Dear Friends of Monolithos,
Wine is defined for legal purposes as “a water and alcohol solution obtained from the complete or partial fermentation of fresh grapes or grape must”. The basic ingredients of wine are water and alcohol, although other components present in miniscule quantities have a determining effect on quality and character.
The water content of wine is seldom discussed as its presence is taken for granted. Nevertheless, as the principal chemical constituent of grapes and wine, water plays critical roles in establishing the basic characteristics of wine. For example, compounds in the grape that are not at least slightly soluble in water will play no part in the resulting wine. Water determines the basic flow characteristics of wine. Even the tears that form on the inner surface of a glass after wine has been swilled around are partially dependant on the properties of water.
Water content in our bottle of wine originates from three possible sources, namely rain, irrigation and just addition during wine production by the winemaker. Most of us do not realize how complex the issue of water is.
First, vineyards in regions where rainfall is the only source of water rely on the amount of water stored in the soil, plus topping-up with rainfall during the growing season. Growing grapevines without irrigation is commonly referred as dry-land viticulture. In Europe , dry-land viticulture has a long history and still dominates the wine industry. The use of irrigation is either illegal, or wines made from irrigated grapevines do not meet the criteria for Certificate of Origin wines. In regions where dry-land viticulture is dominant, it is important that the soil has sufficient depth and water-holding capacity, and is well drained for the roots to survive at depth. Obviously, success can only be obtained if the grapes meet the maturity composition required by the winemaker and the yield parameters of the grower.
In the Old World , there is a widely-held belief that irrigation reduces quality and that only dry-land viticulture can produce outstanding wines. In the best vineyards of Europe , the practice of dry farming is almost universally accepted. Yet in the New World , irrigation is viewed as essential to the wine industry’s survival. What began as novel innovation a few decades ago has now become standard practice, such that throwing dry farming into a viticulture conversation is like pitching a lit match into a brittle summer forest. The old-timers with their limited technology had to be practical and therefore sought out sites that ensured trouble-free grape growing and decent yields. Over time, these old vines have negated the need for irrigation by planting their roots firmly down a metre or three, enabling them to access some moisture in even the driest of times. The classical view of the relationship between grape yield and quality is that of a linear decrease in quality as yield increases.
Moreover, many grape growers believe that the more they stress their vines, the better the resulting fruit quality will be. Suitability for dry-land viticulture depends on optimising the relationship between total seasonally available water, vineyard water use and grapevine balance. However, some of the suitability requirements can be overcome by sheer hard work and determination by a team of dedicated viticulturists and winemakers. Grapevines are very vigorous plants, not only capable of surviving in poor soils, but often thriving in soils that are unsuitable for most annual food crops. Vines are very efficient at using water from the soil, and can grow too vigorously if they have an abundant supply of it.
One of the primary reasons grape growers believe so fervently in dry farming lies in the nature of grapevines and their miraculous roots which can get through just about anything – including granite and dense clay. Dry climates are generally considered good for the vine, since it is considered good for the vine to struggle to survive to a certain extent. Water that is more available will dilute the flavour of the grapes. Less water also forces tap roots deeper into the soil in search of water meaning a generally healthier vine that can “weather” droughts and dry weather). Drier climates also have fewer problems with rot (the bad kind).
Hot climates with relatively low rainfall are considered to provide the essential environmental factors for grape/wine quality. There is no doubt that these old dry farming vines can make stunning wines with a denseness and richness that are unsurpassed. Leaving grapes to hang on the vine until they are fully ripe makes wine that is a welcome change from the thin, herbaceous vintages. The problem is the wine they produce can be too alcoholic.
Besides water, vines also suck up a diversity of minerals in the soil that leave a mineral stamp on the fruit. In the right deep soils, and if there are 18 to 20 inches of rain in the winter, conventional wisdom dictates that irrigation is not necessary.
