Frankfort Weather Forecast

Why do wines taste differently? It can’t just be the type of grapes, could it? Why do different Merlot’s taste differently? Or why do two or more Merlots from the same vintner, vary in color, scent and taste?

With the risk of over simplification there are at least four factors: science, art, time and luck (good and bad) that impact the color, scent and taste profile of the wine. Not all of these are in the control of the winemaker.

The lifecycle of wine begins with the selection of the grapevine (or vine cutting and root stock to which it is grafted). Though a vintner may choose from hundreds, e.g., a merlot vine or a pinot noir, there are typically a large number of “clones”, both natural and man-made the influence a wide range of characteristic of the vine and grape including vigor, temperature sensitivity, volume of juice and the dominance of various organic chemical components in the grape and its skin.

Then there is the choice of where the vine is planted. At a macro scale, is it southern or northern California? Australia? France? Is it near the coast? In an arid area? Somewhere hot? Or a place blessed with cool evening breezes and hot days. Does Spring come early or late, Fall likewise? When does it rain? And how often? Geography is a choice and it makes a considerable difference in the end product.

So does the micro scale. Is the vine or vineyard on top of the hill, mid slope, the foot or in a valley? What is the dominant exposure, east, south, west, or any of the points in between? What is the soil type and its characteristics? Will the vine need to compete for water and run deep roots? Or constrained by rock or placated by abundant water, run shallow and long?

The choices made are a mix of science and art; as a vineyard operator (a “farmer”) will make many of the choices that the vintner (the winemaker) will consider in crafting a wine.

The vineyard operator will often conspire with the vintner in making other choices, the trellising system and the degree of pruning that the vines receive during the growing season; exposing or shielding the grapes from the sun and breezes.

Each of these factors contribute to some of the essential characteristics of the grape - along with the particulars of the weather that mother nature dictates through out the growing season. A long dry fall following a summer of warm weather and intermittent rainfall will yield a grape that dramatically differs from the same vines being subjected to a hot, dry summer and wet weather immediately before the harvest.

The vintner likewise has many choices; when to pick the grape, what is its sugar content, its acid profile? Does the vintner crush and ferment the grape on the skin (typical of red, but certainly permissible for a white from a light skinned grape)? How much if any of the stem and seeds are left in contact with the juice (or crush). For how long?

Do you supplement nature’s sugar and acid mix? And what yeast do you choose to initiate the fermentation? An aggressive one that is tolerant of high acids, or one that ferments slowly over weeks, sometimes months? Do you ferment at ambient temperatures, or do you blanket the crush and influence the fermentation with either heat – or more frequently, refrigeration, to prolong the fermentation? When to you separate the fermented juice (now wine) from the skin and sediment (the “lees”).

Do you age in wood, glass, stainless steel? For how long?

The next time you sip a wine or compare two wines from the same vintner from different years or the same year but different vineyards, reflect on the fact that it is science, art and time that contributed to what you are tasting – oh and a good bit of luck to knit it all together in the glass before you.

Should you wish to learn firsthand some of the decisions looming before a winemaker by making a batch or two – you could contact one of our local vineyards, including Ed Neal of Shady Lane Vineyard (211 Shady Lane near the beginning of Old Frankfort Pike). Ed has a pick-your-own operation with a wide variety of grapes and a tremendous amount of practical experience. He can be emailed at emailed at slvine@windstream.net. Who knows, I might even run into you there.