Authentic wine : toward natural and sustainable winemaking PDF
Preview Authentic wine : toward natural and sustainable winemaking
AUTHENTIC WINE This page intentionally left blank AUTHENTIC WINE Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop, MW UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www .ucpress .edu . University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, En gland © 2011 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Goode, Jamie. Authentic wine : toward natural and sustainable winemaking / Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978- 0- 520- 26563- 9 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Wine and wine making. 2. Organic wines. 3. Organic viticulture. I. Harrop, Sam. II. Title. TP548.G6259 2011 641.2'2—dc22 2010052392 Manufactured in the United States of America 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on Rolland Enviro100, a 100% post- consumer fi ber paper that is FSC certifi ed, deinked, pro cessed chlorine- free, and manufactured with renewable biogas energy. It is acid- free and EcoLogo certifi ed. Jacket design and illustration by Claudia Smelser. Note: All the photographs in this book were taken by Jamie Goode. CONTENTS Preface • vii 1. Introduction • 1 2. The Diversity of Wine: How a Natural Approach Can Help Preserve Wine’s Interest • 9 3. Terroir • 19 4. Grafted Vines • 37 5. Biodynamics and Organics • 49 6. Sustainable Winegrowing • 85 7. When Winemakers Intervene: Chemical and Physical Manipulation 111 • 8. The Natural Wine Movement • 141 9. Yeasts, Wild and Cultured 169 • 10. Ripeness and Alcohol Levels • 183 11. Wine Faults • 201 12. The Carbon Footprint of Wine • 219 13. Marketing Authentic Wine 235 • 14. Conclusion • 247 Index • 251 This page intentionally left blank PREFACE Anyone who thinks they know all the answers is a long way from making interesting wine. MAC FORBES, WINEGROWER FROM AUSTRALIA’S YARRA VALLEY We believe that wine is special, and one of the things that make it special is that it is, in essence, a natural product. We argue that this naturalness is important for wine, and any attempt to make wine less natural by allowing winemakers greater freedom to make more additions could severely damage the image of wine and its continued spe- cialness. Indeed, it is not a huge exaggeration to suggest that we are at a crossroads in the history of wine. In the worst- case scenario, wine becomes increasingly industrial and manufactured, a homogenised mass with only a tiny niche of authentic wines re- maining, the preserve of only a few lucky souls who can still access them. In the best- case scenario, the wine trade embraces and celebrates the fact that wine is a natural product and takes steps to preserve its diversity and authenticity— steps that will en- sure healthy growth and development of the market for wine. It is for this reason that we began writing this book with the working title of Natural Wine. However, we soon realized that “natural” was too narrow a label. Naturalness has its place, but it should be part of a wider body of considerations. As a result, we came up with the term “authentic wine” to describe a wine made in consideration of not just naturalness, but also a broader range of important factors, including environmental impact, marketing, and sustainable viticulture. We think that this is a timely book, coinciding with an awakening awareness among the general consumer population of “green” issues such as sustainability and carbon foot- prints. Increasingly, people are looking at what they are eating and drinking in a more critical fashion: Where does it come from? How is it made? What is its environmental vii impact? How is it packaged? This awareness throws open a door of opportunity to the wine trade to promote the intrinsic naturalness of wine and, where necessary, to put its house in order by addressing the issue of sustainability of wine production. So what do you expect to fi nd in the pages of a book titled Authentic Wine? A cam- paigning voice, strident polemics, and an agenda aiming to convert winemakers to the natural wine movement? Or an angry denunciation of the direction the wine industry is taking? Or maybe some undiluted romanticism, yearning after a long- past golden age of wine? Well, this book is none of these, although you’ll probably fi nd elements of all three themes scattered around the text. Instead, this is a practical book, driven by curiosity and a passion for interesting wine. By coining the term authentic wine, we aim to diff erentiate between wines that are headed in the direction of homogenization, and wines whose origins have their roots in terroir, which are made from appropriately right fruit, free from faults, and made sustainably. We believe the future of the global wine industry depends on a push towards more authentic wine, and we discuss how winemakers can work, within the constraints of their individual situations, to best achieve this goal. As well as attempting to give a few answers, we’ll be asking lots of questions: what is meant by the term natural? Is wine diff erent from other alcoholic bev- erages, and why? Is there such a thing as “fake” wine? What is the appropriate use of technology in winemaking? What additions to wine should be allowed, and who gets to decide? And, practically, how can winemakers adjust their methods to make more hon- est, expressive, and interesting wines? Because this book is the joint eff ort of a scientist- turned- wine- writer and a practicing winemaker, our hope is that it will be solidly grounded in reality while being sympa- thetic to the mystery and art of wine. Unlike other attempts to cover similar ground, our aim is to address the subject of natural wine with a pragmatic rather than a dogmatic approach, free of the sort of ideology that has the potential to stifl e imaginative, open- minded thinking. We take a rather scientifi c approach in places, but this is not because we think that science alone can make interesting wine. It is just that science is a powerful tool to help unlock understanding. However, it is by no means the only legitimate or useful way of viewing wine. Our argument is that authenticity and naturalness are concepts vital to the future health of the global wine industry, and we discuss how winemakers can best achieve the goal of making true, honest, natural wines that express best what their vineyards give them. Through the text runs a strong theme: wine is unique and special, and we should do what we can to keep it that way. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank all our colleagues, friends, and acquaintances who have contrib- uted to this book: there are far too many to name, but you know who you are. It has viii • PREFACE been our experience that the wine trade is unlike any other in terms of its spirit of col- legiality, and the hospitality and cooperative spirit of most of its members. In addition, some of the chapters and sections of boxed copy in this book began their life as articles for The World of Fine Wine and Meininger’s Wine Business International, and we would like to thank these excellent publications for their permission to incorporate modifi ed sections of these texts into this book. Jamie Goode Sam Harrop PREFACE • ix
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