“Reflections on the direction of noble wine production”.
The definition of noble wine is aimed at natural wines (1) that are presented under a specific origin. The term “noble” is therefore added to that of natural wine, and its definition could be “wine resulting from the fermentation of juice or fresh grapes from noble grape varieties and plots”. To qualify for the “noble” designation, the wine must have a precise pedigree. This will comprise four sections:
- The first will focus on the wine’s specific personality
- The second concerns the conditions under which
- The third will indicate the wine’s origins
- The fourth section provides information on the conditions under which the wine is produced.
The elements of this set should make it possible to move away from any subjective characteristics in order to classify the wine in this category. (l) as described by the International Wine Academy.
1 – THE PERSONALITY OF NOBLE WINE
Personality is defined through the sensory impressions that a wine can provide on an ongoing basis for the consumer. These are complemented by analytical characteristics. Conditions of suitability for aging and hierarchy will be specified.
a) Sensory characteristics
This is obviously a very delicate aspect, but it’s true that the average consumer can easily find wines from a major region for each country of production. This reminds us that the consumer knows perfectly well how to memorize the character of wines. In order to define the personality of the wine under study, it is necessary to present its sensory characteristics methodically. In this way, the assessment is objective. This method would specify that the organoleptic characteristics of the wine will be analyzed on a sensory level one hour before the mid-day meal in a room where the temperature will be +18° or – 1° and the hygrometry 70% + or – 10. The light will be natural or incandescent.
The tasting glass used will be the A.F.N.O.R. glass (standard V 09.110 of June 1971). The following organoleptic characteristics may be selected. They will correspond to the wine’s dominant impressions:
A – PRE-CONSUMPTION STIMULATION
1 – Visual stimulation
Appearance: clear, bright, crystalline
Color :
- pale yellow, green yellow, straw yellow, golden yellow, amber yellow, brown yellow
- clear pink, violet pink, partridge-eye yellow pink
- frank red, ruby red, violet red, yellow red (tile), garnet red, brown red
Gas release – Absence or presence: fine, medium or large bubbles
Creaminess: Aqueous, syrupy, fatty, oily
II – Olfactory stimulation
Complex scents: fruit, flower, musk…
or individualized: ethanol …
B – STIMULATION DURING CONSUMPTION
III – Gustatory stimulation
Balanced taste: Thin, flowing, velvety, round, full, fleshy, melted, supple,
Tender or dominant: acid, salty, sweet, bitter,
IV – Olfactory stimulation
Complex aroma
Individualized aroma
V – Mechanical stimulation
Rough, flowing, fatty, supple, soft, velvety, lean, spherical
VI – Common chemical stimulation
Metallic, astringent, burning, pungent (C02)
VII – Caudalies
Flavors correspond to the wine’s dominant characteristics and summarize all perceived stimuli. This sheet should be drawn up for the same wine in the sixth month after harvest and when it has reached its first stage of maturity during aging. By this description of uninterrupted sensory characteristics, we mean characteristics that are close to each other, taking into account climate distributions. The wine should, in fact, retain its same type, with only more or less power, more or less color, more or less nervousness, depending on the vintage.
b) Analytical characteristics
As part of this personality, the wine must be accompanied by average and extreme analytical characteristics, depending on climatic conditions. These analytical characteristics will be established using the analysis methods of the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin. They will complement the sensory analysis for certain values whose measured elements escape sensory analysis. The aim of this analytical research will be to provide the main
wine’s specific components, and to indicate whether the wine’s content of these analytical components is below or above the usual concentrations. This indication is therefore linked to the wine’s personality. For example, some wines are rich in magnesium, others in manganese. Some wines have low levels of tartaric acid, others higher. The distribution of phenolic compounds is specific to each grape variety. It is therefore necessary to provide an analytical sheet indicating trends in the wine’s composition.
c) Ageing aptitude
This ability to age is attached to the wine, whether it’s “small” or “big”. This ageing period can be more or less long. We can consider that a noble wine, whatever its origin and the quality of the vintage, must retain an evolutionary character without presenting negative organoleptic impressions (absence of fruit, presence of characteristics causing the wine to lose its original impressions, etc.). In order to remain objective, we need to specify the conditions under which this evolution, or rather maturation, will take place. We all know that wines placed in rooms at 200°C or 100°C will produce different results; similarly, corking or hermetically sealing bottles means that wines evolve differently. These ageing abilities will therefore be measured on 75 cl bottles + or – 5 cl of white or coloured glass, corked with normal quality corks, the bottles being neither capped nor waxed.
