Vine, Vineyard, Region Environment

Different countries, states, cities and suburbs can be either warm or cool, depending on the time of the year and whether you're close to the coast or inland. The same goes for; wine regions, vineyards and even the vines.

Vineyard climates are divided into the following three climates:

Macroclimate: this is the region of the vineyard, i.e. Hunter Vally, Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Yarra Valley etc.

Mesoclimate: this is the vineyard itself, e.g. Tempus Two, Yalumba, Evans & Tate, Penfolds, Yering Station etc.

Microclimate: this is the direct environment of the vines.

All these different types of climates effect wine production, then of course there is the terroir. As you can imagine vineyards are acres of vines and one end of the vineyard can be cooler or warmer than the other. The wine maker takes this into account when producing the best type of wine that nature has handed them in any given season.

Peace,
Cristian.

 "…Hang on, its a drink, its only a drink. It goes through our kidneys and then it goes into the great sewerage system. Lets have a bit of fun with it, it wasn't built to be serious it was built for enjoyment and discourse and humour."

So I was having a glass of wine the other day and...

I thought to myself, I'm actually writing about this delectable drink and as I was having this glass of wine, I started to remember a process called maceration.

Maceration and fermentation go hand in hand, then of course there's the cap.

First, we'll get fermentation out of the way. Fermentation is when the yeast converts sugar into alcohol, releasing carbon dioxide.

Second, is the cap; which consists of "must". Since the fermentation gives off carbon dioxide, it causes the must to rise, this creates the cap, leaving the juice underneath. Must will also create the tannins colour and texture of the wine. The cap can dry out if left unattended, so the process of maceration is a 24 hour, 7 day commitment.

Finally, maceration. There are a few ways in which the wine maker can tackle this process. Which ever way the winemaker decides, the process is simple - keep the cap moist.

There are three main types of maceration:
1. Pumping Over
Grab a hose -> connect it to the base of the vat -> pump the juices through the hose and spray over the cap, as if you where watering the garden.

2. Punching Down
Get some crazy guy or gal to stand on top of the vat, breath in all that carbon dioxide, while plunging the cap into the juice or you can also get a machine to do it for you. And lastly...

3. Rack and Return
This requires two vats. Empty half the the original vat into vat2. Then poor vat2 back into the original vat at high speed.

Peace,
Cristian Sepulveda
 "…Hang on, its a drink, its only a drink. It goes through our kidneys and then it goes into the great sewerage system. Lets have a bit of fun with it, it wasn't built to be serious it was built for enjoyment and discourse and humour." Phillip White

Swirling wine to release oxygen

Why swirl? Swirling helps the wine to grab some air like an eagle in the sky. While the wine is grabbing air, it will start to release some of the air trapped inside the wine and in turn release the essence of the wine otherwise known as the bouquet.

Now if you don't have a lot of confidence holding the wine glass in your hand and giving it a good swirl, all you need to do is place the glass on the table and move in a circular motion. This way your are less likely to spill any out of the glass. Once you get used to this motion you can start picking up the glass and start swirling the wine in the glass with your hand.

As I mentioned earlier, air is released from the wine. How is this so? The simple answer is that there is water in wine therefore oxygen. The complex answer is that the vineyard is watered not only via rain and/or irrigation but in the wine making process. This is where the oxygen comes in, water being 2 part hydrogen and one of oxygen - H2O.

With cheaper bottles of wine, there is more water added in the wine making process, as the concentration of the grape juice is less. While the more expensive bottles have not only a higher concentration of grape juice, they also have been taken care of i.e. oaked in barrels (American or French), hand picked and planned out blending of grape varieties. All this and more is what differentiates the cheap from the expensive. 

Fun little fact to finish off. How much water does it take to produce a glass of wine? 120 litres. How is this possible? This encompasses the whole wine making process from irrigation right up to the delivery.

Peace,
Cristian

Oldest vine and what they mean for the grape Part 2 of 2

Continuing on from the last blog. The age of the vine has varying different effects on the grape and in turn the wine. For e.g. you are able to harvest old vines sooner as the tannins ripen sooner, though the yields of an old vine are low, compared to younger vines.

Old vines produce a steady grape. Young vines can produce a grape that is high in sugar and juice/water content, making a cordial like wine. Old vines can produce a grape that evenly distributes these attributes. Lastly an old vine has deeper roots, as a starting point the vines root can go down to 6 metres (20 feet) and laterally 9 metres (32 feet) and further still with ancient vines.

Deep roots benefit the grape as the vines can search for water deeper down in the soil during drought, while young vines struggle. When there is too much rain, the older roots don't soak up that much water whereas the younger vine will take in all this water and produce a very juicy grape.