The second factor most commonly affecting water content in wine is irrigation. The response of grapevines to water is well known. The proponents of irrigation point out that irrigation contributes to higher yields, wider leaf area, stronger vegetative growth and larger berries. In New World countries, irrigation is considered important to achieve economic return. Dry-land viticulture is neither suitable nor cost-effective as it relies on a combination of a number of factors, plus time, labour and economic constraints. Irrigation strategies not only influence the capacity of vines but may also be used to directly influence the quality of grapes. Water is the life's blood of agriculture, and the use of that water in relation to crops is critical. In short, in certain regions and in most years, if the vines are not irrigated, they would either produce commercially unsustainable grape yields or they would shrivel and die.
Europeans seeking fine wine associate irrigation with over cropping – when vineyards have large yields of under-ripe grapes – and generic table wine, which prompted regional laws that outlawed the practice in places like Burgundy and Bordeaux. The irrigation practice is one which is viewed as a violation of terroir among the traditional wineries. However, things are never that simple.
In the wine business where winemakers are concerned with every nuance of quality, irrigation in the vineyard is a key factor in determining who is successful and who is not. There is much information on the effects of water stress to vines but less on irrigations strategies for specific combinations of soil types, cultivars, climates and desired wine styles, although some generalizations can be made. One of the most important choices facing vineyard owners is what type of irrigation system is appropriate and how to manage it to maximize vine health and grape/wine quality. Choices include overhead sprinklers, drip systems and micro-sprinklers. The most widely-used irrigation is the drip irrigation method. Unfortunately, most current irrigation methods result in over-irrigation and consequently affect grape quality. Drip irrigation is widely used because it requires lower water use. On steeper hillsides, drip may be the only choice as overhead irrigation will be difficult to manage without soil erosion. Drip irrigation avoids diseases caused because canopies are not wetted. In addition, drip irrigation has more potential to control shoot growth and moderate vigour. Micro-sprinklers can accomplish the same results. It is evident that increased irrigation will increase grapevine yield, but some argue that the higher yields are not necessarily related to inferior wine quality if irrigation is controlled. This is an important consideration for producing above-average wines in warmer regions.
This positive trend also seems to be applicable to certain cultivars which are sensitive to water stress. Due to the complexity of the factors that influence wine quality, it is not possible to single out a factor that can explain the differences and trends in wine quality. This means that, e.g. the smallest berries or highest anthocyanin concentration cannot be accepted as a guarantee for optimum wine quality under a given set of conditions. Considering the response of all the relevant variables to irrigation, the likelihood of obtaining and maintaining optimum wine quality will increase when irrigations are applied with care.
Irrigation is considered as a useful tool in the winegrower’s arsenal, although careful management of how much water is used is critical as climate change concerns grow. In Europe , vine-growers, pinning their belief on old-world wisdom about grape growing, claim that dry-farming is the only way to deliver a specific sense of place to a wine and one that reflects the vintage – not the viticultural decisions of the winemakers. Water use in wine production varies considerably, and vines may get addicted to water. Irrigation is not always necessary or even desirable, but high volume production is very water-dependent.
Last, in a number of New World countries, winemakers are allowed to add water to wine to cut down on high alcohol content and can use wood chips to impart oak flavours, rather than ageing the wine in expensive barrels. E.U. rules forbid both procedures. However, adding water to your wine is almost as old as wine itself. For centuries wine has been mixed with water. The Romans would never have considered drinking wine without adding water first, as wine was added to purify the water. In Ancient Greece, no civilized man would dream of drinking undiluted wine. In Jewish society, wine was also mixed with water, and unmixed wine was considered a strong drink. Even in Mediterranean countries today, wine mixed with water is considered a proper beverage for the family’s children, with less water being added as the child grows older. In modern times, adding water at any point in the winemaking process has been illegal in France since 1907 and now is illegal in all countries that are members of the International Organization of Vine and Wine, which includes all of the European Union nations.
