Are the high alcohol levels in today's blockbusters really a problem? (And can the detractors really pick them out anyway?) Angela Lloyd reports on a two-part tasting designed to provide some further evidence in this ongoing debate.

Alcohol is the life-blood of wine yet, ironically, it is also the subject of much controversy. Increasingly high alcohol levels in table wine is an issue frequently debated. Extremes of around 16 percent alcohol by volume have been recorded here, while in California a few wines touched 17 percent – higher than many fortified wines.

A decade ago in South Africa (and elsewhere) 12.5 to 13 percent would have been considered average for both whites and reds. Anything higher elicited comments such as John Platter’s in the 1996 edition of his eponymous guide, where he noted Thelema 1991 Reserve Cabernet’s ‘much power (13.8% alc.)’. Ten years on, that sort of level raises few eyebrows.

What has happened to account for such change? Notably, clean vine material, which encourages better photosynthesis enabling the grapes to reach higher sugars. But higher sugars also result through winemakers taking into account the physical condition of the grapes – flavour, state of skins and pips – when deciding on harvesting times. In the cellar, stronger yeasts encourage a higher conversion rate from sugar to alcohol.

Riper, more concentrated fruit has spawned big, powerful wines, reds especially, often heavily extracted and liberally dressed in new oak. Wines made to wow show judges and some influential journalists – which they do. The big grumble from many commentators and increasing numbers of wine lovers is that these show wines, as they have become known, are tiring and hard to drink (as opposed to sipping one glassful), and don’t make good food partners.

Where does that leave wines keeping to more moderate alcohol levels, apart from out of the awards’ list? Are the testosterone-packed show champs in fact being unfairly treated? And anyway, how difficult do the grumblers find it to actually distinguish high alcohol wines from more moderate ones?

Hence this two-part tasting to consider these challenges. Part one was a blind tasting, where assessing levels of alcohol, freshness versus heaviness, and overall balance took priority over scoring. The line-up featured a fairly randomly selected mix of eight white wines, divided equally between high and moderate alcohols, followed by a similar line up of reds. After the formal tasting, the panel members went away with two bottles of wine, one with high alcohol, the other with moderate, to see how they matched up to food and compare this with the tasting.

It was coincidental that the panel as a whole considered themselves rejectionists of high alcohol wines. Melvyn Minnaar spoke for most in suggesting that wines with moderate alcohols are ‘usually more balanced’. But balance is the operative word: even if the preference was for wines with more moderate alcohols, several tasters acknowledged that bigger ones can also be enjoyable – if the alcohol is well balanced with other components.

Ideology is one thing, being able to distinguish between the wines with high and moderate alcohol quite another. Anxious expressions soon turned to relief when, in every case, the majority vote proved correct, whether at a simple above-or-below 13.5 percent, or at more specific levels. That said, the whites proved easier to pinpoint than reds, where tannins levels and youthful lack of integration tended to be obscuring factors.

Regardless of size, balance is the crucial factor. The effect of the serving temperature on apparent balance was surprisingly influential. The whites were poured at around 10-12ºC, the reds at 16ºC, showing quietish aromas with less prominent alcohol; thus some of the bigger wines initially gave the impression of greater balance and freshness. ‘The warmer the wine, the more obvious the alcohol’, sighed Cathy van Zyl, reflecting what we were experiencing an hour later when all the higher alcohol wines had lost that semblance of balance.

But to expect wines weighing in at 14.5 or 15 percent, however well balanced, to show well during hot summer days is unreasonable. As David Matthews re-marked, even 12 percent alcohol appears higher mid-afternoon when it’s the first drink of the day! It can be seen from Jean-Pierre Rossouw’s note written later that evening, that even when the sun has gone down, bigger red wines benefit from being served cooler rather than warmer. ‘Matching the Glen Carlou Syrah with rare roast beef and mash, the high alcohol was not apparent and the wine was very plush and smooth. On the other hand, it quickly became a taste that lacked definition. It would have done better cooled all along the meal – but this is a difficult message to get across to consumers.’

