These days, wines pack more punch
Visit any winery in the area right now and you will be transported into fermentation-ville. The beguiling aromas of grapes, recently plucked from the vine, doing the hokey-pokey with a bunch of yeast (some native, some high-priced foreign imports).
The magical transformation of grapes into wine begins with bubbling vats, heady scents and – where red wines are being made – caps of skins and grape solids that must be punched down repeatedly to keep the witches brew brewing.
What is going on here is relatively simple – sugar is being converted into alcohol, and in the process, carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere. What follows over the next weeks and months gets more complicated, but what remains is, well, all that alcohol. And therein lies a growing problem for winemakers around the world, but especially here in the U.S.
On average, both white and red wines are at least two percentage points higher in alcohol today than in decades past. While European wines have remained more or less consistent, American wines have steadily climbed. In the case of the most extreme examples – California Zinfandels – what once was an almost Bordeaux-like grape that made classy, 13 percent alcohol wines, is now a turbo-charged monster. I’ve seen a handful of dry (not dessert or late harvest) Zinfandels topping 17 percent alcohol recently, and 16 percent plus is not uncommon.
To a lesser, but still unnerving degree, the same thing is happening to syrahs, to cabernets, to merlots, even to pinot noirs, and not just in California. Some consumers may say, so what – we like these wines. A lot of people do like such sweet, thick, fruity, jammy wines. They’re “hedonistic.” to borrow another wine writer’s stock wording. And wineries pride themselves on all the hard work it takes, especially in the vineyard, to craft such high-octane wines.
So what exactly is the problem? Simply that, for many people, these explosively alcoholic wines are almost undrinkable. They bludgeon the palate with heavy flavors and thick tannins. They leave you woozy after a single glass. They obliterate any subtlety you might hope for in terms of a food and wine pairing. They do not age well. They make all grapes taste alike. Zinfandel, pinot noir and syrah should not taste alike. But at 15.5 or 16 percent alcohol, they do.
Howard Rossbach is making it his personal goal to fight the trend. The Seattle-based owner of the popular Firesteed brand of value-priced pinot noir and pinot gris has launched a new wine, Cayalla. It’s a red blend from Columbia Valley grapes.
“We worked hard to keep it under 14 percent alcohol,” says Rossbach. “If wine is something that goes with food, then 12.5 to 13 percent alcohol is great. If you go up to 14.5 or 15 percent, that’s a 20 to 25 percent increase in alcohol. That’s a bit of a wallop! We don’t like foods that are unbalanced. Why would we want wines that are unbalanced?”
This question of balance is key, because I often hear wineries defending their brutish wines by pointing out that, although they may be big, they are balanced. Some are, but it’s the sort of balance that you might see in the circus. A bear riding a unicycle on a tightrope. Yeah, he’s balanced, but how long is he going to be able to stay up there?
What I most regret about these wines on steroids is that they obliterate the very qualities that make great wines truly great: nuance and terroir. When fruit is ripened to the extreme levels common today, the resulting wines show only overwhelming sweetness and concentration. Gone are all traces of mineral, leaf, herb and spice, along with the delicate and complex aromas that can be found in grapes picked earlier.
Grapes grown in the world’s best vineyards have the ability to make wines that express what is termed terroir – the particular nuances of their soil, their microclimate and that particular season. But grapes that hang until sugars skyrocket express two things only – fruit and alcohol. The new oak that these wines are marinated in is simply the winemaker’s attempt to provide “balance.”
If you want true balance, one place to find it is in cooler climate wines, from vineyard sites in places such as the Yakima Valley. Or island wines, from grapes grown in the Puget Sound. From California, I often choose wines from Mendocino, particularly the higher altitude sites. The less expensive wines, such as the King Fish wines mentioned below, are often lower in alcohol. See for yourself if they don’t make up with nuance what they may lack in sheer power.
Recommended wines
Whidbey Island Winery 2004 Puget Sound Siegerrebe; $12. Siegerrebe, a relative of gewurztraminer, creates this delightful, off-dry white wine rich with citrus, spice, honey, pear, apricot and pine tar.
Chinook 2005 Yakima Valley Sauvignon Blanc; $17. Leesy and crisp, an immaculate style, with flavors that are layered and substantial.
Cayalla 2004 Columbia Valley RTW; $13. RTW stands for red table wine. Smooth and fruit-driven, this appealing Bordeaux blend includes a bit of syrah also.
King Fish 2005 California Pinot Grigio; Merlot; Cabernet Sauvignon; Shiraz – $5. I like all of the King Fish wines, so I’m listing them as a group. Five bucks isn’t going to buy you Chateau Lafite, but it gets you soft, smooth, clean flavors of cherry, raspberry and blueberry pie in the reds. The pinot grigio is even better, just slightly sweet but clean and melony. King Fish is a part of the Delicato Vineyards wine portfolio.