Chris Hatcher
chief winemaker, Wolf Blass, South Australia
As far as alcohol goes ideally we’d like our [alcohol] levels at 14% but we will never compromise picking on flavour versus an analysis of potential alcohol. So if we have to compromise on flavour we will not do that. I think the most
important thing with any wine is what does it taste like? Does it taste over-ripe? Does it taste alcoholic? As a winemaker, if it does then you’ve got it wrong. If a wine is in good balance then the alcohol does not show – particularly no over-ripe characters. That is something at Wolf Blass we absolutely hate, any over-ripe characters. If it has the right brightness of fruit, has the right balance, [and] the alcohol doesn’t stand out then we’ve done our job.
The actual analysis [of the fruit] can sometimes surprise us. Some years you can get over-ripe wines at 13% alcohol; other years at 15% alcohol, so really it depends on the year. For me it is all about flavour and balance. The key to me is brightness of fruit. If you pick early you get greener fruit characters and hollow palate structure, and quite often acidic and firm [flavours]. If you pick too late you get those over-ripe “porty” characters. I have no interest in both ends [of that spectrum]. As a winemaker I’m purely interested in balance, and getting the structure right. The actual analysis of alcohol doesn’t worry me because the important thing is to taste the wine. Is it in balance? Are the brightness and freshness there? And then have a look at the alcohol. In reality if you actually look at the difference between 14% and 14.5% in real terms the impact on the amount of alcohol you have in your body after drinking a glass it makes no difference because it’s such a small increase. But certainly if grapes are over-ripe then I certainly will knock them out of any potential of getting into any Wolf Blass wine. We talk about terroir. If you are going to reflect the characters of a vineyard, then having over-ripe characters does not reflect the vineyard. Just as under-ripe characters do not reflect the vineyard. Anything on either side of that is unacceptable. It is all about balance.
Peter Leske
winemaking consultant, formerly of the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and Nepenthe
I have no doubt that a proportion of both consumers and winemakers are actively seeking lower-alcohol wines. It’s hard to tell the origins of the interest, however - is it ‘push’ from producers or ‘pull’ from consumers? Likewise the extent of the interest: who is more interested/committed? I can’t say – but I suspect that the push from the influencers (sommeliers, journos, buyers, critics, makers) is ahead of the consumer pull, notwithstanding ongoing change in wider public attitudes to alcohol consumption, drink driving and so on, which also play a role. Either way it is certainly positive in many trade and public circles to have a wine of moderate alcohol; gone are the days when it was considered cool to take a wine to market at 15.5%, and the ‘some is good, more must be better’ notion is no longer in vogue. Having said that, many consumers still seem to want to drink ‘hero’ reds, in which big alcohol goes with big colour, fruit intensity and tannin.
Data from the AWRI certainly showed increasing average alcohol content in reds and whites over a period. My understanding is that the rate of increase has slowed or plateaued. We may even see (be seeing?) a decline - you would need an update from them to be sure.
Some wine styles and varieties have been more prone to the swings of fashion and influence. I would think that the alcohol content of Riesling and Pinot Noir has been more stable over the past decade than Chardonnay and Shiraz, for example, which would have seen bigger swings up and now down again. But it’s not just about alcohol: in Chardonnay, lower alcohol has accompanied a deliberate style shift by makers to tighter acidity and altered texture from solids, uninoculated ferments, less malo... the list goes on.
So yes, there is a trend - and I expect it to continue, until at least the next trend comes along.
Peter Scudamore-Smith MW
principal and founder, Uncorked and Cultivated viticulture and winemaking consultants
Several sets of circumstances have brought forward this forthright discussion on table wine alcohol content. Hidden among all the contributing issues are many wines that are made awkward to sensory specialists through excessive or alcohol imbalance.
At the outset, I must admit that I appreciate wines from many jurisdictions which run to 14%, 14.5% and even 15% when flavour-balanced, and not sufficiently numbing to prompt a thought to not take a second glass. On the other side of the discussion, there are frequent occasions when I encounter wines of similar or higher alcohol label claims which go too far. They are alcohol invasive. Usually concurrent are fruit flavours which I describe as non-varietal, plain ugly or over-ripe, or, as some Australian wine show judges say, ‘dead-fruited’.
The temptation to hang grapes a long time can lead to this neutralisation of varietal character in pursuit of concentration, to make the biggest wine to impress drinkers. I am not a big fan of high-alcohol, warm-area Shiraz. The wines of this ilk are not food- friendly; wines which dominate a plate of tasty food are not the usual recommendation of a sommelier.
Our friends in the Barossa Valley are eventually working this out. The lead was set by the Barossa-based wine producer Yalumba, who regulated within the winemaking team that all table wine would not exceed 14% since 2010. Maybe one day this could be the norm.
The Californians have different issues in their cool coastal regimes where the big diurnal temperature swings cause high acidities and prolonged ripening before tannins are acceptable. Regardless of the final alcohol of these deep-flavoured monsters, it is reduced osmotically to below 14.5% where there is also a tax.
Many noble red wine styles of this world have increased, or are increasing, alcohols as climate change bites: Bordeaux, Rhône, Priorat, Piedmont. I wonder about their real future longevity.
Scott McWilliam
senior winemaker, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Winery, Hunter Valley
From a chemistry point of view, alcohol – in this case, ethanol in particular – is one of the most influential components of a wine due to its concentration alone. From a winemaking point of view, the balance of alcohol is of utmost importance to the overall quality of the wine. As we see a more efficient conversion of sugar to ethanol by today’s winemaking yeast, the winemaking balance can get tricky.
Consumers may have noticed on average an increase in alcohol percentages over the last few decades but do they really care? I feel we humans have become increasingly conscious about what goes into our bodies with an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle, and with the emergence of oenological technologies allowing increased manipulation of the final chemical matrix of a wine, we winemakers have been able to offer alternative products including reduced-alcohol offerings.
Whilst there will always be wines with relatively high alcohol and those who love them, here in Australia, consumer preference is trending to wines displaying elegance, balance and a sense of origin or terrior which is coming from lower alcohol. Hunter Valley Semillon has always been low in alcohol with a typical range from 10.0% to 11.5% a/v; on the other hand, some McLaren Vale reds can hit 17% a/v. McWilliam’s Wines have had good success with reduced-alcohol wines, whites in particular, but the segment is still relatively small with few offerings. My customers mostly don’t care about the alcoholic strength, they just want the wine to taste great.
