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Wine Dimensions May 2006

Dear Friends of Monolithos,

Wine enjoyment is directly related to the sensations of taste and smell. Wine flavours are evaluated by our taste, and our sense of smell is stimulated by the wine"s aroma or bouquet. These two sensations are not entirely separate but are blended together, reinforcing each other. An aromatic but over-light structured wine renders it thin and lacking harmony. A very full-bodied wine but poor in aromatic elements lacks character. In fact, wine enjoyment is all about balance - a balance between sensations and perceptions, a balance between the key components of wine structure. It can also be a balancing act in food or special circumstances.
In this short briefing, we shall elaborate on the aspects of flavours, aiming at providing you with an appreciation of the balance between the main wine components. We hope it will help in enhancing your understanding and enjoyment of wine.
The key elements governing palate balance in wine are the amounts of sugar, alcohol, acidity and tannin. Wine which is not balanced may be acidic, flat or harsh, etc.
Alcohol is the product of fermentation of the natural grape sugars by yeast.
Residual sugar is the remaining unfermented sugar left in the wine after yeast activity has been terminated.
Acidity is inherent in all fruits, be it an apple, lemon or grape. Acidity is what gives a refreshing, flavoursome sensation. Low levels will make wine seem dull and flabby. Too much and the wine will taste sharp.
The tannins in wine are derived from the pips, skins and stalks. These tannins give structure and backbone to the wine and are vitally important if the wine is intended to age.
Well made wine should have all the above-mentioned key components blended harmoniously. Balanced wines possess no rough edges with all elements being detectable but no one component dominating the others on the palate. When evaluating or tasting a wine, we must differentiate between the balance of white and red wines.
White wines have a simpler structure than reds since their fermentation process does not involve skins and pips. Consequently in dry white wines, the balance of flavours is determined by the harmony between sweetness, alcohol and acidity only.
Dry white wines can support higher levels of acidity than red wines because they do not have any tannin after-tastes. Alcohol levels also play an important role in balancing the acidity. Higher alcohol levels can support higher levels of acidity. However there are no precise figures indicating what the corresponding levels between acidity and alcohol because of a number of other factors such as grape variety and personal tastes which make the relationship complex.
Sweet wines can take more acidity than wines without sugar. The sweetness tones down the acidity and turns it into freshness.
The richer the wine in sugar, the higher it needs to be in alcohol in order to appear balanced, since alcohol at moderate levels gives sweetness, strength and softness. At higher levels, warmth comes into play and reinforces vigour and firmness rather than sweetness.
The making of red wines involves the maceration of grape skins and pips which add bitter and astringent flavours in addition to sugar, alcohol and acidity. As a result, the balance of taste is more complicated . The perception of sweetness derived from sugar and alcohol must be in balance with the perception of acidity, astringency and bitterness.
When tasting a red dry wine with insufficient alcohol, the acidity and bitterness dominate and appear harsh and astringent. If the wine is made of over-ripe grapes, then the tannins and acidity levels are lower and the wine appears too soft, over-heavy and flabby.
Tannin from good quality grapes is a must for ageing, however the acidity must be low to ensure a good balance. The less tannic a red wine is, the more acidity it can support. Higher tannin requires a lower acidity to maintain wine harmony. Mature tannins in grapes are a requirement for premium red wines and therefore are an important harvest consideration. Many young red wines can have excessive tannins which interrupt the lubricating flow of saliva in the mouth and create an uncomfortable sensation of astringency.
Wines from cooler climates (e.g. Germany) have more natural acidity than wines from warmer climates such as Cyprus.
In general, balance is a concept that on the surface seems simple, however, in reality it is complex. There are no rigid formulas which provide a correct measure of what constitutes a balanced wine. Although balance between sugar and acidity in grapes is easy to measure, other factors such as grape variety, flavours, ripeness, local climate, vilification method, tannins, wine ageing, storage, serving temperature, aromatic elements and other components in the wine structure as well as personal performances influence our assessment of balance.
Concluding, a well-balanced wine is one that has all its key components including aroma or bouquet and taste blended in harmony, with no one element dominating the others and providing a pleasant experience during tasting which should persist through to the after-taste.

