New World Winemaker Blog » Bertus Fourie

A walk in the clouds

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:21:18 +0000

“Some call her sister of the moon, Some say illusions are her game…”

Those of you who are into Fleetwood Mac (I shall give you a hint: A popular rock band which got together in the late 60’s), are probably intrigued by the familiar lyrics yet again, and those of you who are into biodynamics, probably enchanted by it.

It is a science although not regarded as one. It has many truths, although not acknowledged by too many. Some facts though, that I can put on the table, remain in my view, significant:

1. I grew up spending time with Cousin Riaan in Chenin blanc and Shiraz vineyards, almost 20 years ago, dusting vines with sulfur no more than 3 or 4 times during season. All dry land vineyards. 30 tons per hectare. Today we might not survive if we do not put down a few systemic sprays and a couple of contact sprays. What happened? Are we not treating symptoms instead of zooming in on the reason for these symptoms? Our focus is simply on “pumping the soil” full of required elements to sustain next year’s bottom line. We spray the vine with all sorts of funny things when it shows symptoms of illnesses, disease, pests or deficiencies, instead of zooming in on the variables that cause the distress We have forgotten how to treat and respect the well being of a living entity in our quest to “push the yield”…no wonder we have such chaos in our crops.

2. I have stuck my hand into soil managed biodynamically, but almost broke my fingers trying to get into the first few millimeters of the neighbor’s.

3. Many studies confirmed significantly higher concentrations humus in biodynamically farmed soils, hence more diverse populations of soil microbes and higher concentrations of more diverse populations of microbes on the grapes.

4. I could not find mealy bug on the biodynamically farmed vines, nor those of the neighbor’s. The difference though was that the mealy bugs moved back to where it prefers to live – underground on the roots of a diverse population of plants (even though some are regarded as weeds). Luckily of course Chlorpyrifos (or by the household name Dursban) got rid of the mealy bug via ant control. Unfortunately bees are not to keen on Dursban either.

5. Lower costs of farming biodynamically have been researched and verified by many studies, despite a slightly lower yield.

6. The slightly lower yield justifies itself in better quality grapes and wine. Higher phenolic concentrations, smaller berries and slightly lighter clusters.

7. “Better” wines? I have my personal convictions when it comes to this “sensitive”, abstract term.

My personal conviction on Biodynamics is that scientists and critics do not need to ask whether BD can be regarded as a scientific category or even point out that part of the scientific community looks at it with skepticism and marks it as dogmatic. There are over 4200 farms around the world that are certified as BD, the numbers are increasing, so it is clearly worthy of more respect and attention that it currently enjoys.

Biodynamics make sense to me because I simply believe in things I experience with my God-given senses.

I suppose I will be outlawed as a “winemaker with a scientific approach”, just the way I was (still am I suppose), outlawed as a traditional winemaker, because I produced a “non-typical” Coffee Pinotage style. Whatever typical or traditional may mean…

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

On artificial insemination…

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:05:58 +0000

Most of us heard about the snappy response of one of South Africa’s greatest winemakers after a lady asked him about the use of oak alternatives…

Lady (living encyclopedia of wine knowledge): “Do you use oak alternatives like chips, dust, staves and balls?

Winemaker (focused and slightly annoyed): “Lady, do you know what artificial insemination is?”

Lady (living encyclopedia of veterinary science): “Why, yes of course!”

Winemaker (with a grin): “Lady, which do you prefer?”

The question remains: Can the use of oak alternatives benefit the wine to such an extent that it can fully replace the use of barrels, i.e. that it induce in wine all the required reactions without jeopardizing the final wine’s quality and/or style?

There certainly are opposing answers to this question!

The “no” school – Investigations into oak derived products and their influence on wine quality yielded certain disadvantages, e.g. no retrieval of complexity compared to oak barrels, occurrence of hydrogen sulfide on wines associated with fermentation on chips and the precipitation of yellow, semi-crystalline substance as a result of wines treated with sawdust or shavings because of extracted ellagic acid. There is also a general lack of information concerning the influence of oxygen provided by oak derived products and its contribution towards wine quality.

