April 2008 Cyprus wine blog

Dear friends of Monolithos,

Selecting the most appropriate bottle closure for a particular wine is another controversial topic in the wine world that has triggered considerable debate in recent years. This short article will investigate questions which are of interest to consumers, collectors and wine lovers. However, it is important to look first into the history which brought about the extensive use of cork as a wine stopper.

Wine and cork are two products that have long been companions. The ancient Greeks used corks sometimes to close wine jugs. Proof of this is an amphora from the 1st century BC found in Ephesus: it was not only was sealed with a cork stopper but also still contained wine. Following in their footsteps, the Romans too used cork as a stopper and also coated corks with pitch to seal the closure. In Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, wine amphorae sealed with cork have also been found.

The use of corks was apparently completely given up in mediaeval times. We find corks beginning to be mentioned again at the end of the 16th century. Cork’s success as a closure depends upon its fitting snugly into an opening with a relatively uniform diameter. Thus, it was not until the 17th century, when glass bottles were first made with more or less uniform openings, that cork truly became popular. The popularity of cork as a stopper led to deliberate cultivation of cork trees, which prior to about 1760 had simply been harvested wherever they happened to grow.

Many wine historians have linked the development of the glass bottle and its cork stopper as two necessary prerequisites for the modern international wine trade. Wine no longer needed be shipped in bulky, awkward clay vessels or wooden barrels. The economies of space enabled ships to carry more wine and the wine was much less subject to spoilage in the shipment. Because cork stoppers prevented oxygen from spoiling the wine, both in shipment and in subsequent storage, it became evident that wine benefited from its maturing time in the bottle. The desirable properties of aged wine made it more valuable and collecting and cellaring wines from many different regions became both feasible and profitable. In the almost 300 years intervening between the renewed usage of cork and the end of the 20th century, cork has been the overwhelming closure of preference for fine wines around the world.

The vast majority of corks are made from the bark of the oak tree Quercus Suber, and come from the oak forests of Portugal. Virtually all of the world’s commercial cork trees grow in the western Mediterranean region and the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal's cork forests are the most productive. Accounting for 30% of the existing trees, they produce half of the world’s harvested cork. After planting, a cork tree is ready for its first commercially acceptable cork harvest when it is about 40 years old. Subsequent harvests occur at nine-year intervals, when the cork layer reaches a thickness of 1-2 in (2-5 cm). The bark is then removed from the tree once it is thick enough for industrial exploitation. Each tree has a productive life of about 150 years.

There are several very sound reasons for cork’s continuing popularity. Cork’s component materials and structure give it a unique set of physical and mechanical properties that make it ideal as a bottle closure. Some of the most important are its lightness and its resistance to moisture penetration. It can be compressed to half its dimension with no loss of its flexibility, and it can be compressed in diameter without expanding its length. When removed from compression, cork will recover about 85% of its initial volume immediately and more than 98% after 24 hours. It has an exceptional power of adhesion to wet, smooth surfaces, it is stable in temperature changes, it exhibits age stability and is biodegradable. Cork is the only material known that compensates for small imperfections in glass.

Cork is composed of tiny air-containing cells. In fact, the cork is a time capsule of the air that was present during the eight years the bark took to grow back to the proper diameter to be harvested. The cell walls contain suberin, a waxy substance that makes cork water-resistant. Over half of the volume of cork is empty space, which is why it floats in water and is easily compressible into the bottleneck. Natural cork’s flexibility allows it to conform to irregularities of the bottleneck. Cork became the traditional wine closure centuries ago, principally because it was the only material available for the job at the time, back when homes were lit by candles and oil lamps.

The job of the cork, whatever it may be made of, is to prevent oxygen from coming into contact with the wine, thereby oxidizing it. A good closure serves two purposes: it keeps the liquid in the bottle and it keeps the oxygen out. Added to this is the economics of the operation, where a relation must exist between the cost of the closure and the quality of the wine. With these objectives in mind, a first consideration for the producer will be the different types of closures available.

There are several different types of wine corks available. Type selection is dependent on the type of wine being sealed and the expectant length of time before the wine is consumed. Other factors determining wine cork type selection and treatments include bottling speed, still or sparking wines, sweet or dry wines, red or white wines, bottle size and type. There are alternatives to the standard cork, however, the motives behind these alternatives are in sometimes financial, and in some cases a quest for quality and consistency.

A fairly standard natural cork comprises a single piece of bark of about 24 mm diameter. This is about 6 mm wider than the internal diameter of the neck of the average wine bottle, which ensures a tight fit, provided the cork doesn’t dry out and contract.

Natural wine corks are “punched” from specially selected corkwood, carefully inspected for flaws, washed, sterilized, and printed or fire branded. There are seven standard grades of natural wine corks carefully sorted into respective quality grades, first by automatic laser sorting machines, followed by final manual hand sorting. Wine corks are available in a wide variety of both standard and custom sizes, the most common being 45 mm long x 24 mm diameter and 38 mm long x 24 mm diameter. The technical specifications are the same for all sizes. The diameter of the cork is on average 24 mm. The jaws of the corker compress the cork to16 mm to fit it into the bottleneck. After insertion, the cork bounces back to 18 mm – the diameter of the bottleneck – which means that 6 mm or 25% of the cork is pushing out against the glass to create the seal. To improve the seal, the cork is coated with paraffin, which repels wine and Silicone, which acts as a lubricant to ease insertion and extraction.

Another popular type of cork is the double disc or twin top cork. This type of wine stopper is a combination of agglomerated cork (forming the main body of the stopper) and natural cork (the ends of the agglomerated body are laminated with natural cork discs). The discs are available in several different qualities. The benefit of these highly technical stoppers is consistency of density, quality, function and price.

Another product made of natural wine cork is the colmated or pore-filled cork. In this case, the pores in natural wine corks are filled and sealed with a mixture of fine cork grains and FDA approved resins. Due to the economical cost of these stoppers, pore-filled wine corks are ideal for volume wines. The technical specifications are similar to those of natural wine corks.

An agglomerate cork is manufactured from tiny pieces of chopped cork, bound together by glue. The motive behind this closure is financial – the process allows for otherwise wasted pieces of oak bark to be made into something saleable. These stoppers are manufactured from clean natural cork grain. The grain is milled using the “waste” by-product from natural wine cork production. Agglomerate wine corks are economically priced and easy to use. Maintaining the agglomerate stopper technical specifications ensures successful sealing and good performance.

