Gio back 15 years and it was a brave move for any writer to challenge the axiom that rising alcohol levels spelt doom for lovers of balanced wines.
New York Times critic Frank J. Prial started the polemic in the US long before I chucked in my legal career; his complaint was that California's high-alcohol monsters were about as food friendly and subtle as a fluorescent Porsche. Since I came to write about wine, I've heard countless anecdotes from winemakers and (certain) critics that excess alcohol – is there a standard definition? – is wholly undesirable.
However, I think I've been quite fortunate: the number of 14.5 percent wines that have assaulted my palate have been relatively low. Every year I sample vintages from all over the place that showcase a powerful alcoholic hit that seems to scorch the mouth; they lack definition and focus, boasting that standard amorphous mix of stewed fruit and low acidity. But in the context of rising temperatures, I'd argue that the number of lavishly alcoholic Brunello di Montalcinos and Riojas could be far higher, and I'll explore the reasons why shortly.
Art for art's sake
Of course, that doesn't stop the high-alcohol prejudice, snobbery and endless handwringing. Most world regions continue to look nervously at ever-increasing alcohol degrees. Critics used to levy blame at Robert Parker for a deluge of alcoholic fruit bombs; they now identify low yields, open vine canopies, global warming and super-efficient yeasts as the primary culprits, if left unchecked. A growing firmament of the world's leading vignerons see themselves as waging a noble war, a heroic battle against the horrid excesses of the "ripeness for ripeness sake" paradigm.
"Great concentration and extraction tend to take away the pleasure of drinking," opines Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, owner of Trentino's San Leonardo.
"I must admit that it immediately puts me off when I read on the label 14 percent and up – I rarely taste them unless I know the producer well. I like very classic wines and tend to enjoy the ones which are not so 'strong'. Besides, that means I can indulge in a few more glasses."
West Coast sommelier Matt Cirne adds: "I don’t think balance is easily achievable at higher abvs, but I do think it is possible. My personal opinion is dictated by my taste which, surprise surprise, tends to run toward higher-acid wines, not something that typically goes hand in hand with higher alcohol levels."
Balanced arguments
Australians can be particularly sensitive about the alcohol issue – I recall some very robust conversations between then-Torbeck winemaker David Powell and a French sommelier during a conference in 2011. The sommelier argued that Torbreck's Runrig Shiraz couldn't possibly be balanced at 14.5 percent. A few drops of the wine did nothing to change his mind. Powell responded with the diplomacy you'd expect from such a forthright gentleman – very much of the "choice Anglo-Saxon" variety.
More recently, Aussie winemaker Nicholas Crampton observed that "a sizable chunk of the Australian wine media and the majority of sommeliers (especially the younger ones) actively reject Barossa [because it is too mainstream and commercial] and wine shows such as the Melbourne Wine Show routinely reject my wines as 'over-ripe'. These elements of the trade are not listening to what consumers like but are telling them what to drink."
The prejudice is indeed widespread and far reaching. I've met sommeliers and buyers who are openminded about the issue, but far more of the species have been encountered who shudder at the thought of 14.5 percent Pinot Noir.
The rise of groups such as In Pursuit of Balance – now thankfully defunct – only added to the brouhaha over alcohol. Their single achievement was summed up nicely by San Francisco-based sommelier Gianpaolo Paterlini: "The movement did have a negative effect on some wineries (they shall remain nameless) who were making balanced wines from their warm vineyard sites before IPOB and have been making green, austere, hard-to-drink wines since IPOB. It's like they think balanced wine has to be a particular style – high-acid, low-alcohol – but it's important to remember that balance comes in all forms."
"I think bashing high alcohol wines became common place once Napa became oversaturated with lifestyle wineries churning out much the same product," adds Cirne. "Also, Burgundy saw an immense rise in value/popularity and the somm community became increasingly populated."
Some producers undoubtedly take refuge in the flexibility inherent to Californian wine law; regulations allow a degree of inaccuracy to the tune of 1.5 percent (if the listed abv level is 14 percent or lower). Europe, however, is more strict on the issue and only permits a variance of 0.5 percent.