The “yes” school – There are, however, important advantages as well. We all took note of the significant cost reduction in the use of oak derived products opposed to the use of barrels. The addition of oak staves, chips, shavings or powder is a more rapid and economical method of oak treatment. Increased surface area of these oak derived products results in more significant rates of extraction. Some researchers documented the use of 7g/L of oak chips during white wine fermentation to increase the favorable perception of a tasting panel. Ducournau et al. (1999) documented oak chips to be more adapted for consistent toasting, resulting in more homogeneous lots. Zoecklein noted the use of oak derived products in combination with micro-oxygenation to result in wines with increased body, soft tannins, stabile color and enhancement of fruit and oak aroma integration (Zoecklein et al., 2002).

My personal conviction? Staves work as well as barrels. Nevertheless – we are debating the wrong issue here. Perhaps the right question should be: “How does the flavor profile of my wine suit the market where I try to flog it? How can I ensure consistency in my wine in a financially viable way?” Are we afraid of the answers, because we simply do not have them? Or do we acknowledge the fact that we squander money based on our personal opinions of the consumer, what they want, how they want it and where?

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Snow blower on Enceladus

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:49:57 +0000

Have you ever wondered where the circle around Saturn comes from? Interestingly enough it was discovered that one of the moons of Saturn, called Enceladus, is successful in shooting ice grains far enough to form Saturn’s ring…

Just as amazed as I was 12 years ago when I was introduced to Saturn, I was when Ice Jet came to clean some of my barrels. The technology was introduced to me a while ago, and we have decided to put it to the test.

The coopers come to your site with their mobile unit and remove the heads of the barrels to expose the inside of the barrel. And this is where I saw to my total amazement the biggest, deadliest blisters you can imagine! And I was even more appalled when I saw and smelled the puss that drizzled out of these opened wounds…I call on all winemakers to inspect your barrels, please! I have some understanding now of why barrel differences occur, why Brett spoils our wine, why volatile acidity increase sporadically, and, and, and…If only barrel inspection helped…older barrels with these types of blisters induce most of the nightmares in very expensive, barrel maturing wines!

How does this work? The CO₂ ice pellets are blasted onto the contaminated barrel surface at -79⁰ C and basically “delaminates” contaminants from the wood. Once the ice makes contact with the wood surface it, returns to its natural gas (CO₂) state and expands up to 700 times to create shock waves. This effect drives brittle materials from the surface as tartrate crystals and sediments are frozen, fractured and removed exposing original, unused toasted oak surface.

It removes not only sediment, but also contaminants on up to 99% of the interior surface of the barrel. Most bacteria and mold spores are removed, which leaves the barrel in a cleaner state than any chemical or physical process can.

During the ice blasting process a layer of wood between 0,5 and 1,2 mm is removed, exposing a freshly toasted oak surface to the next cycle of wine. This also restores micro-oxygenation as a result of restored porosity. As toasting during cooperage is typically up to 1 cm deep, there is no need for re-toasting after ice blasting.

In a major project testing this technology in the USA, very promising results were obtained. The tests showed that the treatment allowed the barrels to impart significantly more oak volatiles into the wine. The only volatiles, which showed lower readings, were guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol, which is responsible for “smoky”, and “chary” flavors. Organoleptic evaluations found the treatment to result in wines with improved fresh oak, vanilla, butterscotch and coconut flavors, decreased smoke/char flavors and fresher, cleaner fruit.

It is not the cheapest way to clean barrels, but as sure as the ice circle around Saturn, the most effective and hygienic way to clean barrels!

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Stinkpots

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:28:57 +0000

Now you probably wonder what old Jack Sparrow had to do with this…Interestingly enough, Stinkpots, favorite weapons of pirates, were malodorous concoctions made from saltpeter, limestone, asafetida (a vile-smelling gum resin), and decayed fish that were packed into earthenware jugs, ignited, and hurled onto an enemy ship…

Most of us had to manage a stinkpot brewing in our cellar at some stage of our lives, whether it was a result of a power failure (load sharing for South African winemakers), too little nitrogen, or just a general struggling yeast population. And then of course, if the H₂S turns into mercaptans… it will just about kill any odorous component remotely smelling of fruit.