During the production of bottle stoppers, chemical baths are used to condition the corks. Among the more popular are a chlorinated lime bath followed by a neutralizing bath of oxalic acid, a hypochlorite bath neutralized by sodium oxalate, and a peroxide bath neutralized with citric acid. Production of compound agglomerated cork involves adding a binder or adhesive agent to cork granules. Different binders are chosen, depending on the qualities desired in the ultimate product (e.g., flexibility, softness, resistance to wear). Among those frequently used are asphalt, rubber, gypsum, glue, and plastic.

Natural cork is very light, and it's natural tendency to dry out and shrink can easily be counteracted by keeping it constantly wet and "nourished" by the wine it comes into contact with. Thus the cork stays elastic, and once inside the bottleneck it adheres to the sides, perfectly sealing the bottle. This is why naturally corked bottles should always be kept lying almost horizontally with the bottle, neck slightly angled downwards. In fact, in wine cellars, specifically made bottle racks keep the bottles at just the right inclination for exactly this reason.

In addition to drying out, two other enemies of natural corks are fungus and mould which can contaminate the cork tree or the corks themselves during fabrication. When this unfortunate event occurs, the wine takes on an unpleasantly bitter smell. Today, this is prevented by washing the corks in hot water or subjecting them to a micro-wave treatment.

Even though every problem has a solution, the risk remains: at the moment of buying a bottle of wine, there is no way to ascertain the condition of a natural cork. It's always best to shop in a trusted wine shop or at least a well-known one, if you are buying very fine wine. Once in the store, it is advisable to choose wine bottles (with natural cork) that are lying down in the rack, instead of bottles that are standing up straight.

The major disadvantage of cork and the reason for searching for alternative closures is TCA (2-4-6 Tricloroanysole). The latter is responsible for the unpleasant tainting which gives a powerful fungal aroma and flavour to the wine, and that accounts for almost 4% of faulty wines produced. It originates in a reaction between a penicillium mould in the crevices of the cork and the chlorine-containing chemicals used in the sterilising process.

Because of the significant number of natural corks that are contaminated which result in corked wine (a generally accepted figure is about 5% of all bottles), many winemakers are opting for alternative methods of closure such as synthetic and glass closures and screw caps . Many claim that a natural cork is in and of itself synonymous with indisputable quality in a bottle of wine. However, expert opinions don't all agree. In fact, lately it's not unusual to find even bottles of fine wine with synthetic corks.

In summary, the secret to cork performance is its unique cell structure, which technology cannot replicate. Cork consists of a honeycomb of tiny cells made from suberin, a complex fatty acid, and filled with an air-like gas. There are on average about 40 million cells per cubic centimetre of cork, or around 800 million cells in a single wine cork. Cork's cell-like structure makes it easy to compress and thus less liable to damage from corking machines. Amazingly, the cork is capable of being compressed to about half its width without losing any flexibility, and it is the only solid that can be compressed in one dimension without increasing in another dimension.

The cushion-like cork cells also display what is known as elastic memory. When compressed, they constantly try to return to their original size, thus maintaining a tight seal. This means the cork exerts a very even pressure against the surface of the bottle neck and can compensate for imperfections in the bottle. Being elastic, cork is also more tolerant than other materials of changes to temperature and pressure. In addition to these characteristics, cork's lightness and chemical inertness make it ideally suited as a wine closure. Cork resists moisture and can age for long periods without deteriorating.

Cork is also a natural product, recyclable and biodegradable. From this perspective, natural corks are one of the best materials for carrying out its protective function, provided it is of optimum quality.

Wine News and Information

UK wine drinkers are set to become the most heavily taxed in Europe after the government announced a 14p increase on a bottle of wine. The shock decision comes as consumers already face price increases on the back of rising costs for grapes, packaging, glass, transportation and energy. The increases, announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling in his first budget, are set at 6% above the rate of inflation. They will create a £1.46 duty burden on a 75cl bottle of wine – 7p higher than the rate in Ireland, previously the most highly-taxed wine market in the European Union. The rises also mean 18p more on a bottle of sparkling wine, 20p more on a bottle of fortified wine and 55p extra on a typical bottle of spirits. A pint of beer will be 4p more expensive, while cider goes up by 3p per litre. Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Trade, stated that: “It is bizarre at a time when the economy is slowing, that prices are rising and many families are feeling the pinch that the Government should choose to add to their burden by making the simple pleasure of a glass of wine or spirits considerably more expensive.”

Peter Spencer, senior vice president sales for Constellation Europe, said that Constellation would have to pass the increase onto the consumer. “I believe this duty hike will mean that prices across the wine category will rise substantially, and that it will herald the end of wine at the £3.99 price point, as it is simply unlikely that any wine producer can supply wine at this price.”

South African Wine Council chairman Professor Kader Asmal has announced wide-ranging responsibilities and targets for social transformation in the wine industry. The issues to be tackled include a responsible alcohol use master plan, rural development and poverty alleviation, security of tenure and matters relating to farm evictions, and sectoral determination and employment conditions. Asmal said the improvement in the quality of life of farm workers “as a most vulnerable community in the wine industry” had to be seen as an important development indicator. Asmal said land reform, which was incorporated in the wine charter, was viewed as an “important element of transformation and social stability in the wine-lands”. He said successful social transformation in the industry would be subject to “mutual respect and co-operation of all parties involved”, and would not compromise sustainability or international competitiveness.

Monolithos Monthly News

The growing season is officially underway. Bud-break begins and new spring greenery is easily visible in vineyards. Bud-break is an annual stage in the growing season when vine buds crack open and small shoots emerge. It marks the end of the winter dormancy and the start of the new crop. Springtime sunshine warms up the hill sites and coaxes bud growth on vines. Vineyard owners are mostly engaged in soil management at this time of year. This means the row space between the vines is being machine cultivated or mowed, depending on the vineyard’s soil.

At the winery wine racking, cold stabilisation and bottling of last year’s vintage is in progress. All eight Monolithos premium wines are available for tasting or purchasing, so if at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery, 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 words of Douglas William Jerrold (1803-1857), British Humorist, Playwright:

“Marriage is like wine – it is not to be properly judged until the second glass.”

March 2008

What to do with the remains of a bottle of wine is a persistent dilemma for the single diner, or for the couple who may drink only one glass each during their evening meal. The 750 ml bottle may be the perfect size for two people enjoying a leisurely dinner, but it’s too much wine for many situations. And even novice wine drinkers can tell that the glass of a Cabernet they enjoyed from a fresh bottle rarely tastes as good when poured from a partial bottle several days later.