These bottles will be stored in premises that are constantly conditioned at a temperature of 11° + or – 10°, with a humidity level of not less than 70%. The premises must be free from vibration and permanent exposure to light. Given this conditioning, after 5 years (or more, depending on the vintage), the wine should show signs of maturing. The civil status will therefore specify the average aptitude of the wines and the dominant organoleptic characteristics encountered.
d) Aptitude for hierarchy
This is a very important point. It is sensory analysis and ageing ability that can define this sense of hierarchy in relation to other wines from the same area. This sensory analysis can only be carried out by tasters of the highest calibre. This college will include tasters who have international wine knowledge, i.e. who have memorized the shape and type of wines according to their different places of production. Local tasters will also be involved in the analysis. There’s no doubt that tasting at this level is a form of expertise.
II – PREPARATION CONDITIONS
The conditions under which the wine is made must preserve its personality. In other words, if a wine is sought after for a particular character, the winemaking process must faithfully ensure that this character is maintained. If this point is not respected, the wine could take on a new “form”. A new dossier would then have to be drawn up.
a) Raw material quality
The quality of the raw material should specify average alcoholic degrees and acidities for different climates (i.e. for each vintage). This point is very important, as it will enable you to determine harvest dates based on the composition of the raw material, and then to plan any corrections that the wine may need to undergo.
b) Raw material correction
Wine must reflect the ripe fruit living in a given environment. Based on this principle, depending on the country, corrections could be made to sugar content, tartaric acidity or the addition of reducing elements such as sulfur dioxide. Last but not least, any exogenous additives that are absolutely essential to the exceptional unbalanced state of the raw material as a result of extreme climatic conditions could also be considered. These correction possibilities for each type of wine will need to be specified, along with their frequency over ten years. These practices must not contravene legislation in force in producing countries.
c) Winemaking method
Red winemaking
There are three main types of red vinification:
– long vinification, where the solid and liquid parts are in contact for more than 15 days;
– short vinification, where the contact between solid and liquid parts can be set at less than 8 days;
– finally, carbonic maceration, where the whole, unpressed harvest is left in contact with the grapes for up to 15 days.
The harvest may also be destemmed. It is therefore necessary to specify whether this practice is frequent or exceptional. Obviously, all contact times between solid and liquid parts are given for temperatures of 25°. Of course, when fermentation temperatures deviate from this, contact times can be lengthened if the temperature is lower, or shortened if the temperature is higher. Vatting times should therefore be indicated according to the temperature usually encountered in the region. It should be remembered, however, that the future will increasingly allow the winemaker to control these exchange temperatures, enabling him to produce wines which, microbiologically, will be more stable and whose organoleptic characteristics will be more “frank”.
White or rosé winemaking
Must extraction is one of the most important points. The type of press and any fragmentation of the pressing should be specified. The weight of grapes pressed to obtain 100 liters of must should be indicated. Fermentation temperatures and their usual durations should be mentioned.
d) Pre-fermentation phase
This is a very important point. It concerns all the manipulations the grapes undergo. In the case of red winemaking:
– whether or not the grapes are crushed;
– de-stemming of grapes;
– grape-picking method: are grapes picked in baskets, containers, etc., or even mechanically?
In any case, in the production of a noble wine, as in that of a natural wine, any dilaceration of the harvest should be proscribed. This point could be clarified by stating that under no circumstances should mechanical treatment increase the concentration of negative elements (such as methanol, condensed tannins, sulphurous anhydride).
e) Wine maturing and bottling
This point needs to be defined. The average age of the noble wine during ageing should be indicated. This should be based on average climatic data. Similarly, where possible and depending on exceptional or low climatic data, the length of maturation should be indicated. Generally speaking, all the details concerning the wine’s production after fermentation, i.e. the number of rackings and their timing, the methods used to clarify the wine by fining or filtration, and the bottling dates, should be carefully specified. All this information is linked to the uses to which the wine is put. These technologies are intended to establish the wine’s personality. The aim of all these manipulations is to strip the wine of any substances it may have in excess, and also to bring it to a certain equilibrium so that it is ready for bottle ageing, i.e. to present it in the best possible conditions for this aptitude for ageing.