H₂S contains sulfur in its most reduced form. Mercaptans are common organic compounds. When aerated, mercaptans can be oxidized to disulfides, which slightly change their sensory threshold and character. The oxidized forms are usually less of a stinkpot. These reductive components have unpleasant odor descriptors, and these can increase post-fermentation. Some of these, such as H₂S and mercaptans, react with copper and can be removed by copper additions, usually in the form of cupric sulfate. In some wineries additions of cupric sulfate is a standard procedure, sometimes with an addition of inactivated carbon. All of us are aware of course that such an addition, particularly on Sauvignons, can reduce the concentration of aromatic thiols with up to 20%… I personally believe a slight element of H₂S might actually contribute to the complexity of Sauvignon blanc.

But what to do? Well, the magic potion arrived in the form of inactivated yeasts impregnated with copper – Reduless®. It can be suspended with water and added to the tank directly after primary fermentation. The wine is racked off the lees after 72 hours. No residues, no potential risk of copper casse forming, but only a fresh smelling, wonderful wine. It has been developed by Lallemand for red and white wines to reduce H₂S, DMS, DES and other stinkpot related off-flavors in wine.

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Gone with the wind

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:36:30 +0000

When in 1939, Rhett Butler quoted the memorable “how fickle is woman…” he obviously did not have any idea how complex consumers can be…But if one thing is true about consumers, it is the fact that they demand top quality for no dollars!

What does the consumer want? I reckon 99% of consumers want drinkability in what ever they may take from the shelve. And “drinkability” is one of those abstract terms with so many meanings and definitions. For me drinkability is a function of how well the winemaker interpreted the phenolic personality of a given block (or cultivar), and how the processing dynamics were being managed early in the life of the wine to obtain a wine which has loads of fruit, and soft and subtle tannins which are protected by complexing factors such as mannoproteins and colloids.

There are numerous ways to achieve this, and we know what important role oxygen plays not only in achieving this, but also in increasing the viability of yeasts and getting rid of bad flavours like H₂S. Various winemakers have experience with a number of cap management regimes, but in most instances various levels of oxygen is incorporated in the process. Obviously different strokes for different blokes.

Pulsair is one of these techniques. I stumbled upon this technology at an exhibition almost six years ago. More recently I saw fixed installations and even handheld units at various cellars in Australia. Yalumba has a fixed system on most of their red fermentation tanks.

How does it work? It works on the sequential release of compressed air or gas at the bottom of a tank for the purpose of creating circulation and mixing. Measured amounts of high pressure air are injected under flat round discs called accumulator plates installed on the tank bottom. It looks just like a creepy crawly. These released bubbles become bigger as they rise to the surface, and bubbles through the cap mixing the fermenting must very efficiently with the pomace.

The result? Soft luscious wines with loads of fruit.

I think winemakers should think a bit more out of the box when it comes to buying expensive oak barrels, and perhaps think more about savings down stream. The clever application of simple technology can certainly swing the bottom-line.

See pulsair in action on YouTube

Pulsair cap management

Pulsair red winemaking

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Wine adulteration 101

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:53:45 +0000

The history of the wine trade is filled with stories of wine that has been manipulated, adulterated (substances not related to grapes being added) and even counterfeited. We have grown used to spinning cones and reverse osmosis, electron dialyses and ion exchange, thermoflush and decanting, cmc’s and various cocktails. Do not get me wrong, I also love the science of wine, and I firmly believe you have to have cash to sustain “real winemaking”…profit can only be achieved if costs are reduced and turn over maximised…and if you can use technology to achieve that, why not?