Naturally, we want to keep the wine for the next few days. A typical wine bottle left open without any special protection may not be drinkable, due to oxidation. Once a bottle has been opened, the air immediately begins to change the wine. At first, it is a good thing because it allows the aromas of the wine to work. Some call it letting the wine “breathe”. And a wine that did not fully open up during the first night of drinking will be better with a night to continue evolving.

However, air alters wine in a major way. As soon as that wine cork is removed, the freshness inside the bottle can never be recovered. Twenty per cent of air is oxygen, and oxygen is the real troublemaker in a partial bottle. Wine exposed to oxygen, (depending on the age of the wine) starts to oxidize in a matter of hours. Acetobacter, the bacteria that can turn wine into vinegar, remains harmless unless oxygen is present. Consequently, although the first effects could be favourable, ultimately, air will begin to change the wine, gradually transforming it into vinegar. Depending on the amount of available oxygen, an opened bottle of wine can start exhibiting eau de vinaigrette in three to five days. Oxygen is also the instigator of oxidation, the process that can eventually make a fresh white wine smell like sherry. Old wines are usually more fragile, and become oxidized faster than young wines.

There are several strategies for saving and preserving an unfinished bottle of wine for as long as possible. Current technology provides many methods for prolonging the life of an opened bottle of wine, but even the best can only hope to slow down degradation.

The simplest and “first aid” solution for saving an opened bottle of wine is to put back the cork and store it in the refrigerator. This slows the oxidation process and prolongs its life for a good 48 hours. You cannot expect old or delicate wines to survive this way, but most young whites and light reds will last a few days. The wine will lose its freshness, and the taste will be flatter, but it will be quite acceptable. The less the wine left in the unfinished bottle, the more air will enter, hence the faster the wine will become oxidized and lose its freshness.

Decanting could also be used for the sake of preserving leftover wine by pouring it from a regular bottle (750 ml) into a half bottles (375 ml) or even 187 ml quarter bottles (the size airline wine comes in), then re-corking and storing it in the refrigerator. This method lessens the amount of oxygen in contact with the wine. It is a simple method but it always works and it preserves the wine for a couple of days. Decanting the wine into a suitable container helps to soften the tannins, and allows the bouquet to develop. Very old wines, however, are much more fragile, and may rapidly collapse, losing much of their character and bouquet within hours of being opened.

One exception to the above is sparkling wine. To try and decant such a wine would be pointless, and would probably result in the loss of more fizz than would be lost as a result of leaving the wine in a half empty bottle. A related method is to add glass marbles to a partial bottle until the wine reaches the top, thus displacing the air with glass.

Since the late eighties, the wine industry has focused on devising ways to preserve unfinished bottles. Most wine-conserving devices use one of two basic philosophies: get rid of the air from the bottle (create vacuum) and/or insert a heavy gas onto the surface of the wine.

Removing oxygen from contact with the wine involves the use of a vacuum device. Specially designed rubber gadgets in the form of a simple pump are inserted into the neck of the bottle, and are used to extract the air. This results in a partial vacuum at best, as it’s quite impossible for such a simple piece of equipment to achieve anything better. Nevertheless, it is easy and practical and the necessary equipment is quite inexpensive and can be found in most wine shops. It is not a solution, however, that is recommend by wine connoisseurs who claim that storing a wine using a vacuum device has a detrimental effect on the wine.

When comparing wines decanted to a half bottle with those that had been vacuumed, the latter seemed flat and dull, and have less aroma on the nose. There are two possible explanations frequently given as a reason for this wine degradation. Firstly, when using the hand pump, it’s quite common to see a steady stream of bubbles rising up to the surface of the wine. This is dissolved gas, most probably carbon dioxide, coming out of solution under the reduced pressure. Such a change in the composition may quite feasibly result in a duller, less interesting wine. Secondly, it may not be just carbon dioxide that is lost. Many of the interesting aromas on the nose of a wine are volatile compounds, and it may be that storing the wine under a partial vacuum causes these to evaporate and disappear. This method can usually add an extra day beyond the decanting method. It is, of course, obvious that vacuum devices should not be used for sparkling wines.

Vacuum corking works for the short term. Another way to protect wine against oxygen from an opened bottle is to put a special gas into the container. Pumping in a gas that is heavier than air will force the oxygen out of the bottle. Nitrogen is too light to use alone, argon is too costly and carbon dioxide – heavier than argon – can impart a perceptible sprits. Consequently, manufacturers usually blend gases. Briefly, once the gas is inside the bottle, the cork is inserted immediately. The replacement gas does not usually alter the taste of the wine. There is some debate about which gases work best (nitrogen or argon). Every modern winery uses this method to preserve its wines after fermentation.

This same amazing technique is available to wine storage in the home. For the serious wine lover, a quick squirt from a cylinder of compressed gas can be employed to protect the wine from oxidation. This seems like the ideal solution, with no reason to suggest loss of volatile compounds, and minimal contact with oxygen as the nitrogen gas settles over the wine. These systems are good in preserving even inexpensive wines for a few days. Some wine enthusiasts, though, comment that the tannins are often softened in the process and the nose may lose some power. It’s also just one more piece of kit to clutter up the kitchen cupboards. Gas cartridges deplete quickly and needs to be refilled. Nevertheless, this method can keep wine fresh for a few weeks.

In summary, the pros and cons of the suggested methods are as follows:

Vacuum preservation

. Pro: pump out air, theoretically slowing oxidation

. Con: loss of esters, the wine’s aromatic compounds

Inert-gas preservation

. Pro: easy to use; displaces some air, theoretically slowing oxidation

. Con: consumer devices merely dilute the oxygen; they don't completely remove it, so oxidation potential remains

Decanting into smaller bottles

. Pro: minimizes headspace; low cost

. Con: decanting introduces oxygen

Freezing

. Pro: easy and inexpensive; dramatically slows oxidation

. Con: inconvenient; precipitates tartrate crystals; extreme cold makes oxygen more soluble

Displacement with marbles

. Pro: inexpensive; does not introduce oxygen

. Con: tedious; must keep marbles clean; subject to ridicule; some oxygen remains in wine

Concluding this short introduction, one can say that with a little care the vast majority of wines can be sealed with the cork, refrigerated and stored safely to be finished within a day or two. Attempting to keep wine any longer than this is not recommended, as the above measures serve only to delay the inevitable deterioration of the wine, not prevent it. There are, however, techniques which go further towards preserving the wine by attempting to lessen the effect of oxygen more directly. At least options do abound for consumers who want to make wine leftovers last. What’s missing is consensus on the best practice. But whatever preservation method you choose, don’t try it on older vintages – say, wines seven years old or more. Be prepared to open and drink these bottles in one sitting. They almost never last until the next day, no matter what precautions you take, as they are already far down the path of oxidation. Another exposure to oxygen tends to put these wines over the edge.

