September 11, 2008
I just finished the new book by Alice Feiring titled The Battle for Wine and Love OR How I Saved the World from Parkerization. Quite a controversial title that takes aim at Robert Parker Jr… . . The first two chapters bring up some very interesting points on how wine is manipulated by the wineries. The use of natural yeast versus industrial yeast in fermentation.  According to Feiring, industrial yeast insures that fermentation will start and finish when the winemaker wants it to, not according to the whims of nature.  There are now more than 150 designer industrial yeasts on the market that a winemaker can choose from to provide specific flavor  characteristics.  Do you want strawberries?  Done.  Cherry?  Sure.  Cocoa?  Absolutely. Boosting the color of the wine via a grape additive called Mega Purple. Micro-oxygenation - A low-tech process where a slender wire pulses bubbles of oxygen into the barrel.  It strips away some of the tannins that naturally come from the seeds, stems, and skins of a grape. How about obtaining that oaky vanilla flavor without barrels?  Sure…throw in oak planks or tea bags of oak dust or chips. Reverse osmosis - Often used to reduce the alcohol content in wine.  Why?  Wine with an alcohol content over 14% is taxed at a higher rate of fifty cents a gallon. So what should be done about this?  Feiring argues that more transparency is needed and wine labels should list all the additives and processes used.  If you use chips or dust to obtain that oak flavor, then put it on the label.  I’ll support that. What I didn’t like about this book is the aggressive attack on Robert Parker Jr. and his wine newsletter The Wine Advocate.  Is the purpose to bring down Parker or elevate the author? The author’s argument is that winemakers are moving away from the traditional method of winemaking to please the palate of Parker.  Could it be that people prefer the wines that Parker likes versus the author?  Sure, most wine on the market is not biodynamic but aren’t there more wine choices available today than ever before? The best answer is a blind tasting.  Try a variety of wines using both new and old methods of winemaking to find out what you prefer.  Remember, the best wine is the wine that YOU prefer.

I just finished the new book by Alice Feiring titled The Battle for Wine and Love OR How I Saved the World from Parkerization. Quite a controversial title that takes aim at Robert Parker Jr… . .

The first two chapters bring up some very interesting points on how wine is manipulated by the wineries.

  • The use of natural yeast versus industrial yeast in fermentation.  According to Feiring, industrial yeast insures that fermentation will start and finish when the winemaker wants it to, not according to the whims of nature.  There are now more than 150 designer industrial yeasts on the market that a winemaker can choose from to provide specific flavor  characteristics.  Do you want strawberries?  Done.  Cherry?  Sure.  Cocoa?  Absolutely.
  • Boosting the color of the wine via a grape additive called Mega Purple.
  • Micro-oxygenation - A low-tech process where a slender wire pulses bubbles of oxygen into the barrel.  It strips away some of the tannins that naturally come from the seeds, stems, and skins of a grape.
  • How about obtaining that oaky vanilla flavor without barrels?  Sure…throw in oak planks or tea bags of oak dust or chips.
  • Reverse osmosis - Often used to reduce the alcohol content in wine.  Why?  Wine with an alcohol content over 14% is taxed at a higher rate of fifty cents a gallon.

So what should be done about this?  Feiring argues that more transparency is needed and wine labels should list all the additives and processes used.  If you use chips or dust to obtain that oak flavor, then put it on the label.  I’ll support that.

What I didn’t like about this book is the aggressive attack on Robert Parker Jr. and his wine newsletter The Wine Advocate.  Is the purpose to bring down Parker or elevate the author?

The author’s argument is that winemakers are moving away from the traditional method of winemaking to please the palate of Parker.  Could it be that people prefer the wines that Parker likes versus the author?  Sure, most wine on the market is not biodynamic but aren’t there more wine choices available today than ever before?

The best answer is a blind tasting.  Try a variety of wines using both new and old methods of winemaking to find out what you prefer.  Remember, the best wine is the wine that YOU prefer.

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