Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/70673
nor T h W e S T on wines registering above 14% alcohol by volume—something that easily happens when grapes test at 26° Brix. Moyer enthusiasti- cally endorses Keller's quip, saying dilution is indeed a solution to high-alcohol wines. Hang time economics Another believer is Jim Lapsley, an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis. Lapsley teaches a wine business course and has studied the trend towards higher Brix levels in Cali- fornia grapes during the past 20 years. His B.C. norThWeST WASHINGTON Seattle Yakima Chateau Ste. Michelle WSU Canoe Ridge OR premise is that longer hang times and higher Brix levels should be most evident in areas producing premium wines, which are better able to absorb higher taxes in their final retail price. Working with 28 years of data from California grape harvest reports, Lapsley notes that since 1990, the average Brix reading of California's red winegrapes has risen from just above 21° Brix to more than 24°, with some varieties showing an even greater average increase. Lapsley's preliminary findings indicate that areas produc- ing grapes that primarily go into wines priced at less than $10 per bottle tend to average 1° Brix less in harvest reports than grapes grown for high-value wines. This was particularly true in the Central Valley, which has seen a smaller increase in aver- age Brix levels during the past two decades than in most other parts of California. Walla Walla Community College Spokane ID 10% of their weight for a corresponding increase in sugar concentration, discourag- ing growers from letting the grapes hang too long. "The grower will lose revenue unless the price per ton has already accounted for the loss in weight," Lapsley says. approximately 14.3% in weight and cost the grower $625 per acre. The actual per-ton price would have to increase to $1,427 per ton to compensate the grower, Lapsley says. His model follows those grapes through fermentation. Assum- ing they've been bought from a 40-acre vineyard, Lapsley pegs the per-gallon price of the grapes to the winemaker at $10.05 plus 50 cents in additional federal taxes because the wine checks in at 15.2% alcohol. Comparing 24° to 28° Brix Crunching the numbers, Lapsley notes that if an acre of Cabernet Sauvignon is picked at 24° Brix and yields 3.6 tons sold at $1,225 per ton, then the grower will receive $4,410. But if the grapes are left to reach 28° Brix, then the grapes will lose Adding water to the must to reduce the Brix reading to 24° would cut the per-gallon cost of the grapes to $8.66—a sig- nificant cost savings. The other option is removing some of the alcohol by distillation or reverse osmosis, which could reduce the cost of the grapes to $10.19 per gallon. By contrast, phenolics are much easier to deal with. While extended hang time can reduce vegetal characters in the wine, Lapsley notes that the fruit characters of wines made from "The grower will lose revenue unless the price per ton has already accounted for the loss in weight." —Jim Lapsley, University of California, Davis "We expected that the Brix for grapes grown in the Central Valley, where most of the wine will retail for less than $7 a bottle, would not rise as high (on average) as for more expensive grapes, where the 50 cent tax increase is a lower proportion of the total production price," Lapsley says. Wineries not only have to consider higher taxes when it comes to the effects of hang time, but also how to pay growers for let- ting the grapes hang a bit longer. The more time a grape spends on the vine, the greater the risk it will suffer damage. Growers have to be compensated for this risk if they're going to bear it, boosting the cost of the grapes to wineries and in turn designat- ing them for higher value wines. There's also the loss of weight to take into account, as prices are based on tonnage. Grapes will typically lose approximately Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2011 51