III – THE ORIGINS OF WINE
These conditions have been observed for many years. They are the ones who, according to imposed characteristics such as climate and soil, have to decide on the conditions under which their vineyards will be planted.
a) Geographical location
The origin of the wines will be accompanied by the geographical location of the vineyard. This will first be described in terms of latitude, then in precise U.T.M. coordinates.
b) Soil survey – Analytical characteristics of soils
The pedological study of the plot should also be fully described, together with the analytical characteristics of each soil horizon. Depending on the heterogeneity or homogeneity of the soil, two to four pedological pits per hectare are required.
These soil investigations will be carried out in a 1.50-metre-deep pit where this is obviously possible, i.e. where the parent rock is not outcropping. A photograph of these horizons can be attached. For each vineyard, the horizons could be reconstituted in glass extensions, providing the grower with a permanent image of the subsoil. This will enable him to better grasp certain aptitudes or evolutions of his vineyard.
c) Parcel orientation
This point needs to be emphasized because, depending on the country, we need to ensure that the plant benefits from the right amount of temperature and sunshine to bring the grapes to optimum ripeness. In some production areas, a south-western orientation will be sought, but in other, sunnier countries, a shadier orientation may be specified.
d) Climate
Climate is a very important point, and must be provided with precision. These are the periods when the vines are actively growing. These can range from March 15 to the end of October. The climate fragmentation will be specified according to each vine growing period, following the master plan that corresponds to a northern zone:
1st period:
DEBOURREMENT – Spring equinox – March 21
2nd period:
VEGETATION – June 11 – August 15
3rd period:
FRUCTIFICATION – August 16 – September 20
4th period:
MATURATION – September 21 – autumn equinox
The fragmentation of the climate must be studied in order to record the fluctuations recorded over 20 years, or even more if possible. Indeed, it is from climatic boundary conditions that we can get an idea of the value of the raw material and study its correction. It could be said that this notion of climate is the very basis of all wine production. It is on the basis of this fragmentation that the vineyard is managed so as to produce fruit that is normally ripe six years out of ten.
e) Microclimate
In terms of climate, the aim is to find averages which, six years out of ten, will produce a normally constituted fruit. As far as corrections are concerned, we would base ourselves on these average climate fragmentations. When we deviate from them, we can envisage, almost automatically, the necessary corrections to balance the raw material. Notions of yield and health status will also be taken into consideration. This notion of microclimate is obviously very important, and it is essential to situate this production zone in relation to the general zone: is it more humid, sunnier, etc.? Is there a risk of frost? All these points need to be disseminated, as they help to better establish the wine’s civil status.
f) Grape varieties
The grape varieties will be chosen by man, and should produce a balanced wine. They must be drawn from the vitis vinifiera varieties that have shown satisfactory results in use for a given region and climate. The principle of a new grape variety may be established. In order to be accepted, the new variety will have to provide thirty-year studies. For the production of a noble wine, either a single grape variety should be chosen, climate permitting, or several grape varieties, in order to obtain a harmonious, balanced wine. It’s also important to bear in mind that some grape varieties can simply be incorporated in years that lack sunshine, for example. This could be the case for red wines which, in rainy areas, may lack color in certain years; juice-colored grape varieties could therefore play an important role in such cases, but only if they are not incorporated in years of normal ripening.
As far as the choice of grape varieties or selections, both massal and clonal, are concerned, they will be made with quality in mind, taking into account the yields that will be indicated below. We’ll need to be very careful about climate fragmentation, as the most important thing will be to select grape varieties with particular resistance during ripening. In some cases, longer-cycle grape varieties may enable the harvest to take place in a healthier climate, while in others, shorter-cycle varieties may be required.
g) Yeasts
They are attached to the noble wine, like soil and climate. When it comes to wine production, we always go back to the notion of indigenous yeast being able to transform the grapes. This notion is very important, as it excludes the introduction of exogenous yeasts for a noble must. Of course, in certain weather or climatic conditions, yeast treatments can be envisaged, but they must always be based on yeasts from the plot. It would be very important to carry out studies on the yeasts of each noble wine origin, so that we know the main races of yeast involved in the production of this wine. It’s a job that can’t be linked to the notion of noble wine today, but it’s nevertheless an objective for the foreseeable future.
