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Cellar Dweller


Grapes on the loading dock: What’s next?


For each variety and region a range ofwine styles can bemade. By Gary Strachan


T


he winemaker is the bridge from vineyard to consumer. Each has his own philosophy of creating a wine from different grape varieties. The process may be simple, by which the winemaker does a straightforward juice extraction and then ferments and clarifies the wine, or complex, in which each stage is carefully orchestrated to maintain consistent wine character through different vintages. For each grape variety and each region, there is a range of wine styles that can be made. Riesling can be developed in a Sauvignon blanc style with vegetal notes and fresh acidity or it can be held in the vineyard to a more advanced maturity with muscat notes and softer acidity . . . or any stage in between. Pinot noir styles can range from a blanc de noir to rosé to deeply coloured and complex.


I could spend the rest of this article discussing alternate wine styles for all the current grape varieties grown in B.C. It can be a daunting task to track flavour development in every vineyard which serves a winery. If you miss the mark for the style of wine you wish to produce it requires skill to extract the flavours you want and suppress the flavours you wish to avoid. The first step is to recognize the chemical activity of components that you wish to enhance or suppress. Water-soluble components such as colour and fruity notes can be extracted more effectively from skins prior to fermentation when there is no alcohol present.


If you need to enhance the extraction, you can also use pectinase to break down the berry structure. On the other hand, if you wish to


suppress extraction, avoid prefermentation maceration and don’t use pectinase. For white wines, blanc de noir or rosé wines, flavour extraction can be minimized by whole cluster pressing. This method can also be used for overmature or infected grapes to minimize the extraction of unwanted flavours. Acidity is always an


GARY STRACHAN


Two wines made from the same batch of grapes. On the right is a wine made from free run juice of 2011 Cabernet franc. On the left is wine made with skin extraction of 2011 Cabernet franc.


issue in winemaking. Much acidity drops out during cold stabilization and even more is removed during malolactic fermentation. Saccharomyces bayanus yeast strains also remove varying amounts of malic acid, depending on the strain. There are various other methods to lower acidity, such as carbonic maceration, double salt precipitation, or potassium bicarbonate addition.


Chemical acid adjustment, as opposed to biological adjustment, has a more predictable outcome, but it should be planned and carried out before fermentation rather than as an afterthought.


Deacidification or extended hang time typically produces grapes or must with high pH. At high pH, wines are more susceptible to oxidation and bacterial infection. Some oxidized flavours are


Producers of Quality


 Chardonnay  Dunkelfelder  Foch  Gamay


 Baco Noir  Cabernet Franc  Cabernet Sauvignon


 Gewurztraminer  Malbec  Marsanne  Merlot  Mourvedre  Muscat Ottonel  Orange Muscat


 Petite Verdot  Pinot Blanc  Pinot Gris  Pinot Noir  Riesling  Sauvignon Blanc  Sovereign Coronation


MORI VINES INC. CONTACT: R.R. #3, 1912 Concession 4, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0


Phone: (905) 468-0822  Fax: (905) 468-0344 email: morivines@sympatico.ca


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Fall 2012


Ron Fournier, Oliver, BC


(250) 498-3350 23


 Seyval Blanc  Shiraz  Syrah  Vidal  Viognier  Zinfandel  Zweigelt


NOTE: These vines are Canadian made!Many different clones are available. Rootstocks available are Riparia, S04, 3309 and 101-14.


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