Wine News and Information

Climate change could mean the end of regional wine styles that have been produced for hundreds of years, according to leading experts on the subject. Top viticulturist Dr. Richard Smart has warned wine areas such as Bordeaux that they may need to seek out new grape varieties adapted to rising temperatures, while climatology professor Dr. Greg Jones painted a scenario of Burgundy becoming as warm as Avignon and Rioja becoming like La Mancha. “You may end up making Burgundies somewhere like Denmark,” Jones said.

Despite research showing that average growing season temperatures are likely to carry on rising over the next few decades, affecting the ideal conditions for particular varieties, many producers believe it is impossible to predict the precise impact of climate change. Some producers believe the science does not take the complexities of winemaking into account, with rainfall, drought and micro-climate potentially having a bigger impact than temperature predictions. They also remain optimistic that increased knowledge about canopy management could help them adapt, although those in hot areas were worried about falling acidity and freshness.

A compound found in red wine may eventually treat age-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes. A Massachusetts-based drug company, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, has found that a reformulated version of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, improved the body’s ability to break down sugar – and prevented mice from becoming obese. In trials, Sirtris’s SRT501 drug showed that those mice taking resveratrol improved their score on an oral glucose tolerance test, which measures the body’s ability to break down and use sugar, a fundamental problem for diabetics.

More recently, the first known human trial to target the genes associated with ageing was concluded in India. The testing lasted 28 days involving 98 diabetes patients and showed similar results. It was done in India because of the availability of people with diabetes who are not being otherwise treated. However, Sirtris spokesman John Lacey stated that people with diabetes or those suffering from obesity should not see red wine as a cure, as resveratrol in wine is “unstable” and not easily absorbed into the blood stream. “You would have to drink 1,000 bottles to get an effect,” he said.

Natural cork, the kind of cork used in wine closures, is a perfect choice for recycling. It’s 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable. There is absolutely no reason natural wine corks should end up as landfill when recycled cork can become flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials, soil conditioner and sports equipment. Because of a worldwide interest in sustainable agriculture and natural products like cork, an alliance of concerned businesses, individuals, and ecological organisations has been formed to address the opportunities to recycle natural cork closures. Amorim & Irmãos of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures (over three billion annually) and their U.S. sales office, Amorim Cork America, have joined forces with Willamette Valley Vineyards and SOLV — an Oregon-based environmental action resource — to launch a national cork recycling programme starting in Oregon. Known as ReCORK America, the programme will begin by providing collection boxes in wineries and select retail locations throughout Oregon. The programme’s goal is to collect one ton of corks by September 2008. It takes approximately 100,000 champagne corks or nearly 300,000 wine corks to yield a ton (2,000 lbs) of cork.

Monolithos Monthly News

The growing season is officially underway. Spring greenery is easily visible in the vineyards of the southern hills of Troodos. Tiny buds are appearing on trees and ornamentals throughout the area. It marks the end of the winter dormancy and the start of the new crop.

At the winery we are engaged in the usual mix of activities, which ranges from tastings to rearranging vats, racking and stabilising to bottling wines. All eight Monolithos premium wines are available for tasting or purchasing, so if at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery, 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 words of Mark Twain:

“My books are water; those of the great geniuses are WINE — everybody drinks water.”

February 2008

Dear friends of Monolithos

This month we continue our discussion on the subject of wine storing. There are two stages of storing wine: in bulk in a stainless steel, a wooden cask (barrel) or other container, and in the bottle. The first is entirely the job of the winemaker, and the second may also be partly under the winemaker's control. But bottle storing, particularly after leaving the winery, is more the job of the merchant or, increasingly, the final purchaser of the wine.

Wine really is alive because it changes and adapts in response to its environment. How it is treated will determine how fast or slow it will age and how it will turn out in the end. The useful life of wine depends on the grape varieties used in the wine, where it was made, the maturity of the wine (how much time has passed since vintage date), whether or not it's a premium wine (i.e. designed to age) and wine storage conditions. The fundamental goal of wine storage is to preserve it. With proper storage, many wines improve with time. On the other hand, improper storage can ruin a good wine in a few days.

There are many factors that can affect how wine ages and we cannot explore all of them in a short article. The information presented here is aiming at providing general guidance for anyone wishing to enhance his knowledge on the subject. There are a few simple principles that need to be understood in order to select proper wine storage conditions. Wine is a living thing, so temperature, humidity, light and vibration among other environmental factors strongly affect the wine’s life cycle, quality and character. The challenge is to control the variables that affect wine storage and avoid harmful changes. The variables needing to be controlled are temperature, humidity, light, air, position, vibration, cleanliness and ventilation.

Temperature is the most important factor. The optimum temperature is 50-55°F (10-12°C). However, any constant temperature within 40-65°F (5-18°C) will do. More important than the actual temperature is the degree and rapidity of fluctuation the wine is subjected to. A slow change of temperature of up to ten or so degrees between winter and summer is not a big problem. But this kind of fluctuation on a daily or weekly basis will cause damage to the wines and age them prematurely.

Ageing wine is a series of different chemical reactions between various compounds and the minute quantities of oxygen allowed into the bottle through the cork. These reactions are easily affected by temperature changes taking place in the environment. Wine hardly ages at all if stored below about 10ºC (50ºF). Place it at 25°C (78ºF), and an age-worthy wine that would normally require 10 years of careful ageing, may be past its prime in just a few months. This is not to say the colder the better. Bottles stored in too cold a temperature can develop deposits or other suspensions in the wine. Anything over about 70°F (21°C) will slowly give a "cooked" flavour to a wine, and really warm conditions of over 77°F (25°C) means that the wines are in grave danger of rapid deterioration. It could cause the wine to expand to a volume larger than the bottle it is stored in, and either the cork will push out or the wine will leak right past the cork. Consequently, temperature stability is the critical factor of wine storage. For wine to age in a proper manner, temperature fluctuations must be minimized in both magnitude and frequency. Finally, keep in mind that white wines are affected far more by temperature problems than red wines.

