Chaptalization

The addition of cane or beet sugar to wine must before or during fermentation to increase the total amount of sugar and therefore raise the final alcohol content. Chaptalization is legal and widely practiced in many cooler northern European wine regions, where cool years can lead to grapes that aren’t fully ripe and, in turn, to wines that are thin and lacking in body. By increasing the alcohol content of such wines, the winemaker can make them a bit more full bodied and make them seem a bit more substantial.

In Australia, the “cigar” is a wine reference to what?

A. A shiraz made with stems, giving it a slightly bitter, smoky character

B. A clone of pinot noir with an earthy tobacco character that was imported to Victoria from France in the 18th century

C. A strip of limestone soil in South Australia on which cabernet is planted

D. Historically, the time after dinner when Australian men (minus any women) would retreat to another room to smoke and drink Australian “port”

The “cigar” refers to a famous nine-mile long strip of soil in Coonawarra (Aboriginal for “honeysuckle”) on the Limestone Coast of South Australia. The soil (called terra rossa) is a reddish colored mixture of porous clay soil and limestone. It is considered (along with Western Australia’s Margaret River) one of the best places in the country for cabernet sauvignon. These cabernets are often full of black currant and something green, like chaparral. Australian producer Yalumba makes a cabernet sauvignon called “The Cigar” as a tribute to the region.

Bursting the Bubbles

The legendary winemaking monk Dom Perignon is often credited with inventing Champagne. Actually, he battled bubbles most of his life. Sparkling wines weren’t always magical in Champagne, and into the 17th century, winemakers there were… Continue reading

Chaptalization

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