Better Wines – What is the Right Method?

Better quality due to smaller yields or must concentration – reverse osmosis – cryogenic extraction etc.?

Vines produce a large number of grapes – if this is permitted by the wine-grower. Since the quality of the wine is related to the crop quantity, quality-oriented wine-growers reduce the harvests in order to increase the quality of the wine. The smaller the yield per hectare or per vine, the higher the mineral content in the wine and the richer the taste and the aromas.

Methods of Reducing the Yield

The classic method of doing this is pruning the vines in late winter. It is at this time that the wine-grower makes his decision regarding the quality and the harvest in the fall. This is the method that organic wine-growers use!

If the quality of the wine is only defined by the sugar content of the grapes, wine-growers leave twice as many grapes on the vine than they plan to harvest and then remove the surplus grapes 2 to 3 weeks before the harvest. The remaining grapes then develop a higher sugar content. The minerals which have been absorbed through the roots are then however spread out among all the grapes. This does not really enhance the quality, it just increases the alcoholic content. The advantage of this method is that the wine-growers can reduce the risk of losing part of the harvest due to hail or storms and can lead the customer to believe that the quality of the wine is superior due to its alcoholic content.

Vacuum evaporation and reverse osmosis are modern methods of must concentration which are simpler, less labor-intensive and involve no risks. With both of these methods, water which the grapes have taken in during the period of growth is removed from the must. Up to now, this method has been used mainly by about 100 “high-quality Bordeaux-Grand Cru wines” producers, as well as by very famous producers in Italy, by wine-growers abroad and in individual wineries in Germany. These wine producers save themselves all the work involved in reducing the yield in the vineyards. In a must concentration, up to 20 % of the water is extracted, all the other components such as sugar and acids remain and increase their effect. This method does have its disadvantages if imperfect grapes or grapes which do not have the same ripeness are used. The concentrated and relatively high acidity level can be decreased by extracting the acids by physical means.

Those wine producers who really want good quality remain faithful to their maxim that “good wine originates in the vineyard.” In their opinion, the methods of must concentration are just a way of increasing profits. If this is done, wine as a product takes a further step away from its natural origins.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.organicwinepure.com

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