Adding water to wine may sound like a practice designed to increase production and cheat the consumer. However, increasing numbers of top New World winemakers believe that water added to the grapes before they start fermenting could actually improve their wine. The reason these wineries often need water during the winemaking process is simple: grapes today, especially in warm climates, are left longer on the vine to develop more flavour, more sugar, and more mature (smoother) tannins. It is generally accepted that wines produced from grapes grown in warmer climates have the capacity to accumulate higher levels of sugar and hence higher levels of alcohol which in turn become bigger wines. As a result, the warmer the climate of the growing area, the higher the alcoholic content will be for the grower and producer. Wine made from extremely ripe grapes may achieve better balance if slightly diluted. A precise quantity of water, calculated according to a formula involving sugar ripeness, is added at the crusher stage.
Some argue or consider the addition of water as merely replacing moisture which has evaporated from the grapes during the hot summer weather. Pouring a few buckets of water into steel fermentation tanks could soften and reduce alcohol strength but may also be responsible of watering down, stretching and cheapening wine. Fermentation “sticks” when the alcohol level in wine becomes so high that it kills the yeast that fuels the fermentation process. The simplest more economical and efficient way to prevent sticking is to add water up front before the fermentation has a chance to become stuck, keeping the alcohol percentage low enough to allow the yeast to live and continue fermenting the wine’s sugars into more alcohol.
New World Wine-makers are not exactly eager to share the fact that they add water during the winemaking process. Most winemakers who do like to pretend that they are adding water to a “stuck” fermentation. If the practice was researched and sufficient scientific evidence available, it could possibly gain public understanding and acceptance. But the controversial practice has become so widespread in certain regions that the issue is not openly discussed. It is considered an economic fraud because it is seen as selling water at the price of wine.
Wine with a “thin” taste usually implies a lack of body, i.e. how heavy the wine feels in your mouth or depth of the wine, giving it a diluted or watery flavour or feeling. This is often a characteristic of certain varieties of wine, or can be caused by late season rain that increases the water content. If you increase the yield of wine either by viticultural practice or by watering it down, you will decrease wine quality.
EU rules state, in their prim and proper way, that “authorised oenological practices and processes shall exclude the addition of water, except where required by specific technical necessity”. Each country has systems in place to monitor wine throughout the winemaking process. EU laws require wineries to keep records of all winemaking activities and to run analyses at bottling. Wines destined for export will be analysed according to the importing country’s requirements.
Concluding this short article on water in wine, it is acknowledged that vineyard irrigation helps prevent vine stress during periods of extreme drought, ensures consistent yields, year after year and can delay harvest if the winemaker wants the grapes to hang longer. How much irrigation water is required to grow quality grapes depends upon site, the stage of vine growth, row spacing, size of the vine’s canopy, and amount of rainfall occurring during the growing season.
The trick is to use these techniques only when they result in a better quality product and not to its detriment. There is no better way to judge quality than by checking the finished product. Wines may be watered down, acidified or have tannins added back in. These are not “natural” processes and, as a result, may affect one’s perception of balance in a wine. It really depends on how pernickety one is and how sensitive one is to a smooth, fluent sense of balance in a wine. However, it is almost certain that if asked, all consumers will be in favour of naturally balanced wines. This expectation is so clearly denoted in the words of Ernest Hemingway:
“Wine is one of the most civilised things in the world and one of the natural things that has been brought to the greatest perfection.”
Wine News and Information
· A Ukrainian health spa is prescribing patients a course of cocktails. The Crimean Stars Sanatorium in Alushta ( Ukraine ) has devised a treatment called “wine therapy”. It claims the treatment can help alleviate a range of medical problems like stress, impotence and heart disease. Even though it may sound like a joke, the sanatorium takes its “wine therapy” very seriously.
The first stop is not the bar. Instead, there is a medical consultation. Patients are then advised which cocktail they should take. Dr. Alexander Sheludko, who came up with the treatment, points out that medical research has shown that wine in moderation can be good for you. He boasts that hundreds of people have now had a taste of his medicine.
“Wine is a live product which contains vitamins. It has lots of compounds which are biologically active,” he says. There are seven different types of cocktails on offer. The formula is simple – lots of dried herbs are mixed with lots of Crimean wine. Sometimes vodka is added for an extra kick. Then all you have to do is sit back, relax and make sure you take your “prescription” three times a day for a week or two. Small glasses of the drink are served from 07.00 a.m. in the sanatorium’s café.
