When white wine blushes 11 December 2006

Martin Moore looks at the phenomenon of 'pinking' and the history of toasting

The occasional ‘pinking’ of certain white wines has been present in our industry for a long time, but in 2006 it was particularly prevalent due the convergence of weather conditions that promoted this condition. According to the judges who recently tasted the Sauvignon Blanc entries at the SA National Wine Show almost 20% of the wines showed a pinkish blush. Although Sauvignon Blanc is the cultivar most affected by pinking - partially because it undergoes skin contact longer than other white varieties - you also find it, but to a lesser extent, with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

Pinking is not a problem we have at Durbanville Hills, but I thought it might interest you to know what causes it should you come across such a wine.

I should perhaps at the outset make the point that the pinkish colour is not an indication that the wine is off. It is, in fact, totally harmless. However, market research shows that consumers, despite the growing popularity of rosés, don't want a pink wine when they expect a white. (‘Hey, waiter, take this back. I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc, not a Sauvignon Blush!’) Which, I would guess, is more than enough reason for winemakers to try and avoid this happening at all costs.

That is easier said than done. The pinkish colour is caused by the oxidation of small, naturally colourless polyphenols in the grapes. There are many factors that can cause this reaction - climate, the exposure of the grapes to sunlight, the ripeness of the berries, reductive wine-making processes, oxidation of the juice prior to fermentation, skin contact, lees contact and the incorrect use of ascorbic acid. And even when you have steered clear of all these pitfalls you can still come short right at the end when the sudden uptake of oxygen at bottling can have the same effect.

What makes it so frustrating for winemakers is that the very practices they use to extract and improve flavour also results in the extraction of these polyphenols, while removing them with a fining in turn strips the wine of some of its flavour.

A rather primitive way of getting rid of the pink blush is to leave the wine in the sun (just make sure the bottle is not UV resistant), but by doing so you lose a lot more than just the colour. Not recommended.

 

Spiced bread and wine
Perhaps it is the right time of year to respond to a reader who asked: Do you know how and where the tradition of toasting someone originated? Of course I didn't know, so I had to go and find out, and in doing so, marvelled again at how much of our culture and our history lie hidden in the meaning of words. For I discovered the word ‘toast’ comes from the Middle English ‘tosten’ which derives from ‘tostare’ in Latin meaning to roast. It found its way into our drinking vocabulary thanks to a Medieval dinner custom started by the French (who else?) of dropping a piece of toasted spiced bread into a goblet of wine. This was then passed amongst the dinner guests who each took a sip, the cup finally making its way to the lady of highest rank or the guest of honour who then had to eat the wine-soaked toast. The wine back then was quite harsh and the spiced bread toned down the high acidity. Which means the bread probably tasted better than the wine (yeah, I can imagine).

In time, as the wine improved the bread disappeared (that, in any case, is my guess) and this alcoholic salutation took on very much the form it has today. The accent shifted to the glass and, according to one reference work, toasting glasses for the effete aristocracy of the 18th century developed into ‘exceedingly beautiful objects of delicate and elaborate workmanship’. However, the stems were deliberately made so thin and dainty they could be snapped between finger and thumb never to be used again. What pointless destruction of beauty to serve the vanity of a few!

This time of the year we always raise a glass to you our readers with the wish that the forthcoming holiday season will be a time of happiness and renewal, and of joyous togetherness with family and friends.

• This contribution is extracted, with permision, from the Durbanville Hills December newsletter. Click here for the Durbanville Hills website.