13.5 General Winemaking Options: Must Adjustments

Question 1

What is the aim of making must adjustments?

Answer 1

create a more balanced wine

- especially if there has been a compromise in achieving optimum ripeness of sugars, acids, tannins, and flavours

Question 2

In cooler climates, what type of must adjustments are comon?

Answer 2

• deacidification

- enrichment

Question 3

What is does the term ‘enrichment’ refer to in the EU?

Answer 3

• adding dry sugar, grape must, grape concentrate, or rectified concentrated grape must (RCGM – manufactured, flavourless syrup from grapes)
• process of concentration (reverse osmosis, vacuum extraction, chilling)

Question 4

What is chaptalisation? With whom is the practice associated?

Answer 4

• common practice of adding dry sugar to must
• increases alcoholic content of final wine
• Jean-Antoine Chaptal

Question 5

In chaptalisation, what types of sugar can be used?

Answer 5

beet or cane sugar

Question 6

What are the chaptalisation rules in the EU?

Answer 6

• Cooler regions: allowed within limits

- Warmer regions: not permitted to add sugar, but can add grape concentrate or RCGM within limits

Question 7

What is RCGM?

Answer 7

manufactured, flavourless syrup from grapes

Question 8

For the coolest zones of Europe, what is the minimum natural potential alcohol? What is the maximum enrichment permitted? What is the maximum abc of the final wine for whites? Reds?

Answer 8

Example: Germany (excluding Baden) and UK

• Min natural potential alc: 8%
• Max enrichment: +3%
• Max alcohol final wine (if enriched): 11.5% (12% for red)

Question 9

For the warmest zones of Europe, what is the minimum natural potential alcohol? What is the maximum enrichment permitted? What is the maximum abv of the final wine (if enriched)?

Answer 9

Example: Most of Portugal, southern Spain, parts of southern Italy and Greece

• Min natural potential alc: 9%
• Max enrichment: +1.5%
• Max alcohol final wine (if enriched): 13.5%

Question 10

When is sugar added for chaptalisation?

Answer 10

When fermentation is underway because the yeasts are already active and can therefore cope better with the additional sugar in the must

Question 11

What are 3 other ways of increasing sugar levels that involve removing water from the must? Which are most costly? What is the downside?

Answer 11

1. reverse osmosis (costly)
2. vacuum evaporation (costly)
3. cryoextraction

• Less final wine to sell

Question 12

What is cryoextraction?

Answer 12

Freezing the must, or even the final wine, and removing ice from it

Question 13

What might be done in warm or hot regions to lower the potential alcohol of the wine? What is the downside?

Answer 13

• Adding water to the grape must

- Dilutes the grapes’ aromas/flavours and acids

Question 14

In what types of climates is acidification necessary?

Answer 14

Warm climates without any cooling influences where the malic acid in grapes tends drops dramatically as the grapes ripen

Question 15

Why might acidification be necessary in warmer climates?

Answer 15

• Malic acid in grapes tends drops dramatically as the grapes ripen
• Final wine could lack freshness

Question 16

Why might one use acidification?

Answer 16

• Add freshness to warm climate wines that lack enough natural malic acid
• Lower the pH

Question 17

For what types of wines is acidification used?

Answer 17

All - Inexpensive and mid-priced wines and many premium wines

Question 18

How is acidification typically carried out?

Answer 18

the addition of tartaric acid, the acid characteristic of grapes

Question 19

What are other less likely options for acidification? What are the results of each?

Answer 19

The addition of

• citric acid (not permitted in the EU)
• malic acid (less used as it could be turned into lactic acid by malolactic conversion)
• lactic acid (may be used if adjustments need to be made after malolactic conversion; it tends to taste less harsh than the other acids)

Question 20

When can acidification take place? When is the preferred time?

Answer 20

• Before, during or after fermentation
• Preferred: Pre-fermentation starts
  1. benefit from the effects of a lower pH
  2. integrates better within the profile of the wine as a whole

Question 21

What factor is at play when determining how much acid to add?

Answer 21

Total acidity and pH are affected during winemaking, including malolactic conversion and tartrate stabilisation

Question 22

In the EU, how is acidification regulated?

Answer 22

Controlled within the bands of countries organised according to climate

• In the coolest zone, only deacidification is allowed
• In the warmest zone, acidification is allowed

Question 23

In the coolest zones of Europe, how much acidification is allowed? Give an example.

Answer 23

−1 to 0 g/l expressed as tartaric acid

Example: Germany (excluding Baden), UK

Question 24

In the warmest zones of Europe, how much acidification is allowed? Give an example.

Answer 24

0 to +2.5 g/l expressed as tartaric acid

Example: Most of Portugal, southern Spain, parts southern Italy and Greece

Question 25

In the moderate climate zones of Europe, how much acidification is allowed? Give an example.

Answer 25

• Winemakers can deacidify or acidify according to the season (−1 to +2.5 g/l)

Example: Bordeaux, Spain’s cool north Atlantic coast and Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige

Question 26

Can winemakers chaptalize and acidify?

Answer 26

Not permitted in the EU

Question 27

Where might deacidification be common?

Answer 27

In cool climates where grapes may have to be picked before they are fully ripe (e.g. due to the threat of poor weather)

Question 28

What are 2 methods of deacidification?

Answer 28

• Adding calcium carbonate (chalk) or potassium carbonate: lowers acidity by the formation and precipitation of tartrates
• Ion exchange: requires considerable investment or hiring expensive machinery, may not be legal