Humidity is also an important factor. Low humidity can dry the cork to the point that oxygen can seep in and come into contact with the wine. In other words, a dry cork will shrink, crack, lose its elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle. The problem is made worse if low humidity is accompanied by temperature fluctuations. A dry atmosphere is an enemy of the natural cork seal. Low humidity combined with a defective cork results in the wine moving out of the bottle and air naturally moving into the bottle. Moderate humidity is important so as to keep the corks in good resilient condition, thereby preventing them from shrinking. The ideal humidity for any type of cellar or storage room is 70%, however anywhere between 50% and 80% is acceptable. High humidity levels retain moisture inside the bottle, thus preventing evaporation through the cork. However, humidity levels that are too high can cause the labels to go mouldy and allow micro-organisms to grow which can age the wine prematurely or even spoil it. Screw-capped bottles are not sensitive to humidity.

Humidity and temperature are the most important factors when it comes to wine storage, but also great care and attention must be given regarding light, air, bottle position, environmental off smells and excessive vibration.

Light, especially natural sunlight and fluorescent, can affect the wine’s ageing process. Ultraviolet light will damage wine by causing the degradation of the otherwise stable organic compounds, especially the tannins found in wine. These organic compounds contribute to the aroma, flavour and structure of the wine. Without them the wine would appear flat and thin. It is important to keep wines out of direct sunlight, which is one reason many wines, especially reds, are distributed in tinted bottles. Naturally, clear bottles are most susceptible to this problem. However, the typical green-glass wine-bottle, while offering some protection, is not sufficient to block all the offending radiation. This is why it is necessary to limit wine's exposure to sunlight and fluorescent light, or simply keep your wine storage area dark. It should be noted too, that incandescent or sodium vapour lights are better for a cellar that fluorescent lighting. White wines are usually the most susceptible to sunlight.

Wine stored in bottles has a certain amount of air space (ullage). To ensure proper ageing, all wine bottles have some air in them to begin with. What’s important is to ensure the cork remains moist so no additional air in allowed to enter the bottle. That’s why it is advisable to store your wine horizontally to keep the cork from cracking or shrinking, thus admitting unwanted air. Some leakage will not spoil the wine, but excessive leakage will create additional air space in the bottle. Over time, this will contribute to the browning of the wine. Nothing spoils good wine faster than too much air. This not only causes it to lose freshness but, more importantly, it causes the wine to oxidize which results in premature ageing and before long and the wine eventually turns to vinegar. Fortunately, glass is impermeable to air and a good cork will keep air exchange to a minimum for years.

The effect of vibrations on wine is controversial. Some purists insist that vibrations affect flavour and bouquet. They are of the opinion that shock or agitation to ageing wine bottles can disturb the sediment and affect the ageing process. They claim that constant vibration from machinery or a nearby road disturbs a red wine's sediment and can be harmful to all wine. But there is no clear evidence that suggests that vibration is an important issue for wines, even for those that do develop sediment. In any case, noise and vibration is not commonly a problem in the average home. Once a wine is laid down, it should stay there until it is opened. Letting the wine sit in a quiet area for a few weeks before serving will allow the sediment to settle.

One additional factor to avoid is storing other items with very strong odours near the wine. There have been many reports of wines picking up the aromas of items stored nearby. The storage space should be free from smells and debris. Since some air will always get back into the wine through the cork, the molecules that make up that odour can, and will, get into the wine over time. Highly volatile chemical compounds are particularly harmful. Some odours to look out for include solvents (i.e. fresh paint, chlorine and cleaning solutions), or various aromatic food products like onions, garlic, etc. Consequently, wine needs to be kept in an odour-free environment. Proper ventilation will help with this problem and keep the storage area from giving the wine a musty taste.

Wine Storage Tips:

. Avoid purchasing wines bottles that have been standing for several months

. Do not choose bottles in which the level of the liquid is lower than normal (2 cm from the bottle neck).

. Avoid buying bottles that have been exposed to the sun or to an artificial light bulb for a long time.

. Never leave wine in the trunk of your car when parked in the sun.

. Stack wines on shelves made of wood, tile or cement because they resist temperature changes better than metal.

. Store fortified wines standing, but stack all other wines horizontally with their labels facing upward.

. Remember that when wine bottles are stored next to one another, their temperatures remain stable.

. Store wines at a constant temperature between 40ºF and 65ºF (5-18ºC);

. Try to store your wine in areas away from heat – not on top of the refrigerator or in the cabinet above the range.

. Wine that is too cold can develop deposits, sediments or suspensions.

. White wines are more affected by temperature problems than red wines.

. Store sparkling wines and dry whites and rosés near the floor where the temperature is cooler.

. A relative humidity of 50% to 80% is acceptable, but 70% is preferred.

Do not allow direct sunlight in the cellar and keep the lighting dim so the wine does not prematurely age.

. Ultraviolet light can give wine unpleasant odours and ruin the taste, so incandescent or sodium vapour lights are better than fluorescent and UV lighting.

. Sparkling and white wines are the most sensitive to light.

. Keep the cellar free from smells because they can enter the bottle through the cork and contaminate the wine.

. Store wines in a location where you do not have to move them around to reach a specific bottle. Once a wine is laid down, it should stay there until it is opened.

. Whenever you carry wine in your car during warm weather months, it is best to keep the bottles in an upright position and keep them with you in the front of the car, not in the trunk. Also, do not leave them in a closed car which is parked in the sun. With excessive temperature, the wine and air inside the bottle will expand and possibly cause leakage of the wine past the cork.

. Wines meant for consumption within a few weeks should be kept cool and out of direct sunlight.

. A larger bottle has a smaller ratio of air to wine so when you can, purchase or use a larger bottle. Once the bottle has been opened and if you don’t expect to consume the remainder in a few days, it’s suggested that you transfer the leftover wine to a smaller bottle.

. Ideal places to store your wine if you do not have a cellar: Under the stairs; in a dark cupboard; under the bed; in the garage if heat and odours are not strong.

Wine News and Information

Based on various scientific surveys, we know that temperatures will continue to become warmer on average between now and 2100, and that will have a direct impact on the growing of grapes that the various established wine regions can produce. It could also change the typical characteristics that we associate with various wine-growing regions.

