Napa Valley Register Op-Ed: Mira Winemaker Explores the Debate over Alcohol Content

Alcohol and Wine, Keeping the Balance

By Gustavo A Gonzales for the Napa Valley Register

It was only a few months ago that we started cracking open the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignons to see what an arguably difficult vintage would yield. A few were surprises, some disappointments. All spurred myriad opinions. But as we sipped and evaluated, a natural question came to mind: “Why are we just now starting the discussion?”

As the Napa Valley harvest has now concluded, it is worth noting the time for debate and discussion about excellent wine is when the grapes have just come in — particularly as it relates to the ongoing debate over alcohol content.

For most, making wine isn’t an everyday affair so it is worth looking at how this process actually works. The harvest is essentially the most important aspect of the winemaking process because this is when you decide what flavors you’re going to contribute to the wine. The harvesting decision impacts the final outcome of the wine, not only flavors and other attributes, but also chemistry and stability, and that is where alcohol becomes a factor. The sugar level at which we choose to harvest translates into alcohol as fermentation takes place.

Each winemaker seeks a certain sugar level and flavor combination before deciding to harvest. Each decision is made based on a set of unique characteristics consistent with their winery’s methods. This is the first step in a process to determine the eventual alcohol content. Some argue for a higher content — conventionally thought of as 14 percent or higher — some argue for a lower. My argument is that it’s the wrong argument.

One argument for less alcohol is, quite simply, that a higher alcohol content negatively affects the taste. However, this contention ignores the reality that if wine is truly balanced, even with a higher content, the alcohol doesn’t stand out.

As we saw in 2011, it is important to adapt to Mother Nature’s conditions and not simply craft wine according to cookie-cutter methods. Different years yield different characteristics and some years result in extensive flavor with less sugar enabling a sooner harvest with less alcohol. Other years, those characteristics take longer to develop meaning a later harvest and a higher alcohol content.

Wine ratings and empirical evidence support the theory that balance outweighs alcohol content. Out of the top 20 wines ranked by Wine Spectator in 2012 and 2013, the average alcohol content was 14.5 percent. In my own experience, I made the 100-point Tenuta dell’Ornellaia 2001 Masseto, described by Wine Spectator as “perhaps the greatest Tuscan red ever,” which had a 15 percent alcohol content. And as the head red winemaker at the Robert Mondavi Winery, the highest scoring wine we made had an alcohol content of 16 percent. No one ever mentioned that it was an alcoholic wine when they tasted or rated it.

One danger in focusing too heavily on trying to lower the alcohol level in one’s wine is that it can often lead to adding water. California is fortunate in that the climate allows for a great deal of variation. In other areas of the world, they don’t have the same luxury and in France, for example, they actually add sugar to what are considered “classic” wines to increase the alcohol level. In California, though, winemakers are allowed to add water to the juice prior to fermentation to ultimately reduce the alcohol content. But if a winemaker is harvesting based on flavor and balance, is it better to water down the juice to have a lower alcohol content or keep the flavors you’ve been waiting for and live with higher alcohol but a more balanced wine?

The bottom line is that a high or low level of alcohol is not a quality parameter (such as a microbiological spoilage) and to arbitrarily use it as one is flawed. Getting it “right” means having all the characteristics of the wine coming together in one bottle without one thing or another standing out, including alcohol. As this years harvest goes on, it is important to remember that focusing on alcohol rather than balance as a primary factor means some people will sacrifice taste while others will miss out on some of this season’s finest altogether.

Read the full article on The Napa Valley Register here.