 Dr. Monika Christmann is the de-facto Head of Department of Oenology and Wine Technology at the world-famous Geisenheim State Research Institute in Germany. She is also the President of the OIV Expert group Technology, Paris. She was speaking as the keynote speaker to a full house of over 400 people at the Auction held recently at the Nedrburg winery in South Africa talking about the most important topics the industry is facing.
Global Wine Consumption
The latest data presented by the OIV shows that the total global wine consumption is declining, particularly in countries where traditionally wine has been part of the daily life. Health reasons due to excess drinking, wellness activities, driving issues etc might be some of the factors resulting in reduction of consumption.
Global production
New wine consuming countries like those in Scandinavia and in the East have not been able to make up for this loss. There is a very strong increase in wine production which is not at its peak yet. New producing nations like India and China will start exporting their wines to the global market in the very near future. Countries like Brazil are increasing their production with high growth rates. Even countries in Europe located in the north- like Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are starting to produce wine as it seems to be fashionable.
Growing Competition
The international competition is growing dramatically. In order to gain or defend the existing place on the shelf, a wine has to fulfil increasing needs and demands of the consumers, particularly in terms of quality and price.
There are two different categories of wine consumers in the market. On the one hand, expert customers are looking for site- specific wines which show Typicity or Terroir. This group is in the minority but will grow in the fore-seeable future. A fairly large group of wine drinkers prefers consumer- tailored wines which are produced in a certain, recognizable and easy to understand style.
Demand for these two different categories of wines strongly affects modern production procedures. As a result, new technologies have come up recently and have started to compete with older, more traditional methods. The global and often very emotional discussions around the world have had an extremely negative impact on consumers. The fairy tales of industrial or cocacolised wines are told everywhere, mainly in Europe. They have created not only big confusion but also put wines in a difficult position. Many producing countries are uncertain whether to stay traditional or opt for new technologies.
Global Climate Change
Another important point is the global climate change. In the near future it will be more difficult in some well known wine growing areas of the world due to lack of water and exposure to weather extremes but also due to a change of the must or wine composition such as high levels of alcohol.
For instance, Germany has decided to allow new technologies for all wines with no Prädikat. But for all quality wines with Prädikat (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese), only traditional techniques must continue to be used.
This decision protects the traditional winemaking but also raises the question whether traditional techniques are better, just because they are traditional. In addition, there is a strong increase in demand for consumer protection which will get stronger in future. Questions of allergens, residues, traceability, sustainability etc. need to be answered.
New Technologies and Old World
To keep up with the international competition and create the style of wine the consumer is looking for, many wine producing countries feel that the use of alternative winemaking and procedures and new technology is worth considering. The long list of possibilities includes the following factors:
Concentration of must or Wine
Sugar Reduction in Must
Oak Flavour
Alcohol Adjustment
Removal of Volatile Acidity
Acid Adjustments
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
At times, use of these new technologies is seen very critical and it often boils down to the question of "agricultural" or "industrial" wines.
While many New World countries are using some of these new techniques, the traditional European countries cannot do so due to the prohibition of some technologies by the EU laws. It often leads to problems and conflicts in the international trade and unfair discrimination of certain wines.
Legal Issues
A few years ago WTO decided to reduce non-financial, technical trade barriers by harmonizing technical regulations and by implementing a mutual recognition agreement of all practices used within all its member states.
The OIV (International Organisation for Vine and Wine) is the international body which has the competence to examine new techniques and add them to the catalogue of international oenological practices before they can be implemented into domestic legislations. Unfortunately the EU has recently signed some bilateral agreements which completely ignore the role of the OIV and may lead to more difficulties in future. It allows acceptance of wines produced with technologies which are not legal in the EU from non- EU countries. European producers must follow the much more restrictive EU law. This will certainly lead to more problems in the international arena.
Modern Consumer
In addition to all the legal issues we must deal with the factor neglected in many countries- the modern consumer.Evaluation of the consumer taste and the use of that information "to design" a product, is a new but very strong approach to be successful in the market place. Sensory evaluation as a production and marketing tool has been known in many other areas but is still unfamiliar to the traditional wine producing countries. Again, the new world demonstrates that this method can be extremely helpful in gaining new markets.
New Technologies
Producers often believe that the use of new technology will solve all their problems and will help them produce perfect wine. This opinion is getting stronger as more producers have to deal with issues related to global warming. A few years ago it was impossible to talk about the technology of alcohol adjustment with European producers. Now this situation has changed and several new tehnologies are being discussed.
a) Must Concentration
This technology was introduced to create top wines with bigger mouth-feel, body and alcohol. The discussions before the legal acceptance were highly emotional and had nothing to do with the scientific results but were linked to the "ethical" approach in winemaking.
Experiments from all around the world show the following results:
- From a sensory point there is no difference between must concentration and the use of sugar or must concentrate.
- Must concentration is very costly and results in more expensive products.
As long as the market is asking for deep red coloured wines this will remain an important technology in some northern wine producing countries.
b) Wine Concentration
The concentration of wine instead of must shows many advantages in terms of handling, timing, optimum percentage of water removal, microbiological stability etc. So far, the sensory results are not very convincing and this technique is not legal yet within the EU and many other countries around the world.
c) Oak Flavour by using Staves, Chips & Extracts
The use of Chips instead of barriques has conquered the wine world mostly due to the price but also due to the earlier release of wines into the market and the easier handling. While many countries are successfully using staves or chips since decades, the EU has legalized this for European wines only two years ago. From a sensory point of view the use of staves , chips or barriques cannot be distinguished and the fifference has not been statistically proven.
Concerns about an aromatisation of wine or residues coming from chips could be eliminated by comparing analytical results of wines treated by both methods.