Of course, all of this has an effect on the wine, so in saying all of this, get to know your regions, how old their vines are, keep an eye out on the vineyards weather and how their wine is made.

Does all this make a difference to the wine? Yes and No!
Yes, because old vines provide balance and No, because it depends on what the wine maker does with the juice to develop a great old vine wine.

Peace,

Cristian Sepulveda

Oldest vine and what they mean for the grape Part 1 of 2

It's been a while since my last blog, Easter came and went and my son's baptism also came and went. So a lot of family time over these last few weeks which is always great + some wine on the side.

These last few weeks, I've also been researching the oldest vines in Australia and this title goes to Yalumba in South Australia's, Barossa Valley.

We'll start with the Barossa Old Vine Charter. This charter was introduced so that the age of vines can be distinguished between the various ages of the vine itself, within the Barossa Region, i.e. at 35 years of age you get an Old Vine, 70 year old vine is a Survivor Vine, 100 year old vine is a Centenarian Vine, 125 year old vine is an Ancestor Vine.

Now, this isn't cemented, it's like "The Pirate's Code" in Pirates of the Caribbean. They're more like guidelines but can still be taken seriously. This is a great start, opposed to the the many laws in Europe. Here is the link to the video that explains in detail the Barossa Old Vine Charter.

Peace
Cristian Sepulveda

Harvest

Now it's time to get your hands dirty.

In the southern hemisphere, the grapes are harvested between February and April. While in the northern hemisphere, they are harvested between August and October. White wine is usually harvested first and then the red grapes, as red grapes take a little longer to ripen though there are reds that ripen early e.g. Tempranillo, which comes from the spanish word 'temprano' meaning early. The later you harvest a grape or the longer you leave it on the vine, the sweeter the grape. Hence, if you like a sweet wine, that is not a dessert wine, look for wine that is harvested late in the season. Then of course, the type of grape also has a factor but lets stick to the harvest.

There are two methods of harvesting, hand picking and the other machine harvest. Both produce wine that you can drink, it's just that the hand picked grapes produce a finer quality wine, though there is evidence to suggest that machine harvested wine can also produce premium wine, as recorded in California and New Zealand.

Machine harvesting does have its advantages but they do harm the grape and carry so much more to the press i.e. bruised grapes, MOG (Material Other than Grapes) which could include shrubs, leaves and bugs and no variation between ripe, unripe and spoiled. The machine violently shakes the vines to loosen the grape and compresses the soil.

Whereas, the grape pickers hand select the grape making sure that there are no blemishes. The grapes that are picked are ripe but the grapes that are unripe or spoiled are not picked. Pretty much the opposite of machine harvesting. In some regions like Burgundy in France, it has been made compulsory to harvest by hand.

Lastly it is more expensive to hand pick wine due to manual labour than it is to machine harvest.

To machine harvest or not to machine harvest? That is the question.

Peace,
Cristian

Technique

Before I head into this week's journey, I would like to thank all those that have been reading my blog. I met someone on the weekend that complimented me on my blog and said that my blog is an interesting point of view, in his words "from the grapes point of view". I thought that was awesome, so thank you.

There are so many techniques used in wine making but the one that caught my attention this week is being used by a wine maker in California and here in Australia. We'll go a little into the history and what this producer is doing to replicate the technique.

The technique is using Clay Amphora and amphora is a specific type of vase (pictured left) with two handles and as the name would have it it is made out of clay.

In ancient times the Greeks mainly used amphora, as a means of storage (usually buried), and to transport wine, grapes, olives, olive oil among many others but it was also used it as a canvas. The greeks would paint designs on them for particular ceremonies and social events for example, funerals, weddings and as prizes.

This history goes back to acient Greece and Rome and now in the 21st century we are seeing a resurgence of this wine making technique.

Del Dotto Vineyards  (a place I would love to visit) are using terracotta amphora  to produce their wine. The size of these amphora is impressive, measuring in at four-feet high, six-feet in diameter and hold around 2 tonnes. Then comes in the cost, which is $5,000 - $15,000 for each amphora. (Del Dotto actually made clay bottles to then sell to the public). The Australian producer who used to work for Foster's Wine Estates now has his own vineyard Ducks in a Row and produces Pandora's Amphora. Which is a drop I wouldn't mind getting my hands on!

The advantage of this technique is that the wine maker is using minimal sulphur so the wine does not oxidise making the wine more natural. So for all you allergy sufferers that love your wine, give this one a go. I feel as though I need to put in some kind of health warning - 'I take no responsibility for what happens' or 'drink at own risk', you get the picture.