But Ukrainian health experts are sceptical about whether there are any real medical benefits from “wine therapy”. There is also the question about whether it is such a good idea in a country that has high levels of alcoholism. “I think that such therapy could lead to someone becoming addicted to drink. It could become the first step towards psychological dependence,” Dr. Iryna Lipych, a specialist in alcohol dependency, says.
Some of the Crimean cocktails are very strong and, if drunk on an empty stomach, could well make you feel a bit tipsy. Wine therapy may not be a panacea, but it does give a completely new meaning to the phrase “just what the doctor ordered”.
· Women in the United States who frequently drink wine tend to prefer red wine, drink it most often with meals and make their purchasing decisions based on grape variety and price, according to a survey conducted online by a well-known magazine. The survey of women’s wine-drinking habits and attitudes toward wine was conducted in partnership with Vinexpo as part of a larger global survey of more than 4,300 women in France , Germany , Japan , the United Kingdom and the United States . Among the U.S. respondents, 93% said that they drink wine at least once a week. When they do, it's most often with meals (80%) – also the most common occasion for all the women surveyed globally – and/or to relax at the end of the day (67%).
When asked to choose up to two reasons why they drink wine, 92% of the American women said they like the taste, while 71% said because it goes well with food – also the most common reasons among global respondents. Image is not a key concern; less than 2% of American women and 11% globally said they drink wine because it’s fashionable. In addition, 97% of the U.S. respondents believe that wine is compatible with a healthy, balanced diet. The vast majority of American women, 79%, typically choose red wine over white or rosé. Red was the preference of 60% of all the women surveyed globally. For the Americans, the two most important factors in choosing a wine are the grape variety (68%) and the price (56%); women globally cited those factors nearly equally along with country of origin (56% to 57%).
· After years of non-stop growth, global wine consumption started to retreat this year, along with the rest of the world economy. According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine located in Paris , the overall drop isn’t too dramatic: The group says its initial estimates for 2008 show consumption down 0.8%, at 243 million hectoliters (6.4 billion gallons) compared to 2007’s 245 million hectoliters. However, the latest figures on wine making and drinking around the world reveal a few key shifts. For the first time, the United States surpassed Italy in terms of total wine consumption, with 27.3 million hectoliters compared to 26 million for Italy , the group said. On the vineyard end, European vineyards accounted for less than half the world’s grape production for the first time last year.
Monolithos Monthly News
Local grape harvest is underway again. All signs indicate a great year for most varietals. Of course, compared to France , for example, Pachna area never has a bad year. However, some years are better than others. It is too soon to tell if 2009 will be a spectacular year, but the relatively good rainy season we experienced last winter ensures that at a minimum, most grapes this year will be very good.
At the winery, the handpicked grape clusters are fed into a machine called a crusher-stemmer. Yeast, both wild and cultured, is added to the juice, converting the sugar in the grapes to alcohol, carbon-dioxide gas and heat. At Monolithos, we cold ferment all delicate whites and reds to enhance their fruity flavour.
Monolithos rosé wines are perfect for summer and autumn, as they are served chilled and can be a refreshing accompaniment to a variety of warm weather fare. Rosé wines are acknowledged worldwide for their food-friendly versatility, being present in picnic baskets and inspiring the social atmosphere at barbecues. You can count on rosés to tackle everything from a chicken salad sandwich to burgers. Monolithos winery is offering two types of rosé, namely Santa Monica semi sparkling rosé and the more conventional still rosé. Many of our customers are embracing these two stylistic offerings with a real loyalty.
If at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery or sample any of our products, Martin Wood will be pleased to meet and assist you at his “Fig Tree Villa” in Pachna, so do not hesitate to phone him at 25-816212 or 99-165995.
Regards from all of us here at Monolithos and always remember:
“The vine bears three kinds of grapes: the first of pleasure, the second of intoxication, the third of disgust.”
Anacharsis, Scythian philosopher (6th century B.C.)
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