But to add strong acids? To add glycerol? To add flavourants? And call it wine? I can certainly not agree with this, even if legislation does in some cases. Take Mega Purple for example, a food additive that is used to enhance sensory attributes such as color, taste and mouth feel. It is produced by concentrating the teinturier grape Rubired, a cross between Alicante Ganzin and Tinta Cão and has a sugar concentration of 68%. Teinturier grapes is different to vinifera in that it has dark, red juice. Mega Purple is basically a concentrate of sugar and colour, and is added to a wine with insufficient colour to fix the colour to a darker hue, making it more attractive for the buyer. It is common knowledge that a darker, deeper red colour is associated with higher quality, irrespective of the cultivar. It is therefore possible to “change a white wine or Rose into a red wine” by the addition of this magic potion. The downside, however, is that it has its own, unique smell and if you use as little as <1% it may change the aroma/bouquet of the adulterated wine to something less intriguing. Perhaps it is in order to use mega purple in cheaper wines, but as soon as the potion is added to wine, it “homogenise” the complexity of the bouquet significantly. Perhaps the consumer who buys wine in this category does not really care about terroir, nor bouquet, only about price.

If you surf the net to establish how people feel about Mega Purple, you’ll find loads of oenophiliacs giving the wine drinking community a piece of their mind, but no comments from “semi-oenophiliacs”. The question is though: Does someone who buys wine for less than $10 or €3-00 really care? I honestly think they don’t!

From a personal perspective though…I suppose it just does not feel right.

I remember someone saying long ago “it is the complexities of nature that gives personality to our wines…”

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Substitute?

Bertus Fourie — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:44:42 +0000

VERB: to put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items (e.g. “substitute regular barrels with flextank”)

DEFINITION 1: to use something or someone instead of another thing or person

(You can substitute oak barrels for flextank in the production of icon and ultra premium segment wine.)

DEFINITION 2: to perform the same job as another thing or to take its place

(Polymer flextank will substitute for less efficient oak barrels.)

(Definition of substitute verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

I am sure I have most reader’s attention now. Something in me shivered when I read on flextank Australia’s website, the bullish mantra “Barrels – a good idea 500 years ago…a great idea today –fFlextank Barrel replacement” for the first time. I am a traditionalist. I use barrels to mature wine in! How could I EVER be a representative of a product in which I do not whole heartedly believe in? This is a story of a paradigm shift…

The title of my M.Sc. thesis many moons ago was “The influence of oak and oak derived products on the evolution of red wine”, and this was somewhat part of the birth of the Coffee Pinotage 11 years ago. I realised throughout the course of the project that you can achieve great results by using staves as opposed to barrels, if certain aspects of the processing part is tweaked.

I met the flextank team last year, and became part of an incredible product, which raised my eyebrows at first…until I experienced the proof in the pudding. Before I get there, let me explain what flextank is. Wine is matured in barrels for two reasons mainly: One is the contribution of oak to the mouthfeel of the wine, and the second is the contribution to the wine’s aromatic complexity. The evolution of both is influenced by oxygenation as a result of the porosity of the oak – which of course is not that consistent…hence barrel differences in many cases. flextank is a polyethylene polymer, which allows for the effect of oxygenation, making this process very homogenous and controlled. No barrel differences!

The lifespan of the 1000 L cube is more than 25 years, requires less manpower to move around, rack and transport, has no evaporative losses, is significantly more hygienic than older barrels, does not lose its ability to oxygenate at a controlled level like old barrels (new barrels 30-40 mg O₂/L/year, old barrels <10 mg O₂/L/year), is more space efficient (can be stacked 4 high) and can be reductively “battonaged” simply by using a forklift (yes, the seal is that effective). It can be used for both red and white wines, and can be used for alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation and maturation. I almost forgot – it is also slightly more cost effective, although this should not even be part of the consideration for using flextank…

The proof of the pudding? I tasted over 40 wines in Australia earlier this year. The wines matured in flextank tasted (blind) fresher, fruitier, livelier and better integrated than the older barrels, and I did not pick up any difference between wines matured in flextank vs. NEW barrels.

Plus the friendlier carbon footprint…what more do you need?

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Old World wines changing profile?

Bertus Fourie — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:00:36 +0000

Baroness Philippine de Rothschild’s well known saying “winemaking is not difficult, only the first 300 years are…” encapsulate so much when you think about it. It not only speaks of a history rich in trial and error, but also of credibility, immense beauty and vineyards which lived through several wars and saw different owners over the decades. It also speaks of vastly different wine styles…or does it?

