Global Warming and how it affects the wines you love
The issue of global warming may be an academic one for the pundits and politicians in Washington, pontificating and preening in their air-conditioned studios and offices. But for wine lovers, it’s starting to hit a bit closer to home, and its importance and effects are being felt more directly than ever before. I witnessed this first hand during my trip to Australia last year where they have endured a near 10 year drought.
The geography of the wine-producing world is shifting right underneath our feet—literally. Regions that were once perfect for cool-weather grape varieties are warming up to the point that the wines coming from them are noticeably different from their traditional manifestations. And regions that were once too cool for the production of any sort of decent wine are starting to make headway into the world of fine grapes and wineArguing about whether this is a good thing or not is beside the point, because no matter how you look at it, the warming trend is forcing wine lovers to change their mindsets and strategies when it comes to seeking out and purchasing their precious bottles.
The most important thing is that you understand your own wine preferences: By doing so, you’ll be able to more appropriately focus on the regions whose wines are likely to be most appealing to you these days. If, for example, you’re a fan of warm-weather wines, then you may want to focus on the parts of the wine world that produce wines from grapes that will flourish in all this heat. The Southern Rhone Valley, for example, is a great place to start: The grenache and syrah that make up the majority of the best blends there thrive in the heat. So the warmer weather we’ve been experiencing should actually help to make those wines even more appealing to you than they perhaps have been in the past.
If, however, the big, bold flavors and textures of hot-weather wine are not for you, then you may want to seek out specific producers whose styles are more in line with what you enjoy. After all, wine is not just a product of what nature provides the vines with, but also, to a great extent, of human intervention. And there are many producers who can still, within certain limits, craft a wine of elegance and subtlety even in the warmest years that would seem to be more conducive to higher-octane bottlings.
No matter what your political views are on the issue of global warming, it is becoming ever more difficult to ignore it in terms of how it impacts the wine in the glass before you. And the more you understand the geography of both the wine world and your palate, the better prepared you’ll be to make the most of it.
Just the Facts Ma’am
Early organic wines (6 or 7 years ago) ranged from weak and weird to downright awful and overpriced. Today, happily, good organic wines not only are increasingly available—some of them are exceedingly good. When doing the research for this article I found that there are a great deal of conflicting opinions and inconsistent regulations within the organic community of growers and regulators. Here are some facts on what I discovered.FACT: Sulfites exist in all fruits and vegetables.
FACT: Though a wine label may say sulfite free, sulfites exist in every bottle of wine. It is technically impossible to strip a wine of all its sulfites. It would not last long enough in the bottle to make it from the winery to our store.
“Sulfites are an antioxidant, and we have not found a replacement for that,” says Robert de Leuze, winemaster at ZD Wines in Napa Valley, California.
FACT: For centuries, winemakers have relied on sulfur dioxide to keep white wines from turning brown prematurely and losing their youthful fruit flavors. Red wines contain tannin, a natural preservative, so they need less sulfite protection than whites, but they still need some sulfites to guarantee a reasonable life span. Organic wines are best consumed very young—within two or three years—since the fruit may not hold up as long as in wines with a little added sulfur.
“Wines without sulfites are on a fast track,” says Bob Blue, winemaker at Bonterra Vineyards in Hopland. “They taste old quickly.
FACT: To be called “organic,” a wine must be made from organically grown grapes: No pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers or other synthetic products are used in the vineyard, and no sulfites are added to the wine. Minute quantities of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a natural form of sulfur released during fermentation, exist in all wines and may sometimes exceed the tiny legal maximum of 10 parts per million (ppm). If none are added, however, the label may say “No Sulfites Added” or “NSA” Organic.
FACT: Wines simply made from organically grown grapes have smaller amounts of sulfites (40-100ppm) than are permitted for conventional wines (350ppm). Their labels must state “Contains Sulfites,” as do organic wines from Europe, which are allowed up to 50ppm—so labels on imports cannot say “Organic.” Though today’s winemakers use smaller amounts of SO2, its antioxidant properties allow the wine to last longer, be more stable for travel and develop more character and flavor, as good wines should.
FACT: Organic wines are made from grapes grown in organic vineyards, and are processed using methods that keep chemical intervention to a minimum. This means that, strictly speaking, organic wine is not necessarily totally organic. Sulfites are needed to protect growing grapes from fungal attack, to preserve and stabilize wine in the bottle, and are used in both conventional and organic wine production. The difference lies in the fact that organic producers keep the use of sulfites to a minimum, with levels approaching a third of those used in conventional wine production. The lower levels of sulphur are suspected of (but not proven) being the reason why organic wine has a reputation for being hangover-free.
FACT: Sulfites (in moderation) are essential throughout the winemaking process. For example, they keep wine barrels from “souring,” or harboring the acetic bacteria that could turn the contents to vinegar. And when added early in the winemaking process, sulfites keep rogue yeasts and bacteria from hijacking the fermentation and producing all manner of unpleasant smells.
FACT: Most people are not sensitive to the amount of sulfites legally allowed in wine (a maximum of 350 parts per million). But a handful of people — the FDA estimates 1 in 100 — may have an allergic-type reaction to wines and foods high in sulfites, such as some dried fruits, canned soups, processed potatoes and baked goods.
FACT: The USDA’s organic rules include blatant inconsistencies, the inevitable result of the political wrangling that went into writing them. Organic grape growers can dust vines with elemental sulfur, which sunlight converts to sulfur dioxide, a mildew preventative. Yet organic winemakers can’t add sulfur dioxide in the cellar.
“Elemental sulfur is considered organic, but please explain to me how we get organic sulfur without an industrial process,” says Roger Boulton, a professor of enology at UC Davis. “They bent the rules on sulfur because it was convenient.”
FACT: The American standards are particularly vexing to those who deal in imported wine and must reconcile the regulatory and semantic differences. Many European wines are made from certified organic grapes, but the USDA doesn’t recognize European certification. Europeans tend to use the same verbal shorthand that Americans do, referring to wine from organic grapes as organic wine (vin bio in French), although these wines almost uniformly have sulfites added. To the typical French consumer and winemaker, the wine is still organic.
A MOST SURPRISING FACT: As it stands now, the regulations confuse consumers. The rules have retarded the growth of organic wine in this country by making it nearly impossible to make a stable, drinkable product consistently. Some wineries using organic grapes don’t want their wine positioned as organic for fear that consumers will perceive the wine negatively.
“Quite honestly, we don’t want to be an organic winery,” says John Williams, proprietor of Frog’s Leap Winery in Rutherford, which has had CCOF certification since 1989. “We believe that farming organically makes better wine, and that’s been our sole impetus for a long time. Our responsibility is to make great wine, not wine that fits into a category.”
One of the most rigorous organic practitioners in the state doesn’t want the label either.
Coturri Winery in Glen Ellen may be the only winery in California that could qualify for a “100 percent organic” claim, which requires that every ingredient in the wine be organic. That means no commercial yeast for starting the fermentation, no tartaric acid for correcting the wine’s acidity, and of course no sulfur dioxide.
“The only ingredient in our wine is grapes,” says Paul White, the winery’s general manager. Nevertheless, adds White, “We don’t want to have a USDA-certified stamp. We’d rather be known as traditional fine wine.”
Well, I hope this gives you a little insight into the world of Organic wines and if you have any questions feel free to ask me when you’re in the store.
Best Always,
David Gay - Wine Manager