The topic of global warming was on the lips of everyone at the Adelaide technical conference, in part because Australia’s wine industry has already seen the impact of global warming. High temperatures during the 2007 harvest caused a drastic drop in production. Many experts predict that drought conditions could well affect many of the more prestigious wine-growing regions of the world. Because of rapid warming in the past 30 years, the earth is approaching and will soon surpass the warmest temperatures in the past 12,000 years – since the end of the last ice age.

News stories about global warming indicated that the Napa Valley is destined to collapse as a fine wine region. Stories implied that the area would soon be a desert that would make only simple, hot-climate wines. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has said that unless wine makers intervene with plant-protection systems, the total area suitable for wine growing in the USA could shrink by up to 80% by the end of the century. Even so, most studies on climate change have not been very specific about how a projected 1 to 3ºC increase in the average temperature by the end of the century will affect grape growing. The assumption is that increased solar radiation and the possible reduction in available water could be disastrous.

One possible effect of increased daytime temperatures, when that occurs, could well be accelerated sugar accumulation in berries, which could call for harvesting grapes at higher and higher potential alcohol levels with consequently a greater need for alcohol-removal techniques. And still it may be that certain grapes will be harvested that have a green, vegetative character. No one is quite sure what to make of the global climate change at this point, but almost all agree that it’s a huge challenge to wine makers around the world. And it appears as if it will become even more challenging.

According to the French wine company WineSight, over the past year or so, brands for women have focused on making wine lower in calories, lower in alcohol and lower in flavour, despite the fact that more and more women have become interested in trading up to a higher quality glass of wine as a well-deserved indulgence. British women like to treat themselves to a delicious glass or two, and are impressed by taste, rather than wine snobbery.

We’ve all heard the statistics pointing to women buying and consuming more wine than men in many countries around the world. Studies have also proven that many women prefer smooth, supple and subtle wines offering a delicate combination of flavours, while men, especially before reaching “expert” levels, tend to prefer full-bodied wines.

For women, the scent of the wine is crucial, while men focus on the palate. Women tend to seek the full wine experience: who we’re with, what we’re eating, and how we feel. Yet, the market continues to be dominated by brands aimed at men, alongside a handful of wines for women, many of which fall short of the mark when it comes to style, taste and finesse.

Since the company’s arrival in Great Britain in November 2007, WineSight has developed relationships with some of the leading bars and restaurants in London, which are keen to capitalise on women’s increasing interest in higher quality wines on their night out.

WineSight plans to be involved in a series of events more specifically dedicated to women, from fashion shows to networking lunches and business conferences.

Monolithos Monthly News

In the vineyard, pruning started early in January. Pruning, which is quite simply the cutting back of dead wood and superfluous plant growth, is the single most important step in vineyard management. Prior to coming into its winter dormancy, each vine sets its buds for the upcoming year. The number of buds set is governed by the growing patterns of the past season, and it is up to the farmer to prune accordingly so that the vine is not stressed and produces a healthy harvest. Vines start to stir in February and, by necessity, winter is the best time to sculpt or shape the vines in preparation for the upcoming growing season (buds break in mid May) and establish the vineyard’s crop potential. Pruning saves a cultivated vine from self-destruction. Left alone, it would simply reproduce until it killed itself. The seemingly aggressive act of pruning allows the vine to maintain a healthy vigour and achieve its best crop potential.

In the life cycle of a vineyard, vines reach their prime in their tenth year. They are now in their most vigorous and productive phase. Pruning consistently follows the patterns established in previous years. At year fifteen, a vine has reached full maturity; growth is regular and the plant is mellowed and balanced. It’s at this point we can push a little more, cut back more severely to force the crop down and produce a top-tier wine. A vineyard is not unlike a garden. Spectacular results require patience, attention and careful nurturing.

All eight Monolithos premium wines are available for tasting or purchasing, so if at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery, 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 words of Samuel Butler (17th century):

“All love at first, like generous wine – ferments and frets until ‘tis fine”

January 2008

A brand new year is here, another year filled with resolutions and expectations. Our sincerest wish is that 2008 will bring you and your loved ones happiness, health and prosperity filled with good times and all good things – including wine. This year, we look forward to welcoming all of you to the Winery.

With the advent of the New Year, we shall take an introductory look into the huge subject of ageing and storing wine. This topic comes up again and again among winemakers, wine merchants, retailers and consumers. We have therefore gathered some information and compiled this newsletter with the aim of offering practical understanding of the main issues regarding storing, maturing and ageing wine. Like most aspects of the complex world of wine, this information is provided only as guidance and not as a gospel. There are so many factors related to the subject, that we cannot investigate all of them here.

The words “maturing”, “storing” and “ageing” are often used interchangeably, but they don’t mean precisely the same thing. Maturation is widely considered to be the process by which a wine reaches a point of readiness for bottling, although maturation can continue in the bottle before leaving the winery. Storing time refers to the period during which a wine maintains a pleasant and relatively harmonious aroma and taste. It is directly related to the storage method, container, and environment, whether this is in the winery, the supermarket or our home. Ageing is a phenomenon that occurs according to a cycle. For a certain time, the taste of the wine becomes more refined, reaching the peak of its taste and then slowly losing quality until the very end of the ageing cycle.

Furthermore, the term maturation is often used for the changes which take place during bulk storage and ageing is used for the changes during bottle storage. This key difference in their definition stems from the fact that during bulk storage, a wine is likely to be exposed to air, whereas when bottled, it is stored in essentially anaerobic conditions. The processes of maturation and ageing involve, among other factors, time, type of storage container, and the conditions of storage e.g. temperature and humidity.

In a modern winery, wine undergoes maturation and subsequently ageing in at least two phases: in bulk storage in a container, and in the bottle. The first is entirely the job of the winemaker, but bottle ageing continues after leaving the winery and becomes the responsibility of the merchant or, increasingly, the final purchaser of the wine.

Wine is created through two naturally occurring living processes – the growth of grapes on the vine, and the conversion of the sugar in those grapes to alcohol by yeast. Wine is a complex liquid with a fragile balance of amino acids, phenols, carbohydrates and other components that could be easily affected by physical conditions or chemical changes. Many types of material have been used for wine storage, such as pottery, stainless steel, concrete, plastic and wood. The size and the material used for the container could have a profound effect on wine character and development during maturation.

