studying oenology and gaining experience both in France and overseas. Working alongside her father, Madeline is now at the forefront of the business with a growing influence on the 30-hectare vineyards in the southern Rhone and on the wines themselves. Practising sustainable viticulture, Madeline is driving the estate towards organic farming certification, a process that takes a number of years. The aim is to “produce authentic and unique wines, a reflection of our terroirs and our work”. The vineyards are the highest of the Rasteau appellation which allows them to achieve freshness and balance in their wines which many in this warm region cannot. Domaine des Escaravailles benefits from a number of different soils ranging from the water-retaining blue marl famous in the appellation, large stones (“galets”) as can be seen in the photo and sandy soils all of which have their advantages (and challenges). The range of terroirs also allows plot-specific wines to be produced from 15 different grape varieties, though Grenache dominates. Most of the vines are old which combined with low yields means wines that are concentrated, complex with depth. ANNA FLOWERDAY, TE WHARE RA Anna Flowerday and her husband, Jason, produce a number of stunning wines at their 11-hectare vineyard and winery, Te Whare Ra (pronounced Tea Far-ee Ra and Maori for ‘House in the Sun’) in Marlborough, New Zealand. From McLaren Vale in Australia, Anna is the sixth generation of her family to be involved in wine. Having met in Australia and gained experience in winemaking overseas, Anna and Jason bought TWR in 2003, restoring the vineyards and starting the conversion to organic growing and production by saving old vines, the oldest in the region that others told them to rip out, and bringing the soil back to life. The health of the soil is the key according to Anna. Yields are kept low and the wines are made with minimal intervention as the aim is to make wines that best express their origins. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the TWR approach showing respect for and with the environment produces the best wines in Anna’s view. Whenever I talk with Anna I am struck by her clear passion for what she does and this is reflected in the quality of the TWR wines which show finesse, balance and elegance with subtle richness, complexity and texture from their old vines and from lees contact