Wine News and Information

A number of vineyards experiments are reported in the scientific literature, some of which claim little or no effect on wine quality due to higher fruit yield, and others that report a diminishing quality with increasing yield.
It is true that high-quality wines come from low-yielding sites. In fact, some of the most celebrated wines from around the globe come from some of the lowest-yielding vineyards. But we cannot extrapolate that into believing simply that a lower yield produces a higher quality wine. Reducing crop level by more severe pruning or by fruit thinning does not automatically increase the quality or market value of a wine.
It is generally acknowledged that the lower the crop, the faster the sugar accumulation but sugar concentration has very little to do with wine quality. It is less clear about flavour and aroma, but we do know that unpleasant veggie flavours and aromas are lower in less dense canopies than in ones with more dense foliage. The grape berry is largely autonomous with respect to aroma, flavour and tannin development, receiving only water, minerals, sugar, organic acids and amino acids from the parent vine. Many of the lowest-yielding vineyards are also non-irrigated or are irrigated sparingly, and it has been well researched and documented how less supplemental irrigation can improve wine quality.
It has also been observed that at least 75% of quality wines come from getting uniformly ripe fruit to the winery. There are numerous ways in which yield control may increase uniformity. First, the pruning and thinning create not just a better overall average environment, but a more uniform fruit environment. As the rate of the ripening process is very temperature-dependent, a more uniform fruit zone environment means a more uniform maturation of fruit.
Clearly, yield versus quality is a site-specific relationship, and, by the nature of the scientific method, science is restricted in its ability to define a universal model of yield to quality.
Oak chips are to be allowed in French wine under new government plans to adapt wine to the international market. The plans will alter the way wines in France are categorized, allow the inclusion of grape names on labels above vin de pays level, authorise the use of oak chips and allow artificial reduction of alcohol in wine. Bernard Pomel, the author of the French government report, told Le Figaro newspaper, "We must make wine for consumers, and not wines which producers dream about".
Allowing the use of oak chips, which can impart oak flavours to wine without using expensive barrels, is common practice in the New World, including Australia, which has recently dethroned France as the number one exporter of wine to the UK. "The use of oak shavings is already authorised by the European Community and will soon be entered into national regulation," the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement. Oak chips have already been in use for some years in vin de pays but not at higher quality levels.

Monolithos Monthly News

Any wood cuttings left over from pruning have been removed or burned in the vineyard. In mid to late April, the vines begin to "push" and budbreak occurs. April and May is a crucial period because of flowering. Delicate and tiny, grape flowers can be easily dislodged by wind, rain, or even cold weather. If a good-sized storm hits the vineyard during the flowering period, much of the crop may be lost before the flowers self-pollinate, or "set," to form berries. May, and warmer weather, brings weeds. The soil is worked again and unwanted vegetation is removed.
Bottling of the Monolithos 2005 Red (Mavro 70% + Cabernet Sauvignon 30%) took place in the last week of April. This wine will be placed on the market in six months time. All eight Monolithos wines (including the recently launched Monolithos Rose) are available and perfect for drinking now.
We are pleased to inform you that as from this month, Monolithos wines are available at Mimosa Beach Hotel in Protaras. Mimosa is a 3-star hotel that is traditionally built and decorated, having a unique beauty and atmosphere in a relaxed and peaceful setting beside a quiet sandy cove. Mimosa Beach Hotel, one of the best Hotels in Protaras, lies on one of the most exclusive bays of the resort with direct access to the sandy beach.
In their Acacia Restaurant, situated on the ground floor overlooking the pool, the gardens and the beach, you can taste a variety of Cypriot and international dishes for dinner and of course the Monolithos wines. For more information visit their website
http://www.mimosabeach.com
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.
We thank you for your continued support. Take care, and always remember:

The real world is not easy to live in. It is rough; it is slippery. Without the most clear-eyed adjustments, we fall and get crushed. A man must stay sober: not always, but most of the time.

Regards from all of us here at Monolithos.