For centuries, wine has been laid down to mature in cool, damp cellars. The use of oak barrels to age red and some white wines is also well established. Back in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, wood was pretty much the main material used for building containers. Wine was vinified in small or in very large oak barrels. These days, we can find many kinds of containers in common usage all over the world. Materials such as stainless steel, wood, cement and fibreglass vats are commonly in use. In the early 20^th century, poured concrete made its appearance, and winemakers started using it to build their tanks.

Concrete had several advantages over oak. First, it can be formed into convenient shapes, and so most winemakers made them square so that a row of vats could be created, sharing common walls and taking up less space than round oak vats. Concrete was much less expensive than oak and easy to work with, as opposed to oak barrels which required many hours of highly specialized labour to build. Concrete is a neutral substance, and doesn’t impart any particular taste to the wine. Finally, it is much easier to clean and maintain than oak, which requires sterilization with sulphur and special treatments before use each year. Concrete, therefore, became the material of choice, particularly in bulk wine-producing areas where winemakers needed to minimize expenses.

In the 60’s, the importance of good hygiene in the winery, including the need to keep fermentation tanks spotlessly clean, established the use of stainless steel as the main container for wine fermentation and storage. Its most important attributes are ease of maintenance, hygiene and built-in temperature-control.

Stainless steel vats come in all shapes and sizes, from 100 litres to larger than 50.000 litres. It is preferable to use as big a vat as possible, provided there is adequate wine to fill it to the top in order to minimize the effect of oxygen. The control of the latter is perhaps the most important parameter during maturation and ageing of wine. In order to ensure the minimum effect of oxygen, the winemaker should store bulk wine in a stainless steel tank which is kept entirely full, thus preventing its presence. The winemaker must check the wine level every three to four weeks to ensure that everything is developing as planned according to the desired taste, and top up the tank when required.

Wine spends much of its life sitting in a tank or a barrel or a bottle, waiting for things to happen. During each of these periods, something different occurs to the container it is in. Wine produced a few weeks after fermentation is not ready for consumption because it is cloudy from unwanted substances and yeast cells. However, beneath the cloudiness, a winemaker can easily sense the character and potentials of the new wine. All that is required is a step-by-step removal of all unwanted substances that mask the true nature of the wine. Furthermore, the watchful contribution of the winemaker can expedite the uncovering of the pleasurable flavours of the wine during maturation.

For some wines, maturation takes place in wood barrels, and others – especially those intended to be consumed young – mature in stainless steel tanks. Maturation allows wine to develop complexity of aromas and flavours. It also helps to clarify the wine by allowing deposits to settle at the bottom of the barrel or tank for removal. While this is happening, the aromas of the grape are replaced by the bouquet of the maturing wine.

It is only within the last century that we have begun to understand what transpires in the barrel and the bottle during the maturation and ageing processes. The factors that prolong the ageing cycle of wine are quite complex, but here are a couple of rules of thumb: The wine must have a fairly high level of tannin to age at all. However, all the tannin in the world is no good if the wine has no acidity to keep it fresh tasting. Acidity and tannin are all well and good, but it is fruit that makes wine taste good, and if there is not enough fruit in the wine, then when it ages, it will lack character and taste. Consequently, the fuller a wine in all three of the abovementioned components, the longer and better it will age.

Tannins come from the skins and seeds of the grapes or (especially in the case of white) from being aged in oak wood. Grape tannins are more subtle, but often as strong, and rarely as astringent (mouth drying) as oak tannins. Grape tannins are better than oak when it comes to ageing. Grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon tend to have better ageing potential because of their thicker skins. The acidity primarily comes from the grape itself. Acidity can be balanced during the winemaking process, but the best vintages have a perfect balance of tannin, fruit and acidity during harvesting.

As already stated, wine matures in bulk during the period from the end of the fermentation until bottling. The duration of this period is dependent on a number of factors such as the variety of grape, vineyard location, type, colour, and quality of wine. The conditions under which wine is stored and processed, and the container used during this period, have a significant impact on its maturing, development and life cycle ageing.

Furthermore, wines differ according to the strains of yeast used, the temperature at which they are vinified, the proportion of new oak barrel used for their ageing and the length of time they are kept in barrels. Blending different wines also determines the style of the wine. One purpose of blending is to render wines ready for drinking earlier than they might otherwise be. A blended wine is usually ready earlier than a wine made from a single grape variety. In fact, using a mixture of varieties gives a complex flavour much more rapidly.

Sometimes stainless steel and oak are combined. Initially fermented in a neutral stainless steel vat to keep the fruit aromas pure and fresh, the wine is then placed for several months in an oak barrel for conditioning. Barrel maturation has been intensively researched in the past, but it remains a complex and unpredictable process which is mostly dependent on the relationship between wood, wine and environmental components. The French call this “the kiss of oak”. Here, the toasty, vanilla flavours of the oak are absorbed directly into the wine, without losing its fruitiness or radically altering the texture. Shortly after bottling, the vanilla and toast aromas dominate the wine’s bouquet, but within a few years, they settle in with the fruit and sing a different kind of harmony.

There really is no right or wrong choice of tank type. As a painter chooses to work with oils, watercolours or pastels, the winemaker chooses the type of vat that best suits his way of winemaking process and the type of grapes his vineyard produces. It’s just one of the several decisions in the winegrowing and winemaking field that determine the quality and personality of the wine a winemaker wishes to establish.

Bottle ageing is the final stage of maturation and is characterised by the fact that the wine does not come into direct contact with oxygen. During this period of anaerobic maturation, the wine needs to rest under constant conditions. Sudden environmental changes, such as temperature and light, have a negative influence on the slow development and chemical inter-actions that take place inside the bottle, resulting in rapid decomposition of the wine’s structural components. It is important to remember that smaller bottles will mature more quickly than standard bottles or magnums, as the proportion of air in the bottle neck space to the volume of wine is relatively higher.

Red wine is left to mature in oak barrels for three months to three years to develop the proper amount of flavour. It is then put into bottles, and these bottles are aged even further, both by the winery and also by the consumer, to bring the wine to the perfect point for consumption. Red wine quality is a balance between the grapes inherent aromas, the ageing bouquet and the oak character (especially the vanilla flavour) acquired during storing in oak barrels. The rate at which the maturation occurs depends upon a number of factors such as: type of wood, size of barrel, age of barrel, duration, temperature and conditions of cellar.