Peace

Difference between New World and Old World

I have no idea what New World and Old World wine is and what the difference between the two are. My general understanding are the techniques used in making wine. There must be more to it. 

Wine is grown in certain countries and some can trace their vines back to the Roman empire. These countries are Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Austria. These regions are classic wine growing regions and are therefore are classified as Old World style wine.  The New World wine growing regions are Australia, United States of America, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand among many others. 

The other way to differentiate between the two is the terroir. In Old World, the wine is terroir driven. Let me quickly explain terroir; it is basically the soil, climate, rain, temperature, hours of sunlight, water retention, slope and drainage and other environmental factors that give the wine certain characteristics such aroma and unique flavour. It is the reason why people can tell the difference between an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and a French Cabernet Sauvignon. New World wines are less geared towards terroir.

And yes, there is a difference in New World and Old World techniques. In the Old World they rely more on terroir. While the New World are a lot more flexible on growing and making wine though they do consider environment an important factor in growing wine. 

The main differences between Old and New are the countries, terroir and techniques. On top of all this the two are colliding. Many New World vineyards are adopting Old World techniques and visa versa but you do still get your traditionalist that will only stick to the Old World. 

For me all this means is that there is more to explore in world wide wine, the new www.  

Peace,

Cristian

Benefits of wine

Wine is currently known to help the heart by preventing the hardening of the arteries. This is possible because the tannins in the wine provide certain chemical properties that help prevent the hardening of arteries. These tannins also contain anti-oxident properties that prevent cellular damage. More detailed information can be found here.

This is where it gets interesting for me, what are tannins? Simply, they provide that grip on the tongue, or dryness. I like to best describe it as velcro on your tongue. The more tannin in the wine, the more dryness on your tongue. The tannins come from the skin, seed and stalk of grapes, see picture below. Apologies for the quality, picture taken on the phone. 

Geddes, R 2011, A good nose and great legs

Next time you have a grape, as unpleasant as it may seem, bite down on the seeds and feel what textures you are left with. Do the same with the skin and the little stalk that is left on the end of the grape. This is what generates tannin in the wine and the more contact the wine has with these elements of the grape the more tannin there is going to be in the wine.

Now that we know what tannins are and what they do for us not only in our mouths but for our bodies, we can now appreciate wine even more. Enjoy your next glass!

Peace

What's with the scoring?

Wine is given a score out of 100, the closer the wine's score is to 100, the better the wine. There is also a rating out of 5 stars, again the closer to 5 stars, the better the wine.

Scoring a wine is left up to the professionals but they don't have the same tongue that you or I do. We all have different tastes. Similarly, not everyone likes spicy food while others love their food with spices. The same with wine, somebody might score a wine, a shiraz for example, a 96/100 but not everyone will enjoy that shiraz. 

Here is a link that I use consistently to appreciate the wine that I enjoy, along with a video showing that a wine does not need to be bought on rating but enjoyed with friends, family, colleagues or wine lovers to make a memorable lunch, dinner or night. 

Peace

More than just sight, smell and taste

There is so much more to wine that just what you see, smell and drink. There is also the processes that a grape goes through to make wine. If a grape had feelings it would be in so much pain :). From what the winemaker has decided to do with the grapes to how the wine is produced, which grapes are selected and which grapes the winemaker decides to blend. On top of all of this, you get the sensations that wine gives you; you can be in deep thought, almost to the point of meditating, long into the night with all the conversations you have had with the people around you. A night filled with laughter, sadness, memorable moments, a celebration or just a meal with close friends or loved one.

This is why, personally, there is truth in "Wine...the intellectual part of the meal" (Alexandre Dumas - 1873). What an absolutely awesome quote! We can talk so much more about this delectable drink that must be the oldest drink only second to water. The history of wine is such a fascinating one, from the Greeks and Romans, especially the Romans. The Romans conquered the majority of what we now call Europe and everywhere they went they would plant grape vines but what the Romans also did was to develop wine making processes that are still currently in use.

Wine history is such an interesting and exciting part of wine, which is why I will make Inventing Wine by Paul Lukacs my next book and other blogs as part of my reading .

Peace

Introduction

This is where I, like many others, express my love for wine, the wine process and the enjoyment of drinking wine. 

My aspiration is to become a person you can go to and ask for wine advice. A wine connoisseur if you will and this is my journey into that space. The space of vines and wines, bottles and glasses, design and labels, pops and fizzes, sight and colour, smell and aromas, taste and flavours, taste and texture.

A journey that begins now with my passion of wine and all the types of wine there are out there, from red to white to champagne to bubbles to desert to ports or winter warmers as I like to call them. Even the history and what other people have done and influenced the wine industry. 

I hope that you will learn as much as I will on this journey into the wine space.