In 2004 the OIV accepted a resolution on the definition of chips which was mostly dealing with the size of chips. Accordingly, 95% of the used amount of chips has to be removed by using a screen with a pore size of 2mm. This size was decided to avoid the use of extracts. Use of oenological Tannins with wood flavour was also prohibited.
The EU conducted a market research a few years ago to find out what the consumer thought about the use of chips. The result was very surprising as more than 80% of all people asked had no problem with this as long as human health was not impacted and the price of the wine was acceptable.
d) Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
This is certainly one of the most sensitive issues and will require a lot of attention and precaution before a possible introduction into the market. All advantages as well as disadvantages have to be evaluated very strictly. Particularly the impact on the environment has to be under close investigation.
Current Problems and Discussions
All the new technologies used in winemaking around the world work very well from a technical view. Still, some technologies work by splitting must or wine into fractions in order to be more gentle. These fractions have a different analytical composition compared to the base product. The question we are facing now is: what is a fraction of wine
The answer is very difficult to find. If a fraction of wine is the same as wine, then the aromatisation of wine can be legalised. This is not what we want. If a fraction of wine is not wine, then we have to see whichat law is in place. Can we split a wine into fractions, do a treatment and still call it wine after the recombination of all the components? Do we need a new definition of wine?
These questions have to be answered before some of the new technologies can be adopted. Several of these technologies are awaiting approval from OIV without which they cannot be adopted.
a) Alcohol adjustment in high alcohol wines
This technology is widely and successfully used in the New World for top end as well as medium priced wines for tax reasons. Products with alcohol levels above 13 or 14 % vol. are brought down to moderate alcohol levels of around 12 % vol. for quality reasons and a better consumer response.
Due to global warming reasons, European producers are also experiencing more problems now with high alcohol levels in their wine and would like to reduce this level. Unfortunately the reduction of alcohol is still strictly prohibited in the EU except of the production of alcohol free wines . Following certain bilateral agreements wines produced using this process are allowed to be sold in the EU.
b) Removal of Volatile Acidity (VA)
Rainy vintages or sluggish and stuck fermentations can easily lead to wines with elevated levels of volatile acidity. Particularly wines which will go into barrels might suffer from a sweet and sour impression. Products which are still within the legal limits of VA can be treated to improve the quality. Wines with additional sensory defects cannot be positively manipulated. So far, the treatment is handicapped by its costs.
c) Acidification by using Physical Treatments
Many warm climate regions have the option to increase the acidity by adding one or more acids in order to establish better microbiological conditions and create a better taste. A new approach is not to add acid but do self-enrichment by removing ions with the help of Ion-Exchange-Columns or Electro-Dialysis-Units. The advantage would be that no component originated from wine would come into the final product.
d) Sugar reduction in Must
By using a combination of different membranes, natural sugar levels in must such as Glucose and Fructose can be diminished and undesired high alcohol levels can be avoided. Problematic fermentations due to too much sugar in the fermenting product can be reduced. This technology takes a pro-active approach by dealing with the problem already in the must and not the wine.
New technology vs. tradition
Not only traditional producers but often also consumers also believe that traditional technologies are better because they are old, well known, and well established. Theis may or may not necessarily be true.
For example, a few years ago the OIV accepted a resolution on the definition on Icewine to avoid fraud and to protect a special product with its old, traditional production process. Classically, there are many obstacles to be overcome in every vintage to make such a product. From a marketing point of view this might make no sense because the steady supply is in danger. However, products which are difficult to produce can be offered as rare and therefore will have a better reputation and command better price.
As a result Cryo-concentration as a method of must or wine concentration, is not permitted for the production of Icewine.
Therefore, each new technology should be seen and examined individually in order to evalutate advantages or the problems. At the same time, existing traditional methods should also be revisited to evaluate their existence in winemaking and one must constantly look for better options.
Future Trends
Current international discussions identify the major concerns and mainly deal with the following issues:
a) Sustainable Production
In this field we see a demand for the reduction of treatment in the vineyards as well as during the winemaking process in order to protect the environment and to produce wines that respect the expectations of the modern consumer. This might be reached by planting more resistant varieties and perhaps the use of more time instead of chemicals in the cellar.
Also, the use of physical technologies could be favourable. In this area the wine industry in South Africa with its IPW program can certainly take on a leading role in the world.
b) Traceability
Every consumer has the right to know if he wants, about the materials coming in contact with wine during the process, such as fining material, hoses, pipes and other equipment. This will allow to decide whether the wine can be consumed by vegetarians or people with allergies. It will also deal with the problem of residues.
c) Residues
Because of the increasing efforts towards consumer protection, the health of consumers such as allergies as also the environment is the centre of attention. It might lead to a wider use of physical treatments and even "ban" of some traditional technologies such as certain finings.
Concluding remarks
Winemaking will be facing many new challenges in the near future particularly in the following areas:
A higher consumer demand for quality
More competition in the global market
Global climate change
Additional benefits like: health issues, wellness and pleasure
Due to the increasing global competition we shall see many new strategies to promote and sell wines. Interesting stories around the wine and its production will be told to convince the potential buyer. Production techniques, residues, impact on the environment will be just a few of the factors to focus on.
At the same time we experience that the battle for shelf space has moved from economy to oenology. But the decision will be made by the consumer. By buying the products they prefer for whatever reason, they will dictate to the producer what style they should follow in making their wines.
Researchers, winemaker and producers have a responsibility to protect wine and its heritage as a natural product. That does not mean that we should only focus on the traditional methods. It is necessary to investigate new technologies and when they are beneficial, we must introduce them to the wine industry to ensure its positive future.
We must remember that the technologies which are now considered traditional were also new once and were looked at with suspicion and criticsm. Past is the beginning of our future. |