Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/66135
CO VER S T OR Y reduction can alter the ratio between anthocyanins and tannins, which also may lead to color instability. leaves, it is advisable that fruit be left on the vine a little longer for is a total loss. But sometimes leafroll can accommodate the site. There's no way of guiding what leafroll is going to do." Harbertson urges a sensible and adaptable approach to making wine from leafroll fruit, "You either have to change your style or your wine becomes a chemistry experiment. It's best to not fight nature. Work with what you have—make lemonade with lemons." Coping with color loss In the cellar, winemakers must constantly stay on their toes and adapt to new situations. If a winemaker isn't capable of manag- ing an enological challenge at some point, fruit either has to be sourced elsewhere or the winemaker must accept a fundamental stylistic change. The most common challenge of working with leafroll fruit is the loss of color. Most leafroll research focuses on red cultivars and the reduction of anthocyanin pigments in grape skins. The The largest producer of grapestakes and crossarms nationwide Buy Direct & Save! Your Source for All Vineyard Trellising Products Ready to serve you nationwide! 800.423.8016 Wine made from leafroll-affected fruit (right) shows color loss when compared with a control sample (left). • Anchors • Wire • Posts • Fencing • T-Posts • Bird Netting • Grapestakes • Tying Materials • Grow Tubes • Vine Protection • All Trellising • And More! Specials always posted on www.JimsSupply.com Wines & Vines JUne 2011 33 Harbertson contends that many different red winemaking tech- niques can be employed in an attempt to extract more color and tannins, but he suggested that combining some of the techniques may be the best solution. "Combining a 20%-30% saignée with extended maceration is a potent combination for color stabiliza- tion, as it helps to concentrate your existing color and extract more tannins to stabilize them. If tank space is an issue, saignée can be combined with other treatments such as enzymes. En- zymes can be added during fermentation to degrade the skin and the pulp surrounding the seeds, thus extracting more tannins and helping to stabilize color," Harbertson advised. Another option Harbertson suggested for improving color or tannin content is, "Take the pomace or fresh skins and seeds, es- pecially whites when they haven't been pressed at all, from other fermentations of the same varietal and add them to the leafroll- affected fermentation." Due to wine-labeling laws, depending on ratios, if different cultivars are co-fermented, you may have to designate the resulting wine as a blend. Saignée and co-fermentation can be the easiest, most cost- effective ways to address color loss as no special products need be purchased. But when those approaches fail, the addition of enological tannins is the next logical step, he said. "When looking to add tannin, make sure you're getting con- densed tannins like the skin and seed tannins found in grapes. Oak-derived tannins are not particularly stable, and their ability to react with anthocyanins to form stable color is dubious," Har- bertson said. "Further, there are many research publications that show that enological tannins are impure. In many cases some SUE SIM,FOUNDATION PLANT SERVICES CHRISTOPHER BEAVER