Proof positive
The search is on for lower alcohol wines that retain flavour, reports Jeni Port.
FOUR years ago, Tesco - a large and influential British supermarket chain - came to a South Australian winemaker with an idea for a wine that seemed the stuff of fairy tales.
The brief requested a wine like (Penfolds) Bin 389 at 7% alcohol.
Predictably, winemaker Chris Hackett told them they were dreaming, that replicating one of Penfolds' premium reds (which, incidentally comes in at around 14.5% alcohol) would not be possible, that alcohol and flavour are inextricably connected and that reducing a wine's alcohol by half would affect the taste of the wine.
Tesco went away empty-handed but the idea sent Hackett back into the winery in search of a red that, while not in the same league as Bin 389, would nevertheless meet the 7% of alcohol target and (fingers crossed) deliver flavour.
In 2005, he came up with a McLaren Vale shiraz he called "Seven Good Reasons". It's interesting that both Tesco and Chris Hackett settled on the number seven. Why not 12 or 13? After all, Tesco's ongoing complaint has been that rising alcohol levels on Australian wines - around 14.5% and higher - are getting out of hand, so a wine at 12 or 13% alcohol would appear to assuage its concerns.
Or could it be that marketing a 13% shiraz didn't have the same wow (or sales) factor for Tesco or make the point loudly enough?
Tesco wanted a "low" alcohol wine. Most Australian wine producers, I'm sure, would be pleased with trimming off the odd percentage point or two.
Most are aware that retailers, consumers and wine writers, both here and overseas, are tiring of the monolithic Aussie red and the flabby white.
What can winemakers do?
They can pick earlier and possibly end up with under-ripe fruit.
They can do what Chris Hackett did for his Seven Good Reasons shiraz and employ reverse osmosis, a handy piece of technology that can remove things from wine - alcohol, water - without taking out the good bits like antioxidants and colour.
The French have employed reverse osmosis to remove water to increase concentration in wines and, more recently, Australian winemakers have used the technology to remove alcohol. Still, it's an extra cost in wine production and can send the wrong message about winemaking being a "natural" process.
Which brings us to the work of Dr Paul Chambers at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. He's working on ways to develop wine yeasts that will convert less of the sugar in grapes into alcohol.
High-alcohol wines and drinks are attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. The Federal Government has censored alcopops and wants us to be aware of alcohol levels through standard drinks labelling. Health groups see alcohol as a menace to our community health and powerful British supermarkets such as Tesco want Aussie winemakers to change their high-alcohol ways.
Dr Chambers has been quoted as saying that if alcohol levels can come down a little, more flavour will become apparent in our wines because "high alcohol has a tendency to suppress the flavour of wine".
Now, that's debatable.
First, there's no winemaking definition for a high-alcohol wine. It's generally perceived as something that might - or might not - be picked by the taster.
Some high-alcohol wines carry the alcohol well and appear in balance. Others don't. It's also important to remember that alcohol is an essential flavour component.
It might be more accurate to say that high alcohols produce different flavours in wines, ones that are sweeter, richer and sometimes taste "hot". Some people love these styles of wine but an increasing number don't. High alcohol, in some ways, is a bit of a fad whose time is coming to an end.
There is also evidence that high alcohols are now part of our changed environment.
Warmer, drier seasons have led to higher sugar levels earlier and higher alcohols. Perhaps wine companies should stop dictating that growers in warmer areas such as McLaren Vale or the Riverina not even consider picking shiraz until it's at least 14 per cent alcohol.
That would be a good start.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
Does less alcohol produce better flavour in wines?
PETER LESKE, WINEMAKER, JUDGE, EDUCATOR:
"It's all about optimising the alcohol level rather than going up or down."
PETER GAGO, WINEMAKER PENFOLDS WINES:
"The trend over the past few years has been upward but from our perspective we do pursue 13 or 13.5% alcohol - that to us is perfect."
MARTIN WILLIAMS, MW, WINEMAKER:
"Certainly plenty of really wonderful wines around the world are produced with very, very low alcohol levels."
ROB GEDDES, MW, WINE MARKETER, EDUCATOR:
"Alcohol does have a contaminating character when there's a lot of it on the palate. It adds warmth, weight and oiliness but can seem to dilute the flavour."