Like many wine lovers, I have at least some interest in the details of how a wine is made. I don't however, have the time to research the small details of every wine that I drink.
Much of what I learn comes from the wine's tech sheet. It's usually available in some form from the winery website. Sometimes as a separate PDF file, and other times as listed on the main description page. I'm interested in any information that the winemaker is willing to share on the tech sheet, but at a minimum I like to know a few things. Site specific information; time in oak with percentage new; native or inoculated yeast, brix level at harvest, general fermentation information, viticultural info, and clones used (on high end wines) are a few things that are useful for me when listed in tech sheets.
There are other items that would be interesting to know about, but aren't going to appear on a tech sheet anytime soon. Things such as acidification, watering down or other alcohol lowering techniques, added enzymes, etc are certainly of interest. However you're probably going to have to do some serious reading to get this information. Recently I've found some pretty candid information from winemakers in books like New Classic Winemakers of California and North American Pinot Noir.
What kind of information is an interested consumer owed in the form of a wine tech sheet? I'm sensitive to the different angles that this question addresses. As a wine lover, I want to know and understand wine more fully. The decisions made in the winegrowing and winemaking process, and the different means and philosophies behind those decisions, are endlessly fascinating. I try to keep an open mind in any of the possible directions. It's the same kind of interest in reading album liner notes where the musicians give you information about the recording process, the different equipment that was used, and the players on the album.
On the other hand, I understand that much of this information is seen as proprietary, to be doled out at the discretion of the vintner. The information that can be withheld is not of a concern to the immediate health of the consumer, so maybe it is up to the interested consumer to search out what they're interested in on their own. We're free to make buying decisions based on the information given or not given. As in music, there are plenty of great albums that share very little information in the liner notes.
With all this in mind, I've linked five tech sheets below. These are wines that I've written about over the last year. I'm listing the information beside each that is given; click the link for the wines. As you'll see, it's an interesting variation. There's definitely no standard format or level of information.
Tech Sheet 1 (domestic)- total production, release date, site specific information, soils, clones, fermentation details, time in oak with percentage new, harvest yield, alcohol by volume.
Tech Sheet 2- (imported)- grape varietals, alcohol by volume, acid level, pH level, sugar level, harvest dates, type and temperature of fermentation, fermentation techniques, type of oak, time of oak w/percentage new.
Tech Sheet 3- (imported)- alcohol by volume, basic aging information, winemaker name, very basic harvest and fermentation info, grape varietals.
Tech Sheet 4- (domestic)- winemaker name, vineyard name, time/type/percentage new oak aging, growing season/harvest overview, harvest period, brix at harvest, alcohol by volume, total acidity, pH level, grape varietals.
Tech Sheet 5- (domestic)- vineyard/harvest overview, time of harvest, brix at harvest, detailed fermentation information, use of inoculated yeast, time in oak w/percentage new/1yr/neutral, percent estate vineyard, grape variety, clones, alcohol by volume, total acidity, pH level, residual sugar, winemaker name.
How important is the technical information to you, and how much should be offered to you vs you seeking it out?
Great post! At the very least I like to see ABV, Brix, TA and pH. Tech sheets that only tell ABV with some PR blurb might as well be sell sheets. Other info would be even better, but one cannot expect miracles from an industry that sells on terroir and artisan methodology but produces using all sorts of tricks of the trade.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad to see you're active on your site again...
ReplyDeleteThe variation that you get is so interesting to me. You'd think, at least informally, that there would be more of a consensus. I think the four items you mention are essential. Brix is the one that is a little touchy though... The correlation between brix and AbV can tell you alot.