One can’t discuss alcohol without mentioning other structural features such as acid, residual sugar and tannin and how they inter-relate. While none of the more moderate level white wines was deemed unripe, high acid was occasionally mentioned as a negative. In the bigger wines, Tim James found that high, supposedly refreshing acid can give a finish both hard and alcoholic. ‘Lack of balance is more of a problem than high alcohol per se’, sommelier Jörg Pfützner remarked, adding that the potential alcohol at proper ripeness will vary according to variety.

High alcohol and acid may also be counteracted by residual sugar, although David Matthews mentioned that glycerol and alcohol itself also impart an impression of sweetness. The Lammershoek Roulette Blanc, a big, wooded white blend featuring Swartland chenin blanc, viognier and chardonnay, proves the point. Its official residual sugar of 4.5 grams per litre (and therefore officially dry!) was thought to be much higher by all the tasters. This bold youngster seemed to have unbalanced sweetness, lending a heavy, unctuous edge under blind tasting conditions; scrutinised alongside a spicy fish curry, Cathy van Zyl acknowledged it made a superb partner and enjoyable mouthful. In contrast, a similar residual sugar in the Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc went unremarked, partly because of its very moderate alcohol, but mainly due to its higher acid (which several tasters drew attention to, although this was negated by the poached Cape salmon Melvyn Minnaar coupled it with, and a day later the wine had come together of its own accord).

True balance needs no food, though won’t be destroyed by a complementary dish. That’s the message coming across from both the white and red side. J-P Rossouw declared the lightish Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc ‘most pleasant and drinkable’, concluding that ‘it’s at its best as a daytime anytime wine’ when it lacked the weight and structure to cope with with black mussels in a wine vinaigrette and grilled prawns. Enjoyed solo by the van Zyls, the mid-weight Iona Merlot Cabernet too proved ‘most refreshing’ and enjoyable.

‘Impressions are more important than figures’. Tim James’s apt observation equally applied to the many ‘sweet’-tasting red wines, although only Vergelegen Cabernet had over over three grams per litre of residual sugar, and most were under two grams. The Glen Carlou Zinfandel, described by J-P Rossouw as a wine where all the elements are large, unsurprisingly invited the most discussion. ‘Of its kind, that wine is balanced’, Pfützner insisted. ‘Grenache is another variety that can be balanced at 15 percent – but never Bordeaux.’ Melvyn Minnaar put the Zinfandel through its paces during the evening: ‘Cold from the fridge as an aperitif, it performed like sherry; the alcohol was there, but no bother. Initially attractive next to a hearty beef stew, the tannins, sweetness and rah-rah took over. But with a tranche of Edam it was a joy – only a small glass mind you!’

This typified the performance of some of the other big wines away from the tasting table. After finding the Rustenberg Chardonnay oaky and alcoholic in the tasting, James was surprised how much he enjoyed it later with creamy chicken soup, which softened the hardness and ‘burn’ so often characteristic of big-alcohol wines. Louise Hofmeyr found fruit and oak pulled together in the Vergelegen Cabernet with food – though she still considered the wine difficult to drink, and too young.

Youth is of course, an extenuating factor; many of the bigger wines should benefit from having their more exuberant edges clipped and smoothed. Again, this isn’t a universal truth. The bright, richly fruited Moreson Pinotage, which met a very good match in spicy meat fricadelles with fresh ginger and Hoisin sauce, will not be so attractive once that fruit loses its youthful vibrancy.

The point of this tasting was discussion rather than hard and fast conclusions. Whilst ideological preference might be for more moderate alcohols, balance is everything, with analyses less meaningful than organoleptic impressions or, as James put it: ‘The experience of drinking is more important than a blind tasting.’ As with most things in life, it’s probably best to approach high alcohols with an open mind.       

Tasters
Louise Hofmeyr Winemaker, Welgemeend
Tim James Grape
David Matthews Winelover
Melvyn Minnaar Winewriter
Jörg Pfützner Sommelier, Aubergine
Jean-Pierre Rossouw Winewriter
Cathy van Zyl Grape

The wines in order tasted (with official analyses)

Thanks to the producers for kindly donating the wines