Spain, Italy, France and Portugal are regarded as the Old world wine producing countries where caves are still used to mature wine in, Cladosporium and Candida covered bottles are regarded normal and production methods are still governed by ancient law. Wines styles are considered rustic, infused with elements of Brettanomyces (which in some cases may add to the complexity – and it is my personal opinion and I like it!) and sometimes described as “earthy”, “farmyardy” and may taste “drier”. It is impossible to put generic adjectives to styles which are sometimes very diverse as a function of terroir, production and varietal and in doing so you might step on someone else’s toes (or palate…). Winemaking is considered more of an art form and the resulting wine traditionally needs time to develop in the bottle and also needs to be drunk with food.

The New World producing areas include Australia, Argentina, Chile, the USA, New-Zealand and South Africa (which of course is actually an “old New World producing country”). The wines in general are considered significantly more fruit driven and sometimes even “sweeter tasting” than the traditional old world wines. The reason for this is mainly due to the focus to “preserve the fruit” by picking riper, thus inducing higher alcohol in some cases, a ripe fruit profile, and colloids that mask the intensity of tannin. Newer cellar practices challenge some of the traditional methods and advances in viticultural techniques, especially in the field of irrigation, ensured fruit which created wines which spurred areas like California, Barossa, Marlborough and Stellenbosch to the New World forefront. One of the main reasons for New World styles to gain so much market share to the detriment of the Old World, is a function of focusing on the needs of the consumer. One of these needs of course to simplify what the label communicates, which is still a confusing subject for consumers when it comes to Old World Wines.

What does the consumer prefer? Perhaps an unfair question. It is important to consider though, the fact that the Old World producers have lost more than 60% market share to their New World Competitors. As a result of this the traditional styles are evolving. Increased fruit intensity, cleanliness, more oak intensity in some cases, and rising alcohol levels (not only as a result of global warming) are common. Wines are softer, taste “sweeter” and are “more consumer friendly”. Marketing strategies are adapted to focus significantly more in understanding the consumer, befriending the consumer and accommodating the consumer. Old World Wine Renaissance is taking place, and is evident in all the main international markets, i.e. the Rhone Renaissance, increased popularity of the Priorat and Dao, and wines from the Languedoc and Provence.

Although some changes are great for the sake of the producer, the brand and the category, I realise some nostalgic presence…what about reflecting in the wine the fruit from the vineyard as dictated and perhaps limited by terroir?

Isn’t it the limitations of nature that gives personality to a wine?

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Screw caps screwed?

Bertus Fourie — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:00:07 +0000

I did not bring a lot of wines back with me after a recent trip to Northern Spain, mainly because I spent most of my money on a single bottle of Vega Sicily…I had everything planned: A lovely evening with good friends, good music, and of course, good food. And the highlight of the evening: the very expensive bottle of Vega Sicily. I think you know what happened next…yes, cork!

I do not want to participate in the closure debate in this blog, although many similar events really annoyed me during my past 13 years in the wine industry. Expensive wines, corked!

Let’s consider the upside of corks: It is the traditional closure which was considered to have all the necessary specifications for being the most suitable closure for wine bottles. It owns the “romantic dimension” for closures, because the popping sound of a pulled cork enforce so much fond feelings of happiness, love and joy…(although those feelings easily disappear as the fruit in a fruit scalped bottle of wine if the cork was tainted…). The downside of course is TCA and all the related components responsible for a wine lover to break a bottle of potentially good wine with a hammer. In all fairness to cork closures however, in the hunt for the TCA perpetrator, it was discovered that TCA may also come from oak barrels, bottling lines, water, and a million other sources. This unfortunately is but a small comfort to any wine lover who has poured an expensive bottle of tainted wine down the drain.

What are the advantages of screw caps? Tyson Stelzer from Down Under, well known writer and expert on the field of screw caps, listed the following 20 “reasons for choosing screw caps”:

Remove the risk of corky taint.
Remove the risk of sporadic oxidation.
Avoid flavour modification.
Eliminate flavour scalping.
Allow the proper aging of white wines.
Allow the proper aging of red wines.
Oxygen ingress is NOT a condition for wine ageing.
Maintain a reliable long term seal.
Facilitate vertical storage.
Are not affected by humidity.
Provide greater resistance to temperature change.
Resistant to odours in the cellar.
Are not vulnerable to insects in the cellar.
Do not need to be recapped.
Wines can be cellared for longer periods.
Easy to open.
Are easily resealed.
Are cost effective.
Can be recycled.
Are romantic…

Sounds like such a great idea!

