| When
we compiled The Italian Wine Guide 2006 for ICE last
year, it was my strong personal desire to mention alcohol
levels in the Tasting Notes we had prepared for the
Indian audience. The notes included grapes, region,
winery description, wine characteristics like aroma,
flavour, body, sweetness, after-taste, serving temperatures
and food match. But I had to abandon the idea of indicating
alcohol levels because the relevant information available
was rather scanty. Importers of these wines, generally,
were not bothered about this minor detail.
I consider myself a 5/14 person. I don't like to drink
anything less than 5% alcohol, ruling out beer and wine
coolers as also wines over 14%. I do taste wines containing
over 14%; the number of such wines has been going up
during the last 5 years. Currently 14.5% seems to be
the norm at the higher end with 15- or even 16% levels
not unheard. Of course, the alcohol level in fortified
wines generally start where wines hand them over the
baton.
And I am talking of what is displayed on the label
only. Most countries and regional appellations allow
a 'margin' of 0.5 to 1.5%. Many times the label may
read 14%. But the wine tastes like it has 15% or even
more, with a burning sensation in the gullet and the
alcohol vapours stinging the nose.
Alcohol in wine is a natural ingredient while fermenting
grapes using yeasts which help convert sugar into alcohol,
releasing carbon dioxide. As the alcohol level rises,
the capacity and speed of yeast to further break sugar
into alcohol decreases and around 16-17% it totally
stops, leaving a minimum of about 1 gm/ litre that can
never be converted to alcohol.
If the fermentation is made to stop earlier, the wine
will be sweeter, with lower alcohol. The potential of
alcohol is determined by the sugar in the grapes at
the time of harvesting and is usually measured in Brix
or Oechsle. In areas of cold clime like Champagne, Burgundy
and many areas of France, Germany etc. the sugar may
be added to the juice to help with fermentation; this
process is known as chaptalisation.
In warm areas where sunny days are plenty and summers
are hot, grapes have much higher level of sugar and
have potentially more alcohol. Higher alcohol also gives
more body to the wine; the beautiful legs you see on
the side of the glass when you swirl, are also indicative
of high alcohol (and glycerine) content.
The phenomenon of gradually escalating levels of alcohol
may be due to global warming. In the recent scenario
of Europe going through heat waves, the levels of alcohol
get pushed up. But the major thrust has come from the
new world wine makers who like to make bold, powerful,
full body wines with higher alcohol, which the uncrowned
king of wines, Robert Parker loves. To get higher ratings
and the resultant higher prices and sales the winemakers
often follow his palate to decide on the wine style.
There are wine consultants who actually do nothing but
help the winemaker get higher ratings-the higher alcohol
level be damned.
So what is wrong with high alcohol? 'Wine is not alcohol',
is what I tell the non-wine drinkers, raising their
eye-brows. What I mean is that alcohol is there to give
proper flavour, balance and personality to the wine.
It needs to be an integral part of the flavours and
should not mask the minerality, earthiness or other
characteristics that come from the terroir and the varietal.
This is where the winemaker plays his role. Otherwise,
you might as well drink grape or thick prune juice.
Certain wines like Zinfandel have a higher natural level
of alcohol- a Riesling from colder part of Germany will
have a lower natural content when the wine is well balanced.
Till a certain level, alcohol is fine on the palate
and nose. If you have nosed a high alcohol wine (above
14%, by my reckoning) at slightly warmer temperature,
you would agree that the alcohol vapours dominate and
at any rate interfere with the natural aromas and bouquet
of the wine. You feel the burning sensation rather than
the pleasant after taste the wine ought to offer for
an enjoyable experience. The wine does not get a chance
to express its basic, pleasant varietal character.
High alcohol wines do not go very well with food for
the same reasons. Try a German Riesling with 13% alcohol
with spicy Indian food, you would like it. Then try
an off dry Riesling from Mosel with only 8-9% alcohol.
You will find it very refreshing, more palatable and
lighter and you would want to drink more.
This brings in the health benefits- and the problems,
due to alcohol. Numerous studies have been conducted
on wine and health, particularly heart. There is a general
consensus that two glasses a day for men and one a day
for women is very healthy and does not have any damning
side effects.
But how do we measure the standard glass? 5-glasses
to a bottle or 6-glasses to a 750 ml bottle? 30 ml of
whisky, 45 ml, or 60 ml? The standard drink has to take
into consideration the alcoholic potency in the drink,
be it wine, whisky or vodka. A consumption of 12 gms
of alcohol is considered a standard drink.
Without going into details of how to calculate, it
is safe to assume that the third of a bottle of wine
each, having 12% alcohol is a safe level where you enjoy
the benefits of wine but there is no damage to liver,
kidneys, blood pressure etc.
Now consider drinking wine with a potency of 15%. An
additional volume of 3% means that you are consuming
25% extra alcohol. At 16%, you have a whopping 33% overweight.
You may think you are sticking to the healthy 2 glasses.
But, you are overstepping the wine doctor's recommendation
by 33%!
Fortunately, there has been some movement globally
to raise a voice against the alcoholisation of wines
, especially in the new world. In the old world Spain
is the leader in producing wines of 14.5-15% or even
more. Of course Italian Amarones have 15-16.5% due to
their using dried grapes with higher sugar content and
when they make dry Amarone, the alcohol level is at
its monstrous worst. (However, in the case of good Amarones,
it is well integrated and has good harmony and one can
choose to drink less of the fabulous wine- it is not
an everyday quaff, anyway). Dessert wines have higher
levels but one drinks them spoonful and not glassful.
My American friend Gerry Dawes who also writes for
us occasionally about Spanish wines is an expert on
Spanish food and wines. He mingles with top Spanish
winemakers and Chefs. I have faced him many a time sitting
on the other side of the head table at wine seminars
where he is very vocal against high alcohol and new
oak in Spanish wines.
Gerry is a crusader against high alcohol wines and
abuse of new oak (he facetiously talks about how Europe
is being de-forested to make new oak barrels and even
wanted to torch a barrel in the streets at a conference
in Valencia). He acknowledges his contempt for what
he calls "Parkerista" wines at many seminars
and attacks overblown "blockbuster" wines
that forsake structure, balance, elegance and food friendly
style for high alcohol, overripe jammy fruit, low acid
and pronounced oak flavours that obscure complexity,
minerality and ever the nature of the grape variety
itself
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