Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/246577
WINEMAKING There are apparently only two of these berry-go-rounds in operation in the United States, both at wineries (like Conn Creek) that are under the Chateau Ste. Michelle umbrella. The point of all this advanced technology, according to Conn Creek winemakers Mike McGrath and Tom Klassen, is to improve wine quality at what is already a luxurytier brand. In the Register article, McGrath says, "Our goal is to get into the top 10 of the (Wine) Spectator within five years," Cleaner fruit should lead to fruitier wines should lead to Dr. Linda Bisson of UC Davis higher ratings. says microbes can contribute When I talked with McGrath a sense of place to the fruit. and Klassen, they both agreed that my question—is there such a thing as too clean and too gentle?—wasn't ridiculous, but rather something that winemakers talk about from time to time. McGrath volunteered that sometimes a little "Cucamonga funk" could make a wine more interesting, and that even rotten and dehydrated fruit could theoretically add some complexing agents. "But," he asks, "do you really want that stuff?" Conn Creek clearly doesn't want much of it. The bigger issue here, of course, is how the quest for squeaky-clean fruit squares with the pursuit of vineyard expression, regional distinctions and terroir. McGrath and Klassen oversee an extensive lineup of Napa AVA-specific Cabernets, and the winery's tasting facility includes an AVA room where visitors can sample the range of growing locations and even make up their own blends. The best way to showcase this diversity, for them, is to get rid of the clutter and let the fruit from each spot shine through. Maybe. But there is also reason to think that the insistence on flawless berries may have a downside, too—or several of them. Whole-berry winemaking The deliverable from high-tech sorting is clean, intact, whole berries. The argument for putting lots of, or maybe nothing but, whole berries into a fermentation is, first of all, that there is no danger of the crusher cracking seeds and exposing their potentially bitter innards. (That's another column.) Whole-berry ferments also tend to be slower and longer, which can give the winemaker better control of the progression of extraction, particularly tannin extraction. The slowdown happens because at least a portion of the berries is undergoing a variant of carbonic maceration: Sugar is being turned into alcohol inside the grape by enzymatic action without benefit of yeast or oxygen. This is the traditional method for making Beaujolais, relatively light wines with modest color, very little tannin and characteristic aromas of strawberries, bananas and such. If your goal is making a Big Red, it's not entirely clear that you need to make Beaujolais first—unless you know that the grapes you are working with are highly tannic and in need of remedial measures. Otherwise, those berries are going to have to pop their skins eventually, and those initial tutti frutti esters will be long gone after a full-scale fermentation completes. Jim Harbertson at Washington State University, always good for a contrarian speculation or two, wonders whether a semi-carbonic phase might soften up skins and actually make them more extractable. If pressing is done early before there is much ethanol, as in Beaujolais, Nadalié France since 1902 Nadalié USA since 1980 www.nadalie.com NADALIÉ USA 1401 Tubbs Lane Post Office Box 798 Calistoga, CA 94515 Tel. 707 942 9301 Fax. 707 942 5037 info@nadalie.com NADALIÉ USA, it's also... Win es & Vin es F EB RUA RY 20 14 29