Modern Winemaking

There is a common saying in the wine business that “wine is made in the vineyard”. There is no doubt that the good wines are made from good grapes but without technology a winemaker is rarely able to transform those same grapes into truly spectacular wine.

You might be surprised what the wine industry looked like seventy years ago. California was known for jug wine and Australia and South Africa were only known for making strong fortified wines. Canada’s wine industry barely existed. While New World countries struggled to find their way France was the undisputed world wine power, both in terms of production but also quality. However, as French wines were resting on their laurels a technological revolution was quietly occurring in the post World War II era. Countries such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand and the United States, who were on the front of this technological revolution, were quietly becomingly powerful wine nations.

So how did these New World wine regions rise to international stardom? It some of ways their lack of history was to their benefit as it made them more willing to adopt modern winemaking and vineyard practices. The real forces in the development of the modern wine industry were both California and Australia. Not surprisingly both benefited from a group of young, eager and talented winemakers learning new techniques taught at their own top winemaking schools – University of California at Davis and Roseworthy College in Australia.

With an improved understanding of winemaking and overall understanding of the science behind grape growing, vintners in California, Australia and throughout the New World began employing new trellising systems, canopy management techniques and used green harvesting to ensure grapes achieved full ripeness. Ripe grapes translate to wines full of fruit character rather than the leafy, green character of unripe grapes we now associate with inferior winemaking. Ripeness also applies to tannins. Think about the juicy, soft character of an Australian Shiraz. The wine has tannins but they somehow feel round and approachable; a welcome change to the firm character of many red wines from the past.

For those that have been drinking wine for a while, you undoubtedly also have noticed that alcohol percentages have risen dramatically. Higher alcohol generally means the grapes have ripened more on the vine and as a consequence have more natural fermentable sugars. It also means the phenolics (the aromatic qualities of grape) are further developed. In the past Cabernet would more often have vegetal and herbaceous notes but over the last few decades Cabernet is associated with riper blackberry fruit character.

Improvements weren’t only happening in the vineyard. New World winemakers also began employing new technologies and techniques to maximize the character of their wines. Some of these weird science sounding techniques include micro-oxygenation and reverse osmosis which have been both welcomed for making wines taste riper and softer but also vilified for stripping wine of its regional character. Reverse osmosis may be the most controversial as it allows the winemaker to artificially remove unwanted character from the wine. Is it weird science winemaking or simply an improvement on a good thing? It’s a debate that will evolve over coming decades.

Add the wide scale availability of refrigeration, stainless steel fermenters and aging tanks, new filtrations techniques and equipment and of course computers and you have a dizzying number of improvements available to modern winemakers. Is it any wonder that wine today is so technologically perfect?

California and Australia hit their heights in the 1980s and 1990s, and plethora New World wine regions are benefiting from the stewardship of these two wine regions. Wineries from Argentina to New Zealand are now seducing wine drinkers palates with their modern wine styles.

How have the French reacted? After a period of treading water compared to their New World competitors, the French wine industry is undergoing its own resurgence as modern technologies are being employed throughout the industry. The return of the “Old World” will provide a welcome challenge to the industry and all our palates will be the beneficiaries of better wine made around the world.