BERGER: The radical changes in winemaking
Published: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 11:44 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 11:44 a.m.
Wine once was a simple beverage — the product of fermented grape juice. But that was when it was a common quaff with little to recommend it. And in many places in the world, it still is just that.
However, fine wine is one of the most complicated of subjects, taking years to master. And recently it has gotten more complex than ever.
I have a great deal of respect for doctors who must keep current with the current literature on literally hundreds of topics. In a way, winery personnel have to do the same or risk having the industry pass them by.
Decades ago, it was fine to plant vines, wait a few years, harvest, crush the fruit, ferment it, and voila! — wine. Winemaking has changed so radically that some old-timers wouldn't even recognize it. Today it is suggested you know agronomy, botany, microbiology, and a dozen other subjects just to stay even with your competitors.
It may all have started with the advent of electricity to drive grape crushers and pumps, and motorized gadgets to get grapes in from the field and processed quickly.
As wine-making grew more sophisticated, growers began to see that different methods for growing vines resulted in different flavors. Today the sciences of vine trellising, fertilization, organic farming and soil additions require months if not years of study.
Another change came when it began to be known that different clones of the same variety offered different flavors. Even though they are all called pinot noir, clones named 667, Pommard, Wente, 2a, 115, and Martini are among literally dozens, all different from one another in subtle ways. Which ones a winery uses determines the style of wine it will make.
Now look at yeasts, which act as a catalyst to convert sugar in a liquid to alcohol and carbon dioxide. A few decades ago, it was discovered that different strains of yeast give a different sort of wine. Montrachet acts a lot differently than Prise de Mousse. Today there are hundreds of different yeasts from which to choose.
Decades ago it was discovered that wine could be made into a concentrate that could be added to a fermentation in lieu of sugar. Today's concentrates are far more sophisticated — and widely used — even in expensive wines.
Decades ago, red wine was aged in barrels mainly for maturity. As a result, clean, used barrels could be used for a long time, up to two decades. Over the last 30 years or so, some people wanted their wine to smell and taste like new barrels. Today most image-conscious wineries age their reds in barrels mainly for flavor and replace their barrels every couple of years. Many used ones wind up as round planters.
Called flash-détente, it is an expensive machine that allows winemakers to alter the aromas and flavors their wines have after fermentation. Among other things, the machine inhibits “endogenous enzymatic activity,” says a sales sheet for the machine. Oh.
Now, Sonoma State University has established the Wine Business Institute that offers a degree program for those involved in the business of wine. Included are courses in marketing; finance and accounting; business strategies, and wine production, operations and distribution. Making wine is more complex than ever.
Sonoma County resident Dan Berger publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.
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