New reality, new problems
But, as Paterlini indicated above, the problem today isn't a rash of alcoholic fruit bombs, it's the rise of underripe, charmless wines. Faced with the reality of rising temperatures, some growers are attempting to subjugate terroir and make lighter wines in spite of what nature is throwing at them – either because of their personal philosophies or because they fear a consumer backlash. They have an effective arsenal at their disposal, not least the development of low-efficiency yeasts, sophisticated canopy management techniques, and earlier harvests.
The results of their early picking endeavors can sometimes be horrifying. Australian Shiraz that reeks of pepper and little else, Yarra Valley Chardonnay that attempts to emulate Chablis and tastes of sweet FA. Elsewhere, the examples are seemingly endless; there are plenty of producers around the world who have tried to fight their local conditions and ended up with herbaceous wines that may be "fresh", but are also green and skinny. The 2015 Brunellos run the whole gamut, from high-alcohol, if fruit-driven, caricatures to excellent wines and more than a few lean, green examples that were picked too early.
"There is no doubt that grapes are being picked before physiological ripeness – wine drinkers are more open-minded and willing to experiment than ever, as are winemakers," says Cirne. "Tastes are far more varied than they ever have been and more and more people are intrigued by flavors other than those associated with fruit and ripeness. I also believe some less than fully ripe wines have a great use at the dining table where they often fill the tricky roll of pairing with tough ingredients such as assertive spring vegetables and bitter greens."
I agree with Cirne that there is a market for such styles; I agree with him also that the demand for lower-alcohol wines is real and identifiable. New Zealand's Dr John Forrest markets a low alcohol – average 9 percent – Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc grown in Marlborough to a tidy profit. This month, Australian brand McGuigan Wines took it one step further, expanding its distribution of the Zero range of alcohol-free wines across UK supermarkets. Some analysts like the IWSR are predicting a strong rise in the demand for low- and no- alcohol wines in a post-Covid-19 world.
Surrendering to the hipsters
Other members of the trade, however, see this as an eternal hipster niche.
"We do see some consumers who shy away from wines with 14 percent or more on the label, but this is not a large group (at least for now) and tends to be more focused in the middle ground and the hipster crowd who seem to delight in the non-mainstream whether it is good or bad. For higher end wines, I have never had feedback from our shops that alcohol content was an issue either way in a customer's purchasing decision," reports wine buyer Peter Mitchell MW.
"Personally, I would rather a wine be phenolically ripe with high alcohol than be lean and tart, just to keep the abv low. The greatest wines work with what they have, naturally achieving balance, rather than being forced into a style that the grape variety/climate simply couldn't achieve. Having said that, I have come across more unbalanced wines above 15 percent than below, but I am not convinced this is because of the alcohol per se, but more because the winemaker/viticulturist didn't have the skill or resources – into which I would include having suitable varieties for the climate planted – to achieve balance."
The thing that these trend-conscious, early picking winemakers don't seem to understand is that the market for low-alcohol wines– size indeterminable – is out of reach; their wines would never be perceived as lower alcohol. Winemakers in Australia, US and Europe pursue "balance" by chasing a potential brix of say 12.5 degrees, when the vintage/terroir conditions are naturally conducive to 15/16 degrees.
Yet acolytes of the IPOB ethos should remember that, 30 years ago, the epithet "low" (or lower) alcohol would never have been levied at a 12 percent wine. The term is very loosely defined, but I'm sure most consumers would regard John Forrest's wines as more authentic examples of the genre, rather than a purposefully underripe Hawke's Bay Syrah, picked at 20 degrees brix. Balance cannot be defined by one trait – it is surely defined by all the elements working together and reflecting the origin. What qualifies as a lower-alcohol wine nowadays? 5, 6 or even 7 percent? Who decides the cut-off point?
And so history repeats itself: we Homo sapiens are adept at lurches into wild extremes. In this case, we've apparently swapped alcoholic monsters for mean-spirited, sulky wines. You'll find no greater critic of overripeness for its own sake; such wines quickly become tedious and monotone. This contemporary paradigm is arguably far worse. It takes immense skill to make one of the world's most wonderful substances, grown in exceptional terroirs like Barossa Valley and Hawke's Bay, dull and uninspiring.
But thanks to a pernicious combination of trade prejudice and the curious proselytizing of lower alcohol wines, some winemakers have pulled it off.
September 09, 2020 at 07:00AM
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Wine's New Alcohol Balancing Act - Wine-Searcher
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