[question] Question submitted by Paul Sellars, Australia. Two Barossa shirazes, both 14.5 per cent alcohol, one medium bodied, elegant and restrained, the other full bodied, bold and powerful. What are some of the viticultural and winemaking factors which result in two wines of the same variety and alcohol level to be so poles apart stylistically? [/question] [answer] Shiraz One could come from a year like 1998 in which the temperature was warm and consistent, without ever becoming exceptionally hot. With modern conversion rates from sugar to alcohol of wine yeasts, this wine could have been harvested around 13.5 degrees Baume, with ripe, bright and pristine flavours. It would then have been made with a gentle extraction process, delivering fine-grained tannins (even finer and more velvet-like if from ancient vines) and then augmented in the cellar with slow-release French oak cooperage to fashion smooth, powdery oak tannins. Because of the evenness of the season, there would be no presence in the wine of dehydrated currant or prune-like flavours or porty influences. Shiraz Two would come from a year like 2000 or 2003, in which extreme heat caused sugars to ripen well in advance of flavours. The result is that when the average ripeness of grapes (and you would find a wider spread of under-ripe and over-ripe grapes in these conditions) reaches 13.5 degrees Baume, some would be exceptionally ripe and shrivelled (especially thsoe exposed to the sunshine) and others (the more shaded berries and bunches) would still actually retain under-ripe herbaceous influences. When made into wine, this results in a combination of over-ripe and under-ripe characters, such as meaty, pruney, tarry and raisin-likie qualities in conjunction with vegetable soup and capsicum-like influences. Because, in this case, the wine does not deliver an even palate of genuinely ripe flavour, the resulting alcoholic strength of 14.5% appears excessive and spirity. The alcohol is obtrusive, the wine out of balance. It will never achieve balance, for by the time it’s in the cellar, it’s too late to solve all its problems. Winemaking technology, such as micro-oxygenation, can assist, but not solve all. Overtly, this wine is likely to be bold and powerful, especially given the modern trend towards a firm and often gritty extract, because it’s partially ultra-ripe and spirity. But it is actually a very poor wine. Shiraz Three (just to be provocative) comes from another warm to hot year, such as 2004. The fruit ripens evenly, but flavours arrive late (according to the winemaker), and the grapes are not harvested until they reach an average sugar level of 14.5 degree Baume. The fruit manages to avoid excessive over-ripeness, although a hint of prune and currant may be seen. It’s carefully made in the winery, given the best new oak money can buy (or else is treated in a stainless tell tank with InnerStave blocks of wood in conjunction with a carefully monitored micro-oxygenation process), then examined prior to bottling. It’s nearly 16% alcohol by volume, but is otherwise in balance. All that needs to be done is to remove the alcohol, which can easily be achieved with modern winemaking technology using permeable membranes. So the winemaker calls in David Wollan’s team at Wine Network Australia, they remove the excess alcohol and the wine is bottled at a very balanced and joyful 14.5%. And nobody whatsoever can tell how it was made! Welcome to the 21st century of Australian winemaking! [/answer]
