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August 27, 2009

What Sweet Spot?

As you have probably noticed I've started some tasting notes on some of the wines I am drinking in a new section of my blog.

The latest news is that us Brits are drinking 10% more alcohol than in 2000. Sales have remained the same and therefore this is not a volume shift.

Wine for example has risen in strength on average from around 11% to 13%. Glass sizes are also expanding, and I have ranted about this several times in my blog.

Two out of the three bottles I have commented on so far are New World, and they also have the much higher alcohol content, one of them being 14% ABV.

So why is this happening and is it really important?

The New World wines are getting increasingly popular due to price vs quality (or so we are told) compared to Old World wines. The climate is warmer and sunnier which promotes riper grapes. So grapes from these regions tend to be higher in sugar when picked, and as sugar turns into alcohol the heady outcome is inevitable, unless you use weird and wonderful techniques like reverse osmosis to eke it out.

All over the world, the rising in alcohol content (up to 15%+ ABV in some cases) leading to intensely boozy wine is put down to several factors. Some say it's due to global warming, improved viticultural methods and even bizarre new armies of well trained yeast. In other words... don't blame me, pass the buck onto 'uncontrollable' external factors.

Others maintain that 'big' wines score better with the critics and therefore the trend is to produce wines with higher alcohol as they perform supremely at tastings. This explanation I have to say rings true to me.

The problem for us ordinary drinkers is that bigger rocket fueled wines do not seem to go so well with a meal. There is a major disconnect here, and this starts to show the political absurdity of the peculiar tasting and scoring culture that can make or break a wine producer. That paper medallion on a bottle seems to be all important. Who cares if it is not fit for purpose to drink with food. Maybe these critics need to slow down a little, take stock and start eating meals, not crackers between 'micro sips'.

These huge wines almost sit like oil and water, an alcohol slick floating on top. Forget the food matching blurb on the back, just recommend a spittoon and a biscuit.

There is a wine 'sweet spot' which is extremely dependant on the individuals palate. This is the perfect point between low and high alcohol wine. Anywhere outside of this and the balance of a wine can be ruined. This is meant to be the skill of the wine maker, balancing the wine so that the majority of people will appreciate it. This does seem lacking in many cases.

Maybe we will be filling up the car with a New World Zinfandel soon, a new biofuel. Perhaps there should be signs on bottles like 'warning, highly flammable'. A big Pinot Noir may even be the new device of choice for a bourgeois revolutionary crowd, doubling as a Molotov Cocktail.

I think it is fine producing wines of all strengths, but the output should be more varied for the consumer. At the moment wines seem to be only going one way, and that is palate stripping alcohol. Much the same as wine glasses, large ones are fine as long as there are equal amounts of the smaller measures still available.

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