Negative criticism on screw caps were published in Wine Business Monthly (2007/15/04) in an article by Cyril Penn entitled Independant Consumer Research on closures. Apparently consumers in the USA, UK, Australia & France prefer natural cork in wines over $15. The latest criticism against screw caps is the large carbon footprint. Cairn Environment in France conducted tests which concluded the production of 10 kg of CO₂ per ton (screw caps) vs. 2.5 kg of CO₂ per ton for corks.

Frustrating isn’t it?

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…

Bertus Fourie — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:00:52 +0000

Is Brett a bad thing? Mmmm….How long is a piece of string? But as a winemaker you should probably have a decent, well informed opinion about Brettanomyces and what it does in wine. I remember as a student going to classes at the Cape Wine Academy in South Africa. We always decided to sit right in the back of the class, because we believed our vocabulary, especially with regards to adjectives, were not sufficient enough to explain why we loved or hated a wine. (And apart from that, we felt quite intimidated by the glares of our fellow classmates should we not agree with some of them…). Luckily I soon realised that it is okay to have a different opinion, because as for the perception of tannin, consumers differ widely in their sensitivity to aromatic substances. Hence, the reason why people differ in opinion when it comes to their perception of a wine and its quality is because of their genetics and not their vocabulary.

Anyway – we’re on Brett. What is it? Apparently also a “probiotic culture”, which will probably make Nicolas Joly shrivel with anguish. I tasted a very highly recommended fruit infused tea the other day. It smelled like the cow shed (the typical old, wet ones) where I learned how to milk cows when I was little. I reflexively read the back label. It contained five different probiotic cultures of which Dekkera anomalaus was one. And I am sure you probably know this, but Dekkera is the anamorph of Brettanomyces. This would be an example of Brett gone badly. Way too much of the pencil shaving, spicy, wet cow yard, funny farmyard, funky, damp hamster cage nuances that can be absorbed and smiled upon by this wine addict.

Five species of Brett are associated with wine, of which B. Bruxellensis is most common. The reason for growth in wine mediums include poor SO₂ management (and molecular SO₂ influenced directly negatively by a high pH), riper grapes and residual sugars. Too high nitrogen levels in musts (mostly as a function of winemakers who do not regard nitrogen management important) also fuels the action of Brett. What does the spoiled wine taste and smell like? Well, it depends on the aromatic culprit. Three common molecules are responsible for much frustration – 4-ethyl phenol (smells like horse stables, sweatiness, cow yard/barnyard, burnt beans) is the main culprit, IVA or 3-methylbutiric acid (smells rancid, horsy) which is a volatile fatty acid and last, but not least, 4-ethylguiacol (smoky, spicy aromas).

And then, the million dollar question: Can it add to complexity in a wine? I believe yes, particularly if the spicy, smoky 4-EP is present. There is however, opposing opinions amongst scientists and winemakers. Some icon wines have been associated with Bretty nuances. Beaucastel, Henschke, Jaboulet’s La Chapelle and even Penfold’s Grange come to mind and interestingly enough, it is postulated that cultivars such as Shiraz and Mourvedre have more phenolic precursors, thus making it more likely to show Bretty characteristics.

I guess in the end, you should probably ask yourself what you get from Brett, how much of it and how, and whether it contribute to the wine’s typicity and quality.

And ultimately measure your sales, just to make sure you got it right…

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

A venture into coffee

Bertus Fourie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:00:14 +0000

Negative criticism on the “coffee Pinotage category” is as common as coffee to Kenia. Interestingly enough, the blows usually comes from “traditionalists” making comments on how “this style does not reflect typical Pinotage” and “I would rather have my coffee in the morning out of a cup”. The list goes on and on, and, sorry to say, actually became boring quite quickly.

