Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/83237
CO VER S T OR Y ery, reported that his must-have analyses are very similar to those in the basic juice panel offered by ETS. His additional high- priority analysis is the Adams/Harbertson Phenolics Assay for all their red lots. (See his story, "Assay in Real Time," in the October 2010 issue of Wines & Vines.) "We've been doing (the analysis) for about 10 years now. We now have 10 years' worth of data on vineyards, so we have a really good handle on which ones have higher and lower phenolic levels. We start the assay on the must sample after a three-day cold soak and every day during the fermentation so we can track extraction." Beck said his team is also considering a protein assay to include during fermentation "because it's a major contributor in affecting phenolic content." "Now our growers have a better understanding of what we're looking for in the vineyard." —Winemaker Corey Beck, Francis Coppola Winery Beck said he had no doubt about the most important new analy- sis of the past 10 years. "Hands down it's the Harbertson-Adams Assay. It's something we've taken back to our growers so proper adjustments can be made in the vineyard. The assays have been helpful in developing styles within our programs, it has become an incredible tool for winemakers, and now our growers have a bet- ter understanding of what we're looking for in the vineyard." Beck also has two contingency analyses for lots that he fears may be problematic. The first is testing for Botrytis, Laccase and Glucans. "The past few vintages we've had October rains with varietals like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel still on the vine. The goal was to make sure we're starting with as clean a must as possible, and if there were higher amounts of bacterial organisms present we could adjust fermentations accordingly." The second is the juice yeast and bacterial spoilage panel. Beck says the winery has used this analysis for the past few years for "varietals such as Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.… These are all tight-clustered varietals and can't take a lot of rain." Awesome advancements I continue to be in awe of the mounting lists of analyses com- mercial laboratories can provide. Enology, wine chemistry and technology are working together to generate more reliable data to add to our pool of knowledge. These advancements continue to make their way into winery laboratories offering the ability to perform routine analyses cost effectively. Most winemakers I have talked with embrace the growing menu of analyses available to them—both commercially and in-house. Factors such as cost and in some cases questioning the application can influence winemakers to limit the data they work with routinely. It is prudent to remember that today's analyses, which some may consider non-essential, will someday be the norm. In my early years in the wine laboratory, analysis for Botrytis, yeast and bacterial genetic identification, NOPA-YAN, phenolics, 4-ep, etc., only happened in the college laboratories. Today those analyses are performed in many winery laboratories routinely. Technology has enabled even the smallest wine laboratory to produce an incredible amount of data cost effectively, giving winemakers the tools to create their best quality wines. Jean L. Jacobson is a consulting winemaker in Sonoma County, Calif., a writer and author of "Introduction to Wine Laboratory Practices and Procedures." Jacobson has 15 years of experience in winemaking. JUST PICK UP THE PHONE... ETS TECHNICAL RESOURCES Our Friendly Staff is Always Available to Provide Assistance (707) 302-1211 gburns@etslabs.com GORDON BURNS Choosing analyses and interpreting results (707) 302-1222 mburns@etslabs.com MARJORIE BURNS JAMES NEUDAHL (707) 302-1221 jneudahl@etslabs.com Laboratory management, customer service, and exports TCA, smoke taint, 4EP, applied research, and special projects (707) 302-1227 eherve@etslabs.com ERIC HERVE (707) 302-1223 benlar@etslabs.com BENOIT LARGETEAU RICHARD DESCENZO Scorpions™ analyses, microbiology, and general enology (707) 302-1228 rdescenzo@etslabs.com Wine color/phenolics, grape maturity, and viticulture (541) 908-4279 sprice@etslabs.com STEVE PRICE FOR IMMEDIATE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS CALL OUR EXPERTS TODAY More Paper No 707 963• 4806 info@etslabs.com ETS Laboratories | 899 Adams Street - Suite A | St. Helena CA 94574 Tel 707.963.4806 | Fax 707.963.1054 | info@etslabs.com | www.etslabs.com Satellite Laboratories | Healdsburg CA | McMinnville OR | Roseburg OR | Walla Walla WA WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 29 Laboratory management, customer service, and exports Choosing analyses and interpreting results