White wine is normally mature for less time than a red wine. It might reach a sufficient level of maturity within a few months after fermentation, and it could be bottled immediately or, for some special varieties after a year, in a barrel to extract the correct amount of flavour. White wines are normally drinkable immediately you purchase the bottle, although some whites that have undergone barrel maturation could benefit from a few years of bottle ageing. There are no old white wines.

Generally speaking, today’s wines are ready to be enjoyed while young and fresh upon release. Most white wines, in particular, are intended for drinking within two to three years after the vintage date. However, with proper storage, certain wines tend to improve with age. Improper storage can ruin a good wine in a very short time. Whites are more durable than reds. They travel well, accept light better, will tolerate cold refrigeration, and do not require breathing; however, like reds, they do not tolerate heat. Also, whites don't age well.

In conclusion, whereas ageing normally refers to the period a wine spends between being bottled and consumed, maturation refers to how the wine is handled between fermentation and bottling. Most red wines and some whites are held in tanks or casks for a few months in order to settle prior to bottling. In this way, maturation allows the wines to mellow out first. Red wines have especially high tannin contents, making most new wines undrinkable. If the wine is allowed to settle, however, the bitterness decreases. The character of the wine is fully influenced during this period. The container used in maturation, the length of the process and the temperature all affect the flavour of the wine. For some reds, such as Beaujolais Nouveau, the maturation process is short and bottling occurs almost immediately after fermentation. Many reds develop strong characters from long maturation times in newly constructed wooden barrels that impart their flavours into the juice. Reds are known to mature for up to three or four years. All fortified wines are aged in large barrels from between two to ten years. Whites spend the least amount of time in this maturation process. With less tannin influence, white wines are not required to mellow as much and can be quickly bottled.

Wine News and Information

Plans to reform the European wine industry have been agreed by EU Agriculture Ministers in December. The compromised agreement includes a voluntary three-year grubbing up scheme covering up to 175,000 hectares of vineyards instead of the 400,000 hectares originally proposed by Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel after the plans came under fire from France and Italy in particular. Also, plans to ban chaptalisation (adding of sugar) were abandoned after running into opposition from Northern European wine-producing countries such as Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. However, maximum levels of enrichment will be reduced. Furthermore, subsidies for crisis distillation are to be phased out by 2013, with the money saved then allocated at a national level for investment in vineyards, wineries, innovations and marketing – part of a general move towards a devolution of decision-making away from Brussels and onto member nations.

The measures also promise simplified labelling rules, most significantly allowing wines without geographical indication to mention vintage and grape variety on their labels. The EU will also take over responsibility for changes to winemaking practices. Now, Europe will promote more single-grape wines like Syrah or Sauvignon Blanc, much like the New World has done for a generation. And instead of fancy labels designating tiny plots in faraway places and arcane production methods, simplicity is the new order of the day. The reforms, which are budget-neutral, are due to take effect on 1 August 2008.

China and Hong Kong will be the eighth biggest wine consumer in the world by 2012, according to research commissioned by Vinexpo (Asia-Pacific takes place in Hong Kong from 27-29 May 2008)..

Taking an even bigger slice of the US$100 billion world wine industry, China joined the “top ten club” of the biggest wine consumers last year. France is still the biggest supplier of wine to Asia, but Australia, Chile and the US are rapidly increasing their market share.

The latest forecasts, carried out by researchers IWSC commissioned by Vinexpo, has China overtaking Romania and the Russian Federation to reach number eight position in five years. Researchers reckon the market for wine in China will grow by 70% between 2006 and 2011, Vinexpo chief executive Robert Beynat said. At present, France and Italy, with 12.7% and 12.6% of the world market respectively, are the world’s top consumers. They are followed by the US (11.1%), Germany (10.3%), the UK (5.4%), Argentina, Spain, Russia, Romania and China, with 2.2% of the world market. The forecast is that the US will be the biggest consumer by volume by 2012.

Vinexpo has commissioned market research and forecasts for 11 years and has used IWSR to produce them since 2002. Beynat said yesterday that over five years they reckoned on being accurate to within 0.2%. There have been mistakes, he said. “We were wrong about the Chinese market in 2005 when we predicted a 36% growth. We have changed our minds since then and now predict a 70% rise.”

Of the Asian countries, China and Hong Kong command 62.7% of the market. They are followed by Japan (28%), then South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, India and Malaysia. India has 0.8% of the Asian market but is predicted to grow by 200% over the next five years, Beynat said. The top five exporters to Asia are France (with 39.3 % of the market), the US (13.8%), Italy (13.2%), Australia (10.2%) and Chile (7.6%).

Growth rates for these countries between 2002 and 2006 are radically different, with Australia, Chile, and the US showing the most dramatic acceleration (128.4%, 45.1% and 40.9% respectively), and Italy the only country to lose market share, dropping -3.7%.

Monolithos Monthly News

Winter is the normal dormancy – or sleep – period for vines. Dormancy will end with bud break in the spring. This year’s January started off dry and warm. Pruning commenced in January and will be completed in the middle of February. How we prune our vines has a direct impact on the coming vintage, so we take it very seriously. With precision pruning, we not only affect how many grapes will grow, but also how they will develop on the vine. This is also the time of year for land preparation and weed control. Weeds are commonly controlled either chemically or mechanically. In Cyprus, mechanical mowers are widely used.

January is always the quiet after the storm of the holiday season in the wine business, however at the Winery, everything becomes “vigorous” with activity. The grapes harvested in autumn are now being racked and filtered.

Red wines are being cleaned up, whilst white wines that will be bottled quickly are being stabilized by mixing it with bentonite. The latter removes some of the protein which will form a haze in the wine during warm weather. There are a number of other materials that may be added now to correct any deficiencies in the wine. Generally, at Monolithos, as little as possible is added to wine. Filtering and pumping the wine from tank to tank is also kept to a minimum. Our winemaking policy is to make the best possible product with the least amount of processing.

The wine is cooled to just above freezing in order to remove excess tartrate in a process called “cold stabilization”. Tartaric acid is the main acid in grapes. Some of it is present in the wine in the form of potassium tartrate. This material becomes insoluble and forms crystals when the wine is cooled. By cooling white wine and filtering it in the winery, the wine will not form crystals when the consumer puts the bottle in the refrigerator for a week or two. This is less of a problem in red wines as red wines are not usually chilled before serving.

We thank you for your continued support. Take care and remember:

“Who loves not women, WINE and song, remains a fool his whole life long.”

Martin Luther

If at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery or purchase 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.

Wishing you a happy New Year from all of us here at Monolithos