The truth is: It is the fastest growing category from South Africa. What once was a 12000L tank now has evolved into a category in its own right. What I thought 10 years will cause me my job, now evolved into a wine style that is understood and loved by most consumers simply because it demystifies and clarifies wine completely. Consumers can make the association with roasted coffee beans and chocolate. They feel part of an industry with its own, and sometimes very complex jargon.

But how did the “coffee Pinotage” came about? There are usually two groups of information that is acquired during a research project: Results that can be proofed statistically significant, and results that you label “for further investigation”. I noted coffee aromas occurring as a result of various treatments of Shiraz and Pinotage during my research. But what was intended for Shiraz, was applied on Pinotage in 2001 as a result of the vintage and running out of cellar space. And the cellar smelled “like walking into a coffee shop” the next morning. It was the birth of the “coffee Pinotage” style.

But what is the origin of these components that give wine such an intense bouquet? Loads of research projects have been launched to isolate and identify the components responsible for these coffee aromas, almost similar to the project in Australia where rotundone was identified as the component being responsible for the pepper aromas in wine. Some have said that it is a result of the toasting of the barrels, whilst others mentioned it to be a fermentation artefact. Interestingly enough both schools are correct, as it is a group of components that were isolated and identified from – wait for it – coffee brews. The group of components, referred to as furfuralthiols, is a result of the metabolism of the yeast and the toasting of the barrels. It occurs in both white and red wines, and presents it selves as aromas of “roasted coffee beans”, “mocha” and “chocolate” – aromas all known to please many a consumer.

So, while sensitive traditionalists are eager to criticize the “coffee Pinotage”, the category is acting locally and internationally as a true ambassador of not only Pinotage, but also the South African Wine Category in winning wine consumers and converting beer and whiskey drinkers to wine.

What more do you want?

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie

Destination USA…

Bertus Fourie — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:00:37 +0000

Andy Roediger, in a wine tasting on New World wines today, mentioned; “Our skills are evolving. We are making better wines today than 10 years ago. Pinot noir from NZ has evolved in quality probably by 20% the last 4-5 yrs….” I agree with Andy. South Africa certainly came a long way. Its winemakers are travelling the world, getting exposure to all sorts of winemaking techniques, wine styles, grape varietals, cultures and markets. And the best catalyst probably, in driving us as South African winemakers to be the best we can be (gosh – I am sounding like USA military recruitment), is the fierce competition not only locally, but also internationally. With everything that has happened the past couple of years, from earth quakes to changing weather patterns, from the crash of the US economy to the rise of China (we have 3 shops now in the main street of my local town…), from Australia creating a strong “Brand Australia” to consumers growing tired of critter labels, we are experiencing the pressure to establish a strong “Brand South Africa” internationally.

By now you probably wondering what point I am trying to make. Well, here it is: I am growing tired of some of the international “benchmarks” of the South African wine category, simply because I wonder if there is any control about “what we show where, the message behind what we show, and sometimes even how we are trying to carry the message over”.

I’ll explain. I have just arrived back from the country under the rainbow (the one with the potential pot of gold and the saving grace of the wine industry…) – the USA. I spent two weeks walking the streets, calling on accounts with distributors. I took close to 600 pictures, amongst them a couple of pictures of hard working, successful South African brands such as Mulderbosch, Excelsior, Fairview and Jardin (yes – Jordan, but just like the Highlander, there can be only one and the USA has one…). I must add that I am extremely proud to be associated with these brands reflecting the potential of South Africa.

But unfortunately, besides the fact that South Africa is not a category in the USA like Australia or even a region like Rioja, I saw too many brands which are promoted by shelve talkers that say “the most awarded wine from South Africa” which is not only a lie, but definitely not a reflection of the potential of South Africa, nor what we have learned, nor our abilities or knowledge. It is not a reflection of our diversity, or the character of the environment, nor the message that we want to establish or the experience we have gained. And I am not only talking about shelve talkers, but I am also talking about brands from South Africa carrying the message that says “THIS is South Africa…” Felt to me the only message they reflect is one of a “quick buck to be made by being dishonest to consumers.”

I do not have an answer. I think it is a generic principle. One of sufficient control in what we produce, how we promote it, and what we use to promote it.

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.

This NewWorldWinemakerBlog.com post was written by Bertus Fourie