Wine Dimensions March 2007 |
Dear Friends of Monolithos, |
| This month we explore the bitterness aspect of wine, one of the four basic tastes that the tongue is capable of detecting. |
| Bitterness is clearly tasted at the rear (base) of the tongue, sometimes seeming to reach back into the throat and is the area that exists just before we swallow. Its taste location at the back of the tongue explains why bitterness, when it is found, is usually perceived as part of the finish or aftertaste of a wine. The mechanisms through which bitter taste perception occurs are not well understood. |
| Bitterness can come from a number of sources, such as unripe tannins in barely ripe red grapes, bruising of grape skins and pips or stems during both red and white winemaking, excessive extraction during maceration (a process which takes place during fermentation) in red winemaking, and excessive oak contact for white wines. Bitterness in wine may also be acquired due to a grape variety (some grapes often have a noticeable bitter edge to their flavours), an extremely dry climate during the growing season, or poor wine making. Another source of bitterness is tannin, a natural constituent of red wines. Tannin is a bitter-tasting material which is partially responsible for preserving wines during their sometimes long ageing process. |
| The bitter taste is like that of quinine in tonic water, or strong black coffee. It is sometimes confused with tannin or astringency, but though they may be associated, bitterness is a taste, whilst tannin is a tangible sensation. The two are different, but are often found together and have a similar effect on the taste of wine. A bitter taste is commonly found in some green vegetables, and herbs, many spices, and some fruits. It is sometimes present in young tannic red wines which require ageing and is a light, agreeable attribute of some red wines. If the bitter quality dominates the wine's flavour or aftertaste, it is considered a fault. Excessive bitterness in wines could be the result either of an accident or bacterial disease. |
| Bitterness plays no crucial role in the wine’s structure. It is simply a taste. Like its salty counterpart, bitterness is not as important as sweetness and acidity. Individuals’ perception of bitterness varies a great deal, as their liking and/or tolerance for it. In sweet wines, a trace of bitterness may complement the flavours. In young red wines, it can be a warning signal as bitterness doesn't always dissipate with age. Normally, a fine, mature wine should not be bitter on the palate. Bitterness is also extracted from many foods during cooking, especially at high temperatures such as on a grill. This is also why green tea can become bitter if made with water that is too hot. The "tannic" taste of a wine is actually a sense of touch and not of taste. Tannins coagulate proteins in your mouth and create a drying sensation known as astringency. Astringency in wine is accentuated by food that is sweet or spicy, and is suppressed by foods that are acidic, salty, and fatty. |
| When pairing wine and food bitterness, once again, like-with-like is the key: |
- Wines with a little bitterness make foods with a little bitterness taste less bitter. Let's say you love well-cooked steak on the grill, but you’re not that keen on the slight bitterness that the grill imparts. Young Cabernet also has bitterness from tannin. The solution is at hand: serve them together and watch the bitterness of each one disappear. We also know that the tastes of bitterness and acidity mask each other. The same goes for sweetness and bitterness. The presence of sugar in Campari or in the Italian vermouths is there to compensate for the bitterness.
- Sweetness in food will increase the perception of bitterness and astringency in wine, making it seem less sweet (drier), less fruity and stronger.
- Food with bitter components seems to increase the bitterness of a wine served with it. Bitter flavours in food increase the perception of bitter, tannic elements in wine.
- Sourness and salt in food suppress bitter taste in wine. Salt in food can tone down the bitterness and astringency of wine and may make sweet wines taste sweeter.
- Bitterness and astringency reinforce acidity and make it excessive.
- Acidity masks bitterness to begin with, but this only makes its appearance on the aftertaste even more pronounced.
- A touch of bitterness, accompanied by discreet astringency, is anticipated in good red wines.
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Wine News and Information |
| According to some reports, climate change could crush the wine industry. Warmer winters could hinder bud development, changes in rainfall patterns and increase the pressure from pests that thrive in hotter weather. Agriculture is the industry whose fate is most closely linked to climate. Many crops such as avocados, oranges, almonds etc will face serious declines in yield by mid-century, according to computer models that project climate changes. In a study appearing in the American Economic Review, Deschenes and Michael Greenstone of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimated the economic impact of global warming on U.S. agriculture by analyzing how random year-to-year variations in temperature and precipitation affected profits in the past. They then used a climate model to project those effects into the future. |
| Currently, 80%f water used in California goes to agriculture. With reductions in snow pack estimated from 30% to 90% by 2100, agriculture could take a big hit, depending on how dwindling water resources are allocated among cities, farmers and the environment. Grapes, particularly those used for premium wines, require a delicate balance of climatic conditions. Although wine grapes might not suffer major declines in yield, quality rather than quantity is the issue with this crop. Too hot, and grapes may ripen too quickly and produce flabby wines with too little acid and too much alcohol. Too cold, and a wine's character will tend toward less desirable green flavours such as grass or bell pepper. According to a study published in July in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 60% of the best terrain for premium grapes will be lost by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. And the picture is particularly grim for California, currently responsible for 90% of the U.S. wine grape production. |
| French barrel maker Tonnellerie Boutes has lost 168 barrels each worth €650 (£427) or a total over €100k in the wreck of container ship MSC Napoli off the UK coast. All the barrels were destined for winemakers in South Africa. Pictures of scavengers on the Devon coast near Branscombe showed them walking away with the pristine French oak barrels. When quizzed by journalists, one scavenger said 'yeah, they're totally empty – more's the pity'. |
| Red wine consumption is associated with a reduced risk of various forms of cancer – leukaemia, breast and prostate, in animal studies and in real life. A new study found that drinking more than three glasses of red wine a week reduced the incidence of abnormal growths and cancers of the intestinal tract by two-thirds. Red wine has something that white wine does not have. A compound found under the skin of the grape called resveratrol. This substance is higher in red wine than white wine because the grape skins are removed early in the fermentation process for white wines. Resveratrol interferes with all three stages of cancer formation – initiation, promotion and progression. Dr. Joseph C. Anderson, an assistant professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, says "I generally advise against drinking, but if you’re going to drink, drink red wine". Anderson's study included 1,741 people. The incidence of colorectal neoplasia, cancers and polyps that can become cancerous was 9.9% in those who abstained from alcohol, 8.8% in those who drank three glasses or more of white wine a week, and 3.4% in those who drank three glasses of red wine a week, a 68% reduction. |
| ,h2>Monolithos Monthly News |
| The unstable weather (warm January followed by snow in February) caused certain delays in completing vine pruning this year. The cuttings from pruning were burnt and the rotten stakes were replaced. Early in March, the soil of all vineyards was cleared from the weeds and ploughing was carried out. Ploughing and hoeing contain the development of weeds. |
| At the winery the wines went through fining and cold stabilisation. This process involves chilling the wine to above its freezing point. After 10 to 15 days, the wine is racked and filtered cold for ageing before bottling. |
| The supply of new bottles and corks arrived on site and the bottling season started with the bottling of the Rose sparkling (Santa Monica) wines. |
| We thank you for your continued support. Take care and remember that according to Genesis, |
Noah, a tiller of soil, was the first to plant the vine. |
| If at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery or purchase any of our products, Martin Wood will be pleased to meet and assist you at his “Fig Tree Villa” in Pachna, so do not hesitate to phone him at 25-816212 or 99-165995. |
| Regards from all of us here at Monolithos |