IV – PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
This aspect is extremely important, as it determines the product’s economics. It is essential to know production trends every year. This production trend must be established for each zone. It could be 30, 40, 50 or 60 hectolitres. What’s important is that it’s defined, so that people can plant and guide their vineyards according to this average production trend. There can be no question of imposing an annual production, but on the other hand, the notion of a 5-year average can be put forward. For example, if we assume a production of 40 hectolitres per hectare, we can say that this one-hectare plot should produce 200 hectolitres over 5 years. At that point, we know that there are averages of 30 hectolitres, and others of 60 hectolitres, but the man and the oenologist will know what methods to adopt to maintain this production trend.
a) Planting date
The civil status of a wine is obviously linked to the date on which the vines were planted, and this must be recorded, as well as any accidents that may have occurred during planting, and in particular the climate.
b) Type of plantation
It is associated with the very notion of yield, and must be based on usage. There can be no question of planting grape varieties according to fashion, but rather according to quality production based on acquired knowledge. The type of planting should be carefully specified: for example, on stakes, goblet pruning, trained on a wire or in arbors, etc. The number of plants per hectare is very important. What’s needed is to enable it to regulate production per hectare. We all know that the number of vines per hectare is based on the depth of the soil. It’s true that a shallow soil will require a higher number of plants per hectare, since root exploitation will be lower. On the other hand, in deep soil, root exploitation is greater, so a lower number of plants could be envisaged.
But there’s a second factor: density can affect yield. We know that for a deep soil type, such as gravel, increasing the plantation to 8,000 vines from 6,000 will reduce the yield per hectare. At the same time, in terms of quality, there will be much more comfortable production possibilities. Indeed, having three bunches on a vine gives a much higher quality potential than having five. So we can see that the problem of planting and density is linked to the objective we have set ourselves in terms of yield. This yield, in turn, is linked to the production of a raw material which, six years out of ten, should not undergo any correction.
c) Rootstock
The choice must be based on the uses and knowledge of the soil. It must be qualitative. They must have a very good affinity with the graft.
d) Yield
This notion of yield over ten years, which we have already discussed, is the basis of oenology and conditions the economics of noble wine production. It is by defining it as we have indicated above that we will be able to apply a continuous oenology to this type of noble wine.
e) Ground works
These will, of course, be detailed. Firstly, the nature of the work, then the frequency and main dates, not forgetting any exceptional climatic years and the work they may have entailed. Generally speaking, given current knowledge, the production of noble wines should exclude chemical soil maintenance, at least on an ongoing basis. Only exceptional chemical hoeing should be considered.
f) Types of pruning
The type of pruning is the one that will produce this balanced wine six years out of ten. It will be adapted to the stock and rootstock. This pruning will always have in mind the search for regularity of production in a qualitative sense.
g) Vineyard health protection
This point must be approached with a desire for progress, but with great caution. While it is not possible to recommend or prohibit certain products, it is entirely possible to exclude any product that could end up in wine. For the time being, we would only recommend protective products for which we have perfect technical and toxicological knowledge. In other words, the notion of noble wine would exclude any new product that had not undergone at least six years of study. In the spirit of the noble wine, the Académie Internationale could provide a list of products currently under study, and a list of products it has selected, i.e. those which have had at least six years of non-negative results.
This project could also include in the definition of the civil status of wine, the changes in taste thresholds it brings about in the context of food. All this work shows that the definition of the civil status of noble wine must be based on numerous criteria. Nevertheless, the notion that motivates the “noble wine” designation is that of organoleptic characteristics. It goes hand in hand with the wine’s physiological properties, which do not lead to health disorders under normal conditions of use. In the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to specify certain physiological properties of wines. These new measurements, in addition to the production characteristics studied in this project, are intended to confirm and explain the value given by organoleptic impressions. It seems necessary, on the one hand, to remain faithful to the sensory characteristics of the wine, which represent its true value, and, on the other hand, to surround it with all the analytical characteristics that enable us to tend towards objectivity and, thus, a better defense of wine in general and noble wine in particular.