Are winemakers adding water to their wine?

By Tom Marquardt & Patrick Darr

Sometimes we get questions that send us searching for answers. Here are a few that we have collected over the last several months.

I have heard that immersing plastic in corked wine will remove the off flavors. True?

We thought this was crazy until we heard the same from Rick Sayre, winemaker at Rodney Strong Vineyards. He said small plastic pellets are used in the winemaking process now, so he joined others in trying to use plastic on a smaller scale to remove trichloroanisole — TCA — in a bad bottle of wine. He says you can use a wad of plastic wrap, but a better idea is to pour the wine into a plastic mug of some kind.

Pete Finkelstein at Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits says he too has tried the technique as a last-ditch effort to save a corked wine. Both men say the technique will make the wine drinkable — but it will not restore the wine completely.

Is TCA found only in wine?

No, TCA is a common characteristic of many foods. In fact, bananas and carrots have the highest levels of TCA than any other natural food product. It’s also found in beer, orange juice and even tap water.

I’ve heard some people use “cat pee” as a descriptor for sauvignon blanc. Is that possible?

The Kiwis call the smell “boxwood.” Other winemakers prefer the term “gooseberry,” but, yes, “cat pee” is an apt term for most sauvignon blancs. If you have a cat, you’ll instantly recognize the resemblance — but then you may not want to drink the wine. Get rid of the cat.

A study has shown that New Zealand sauvignon blancs — the darling of the industry now — have stronger “cat pee” elements than sauvignon blancs grown anywhere else.

I have noticed that some sauvignon blancs have high levels of acidity that I find offensive. What gives?

The acidity gives the wine its crispness and also allows it to marry well with food. You want some acidity just to give it definition.

Some winemakers add semillon, a variety of low acidity and soft fruit flavors, to tame the acidity.

Others, like those from New Zealand, add a dosage of sugar to tame varietal acidity.

Does it help to put magnets in wine to reduce tannin levels?

Tannins come primarily from grape skins and stems and give the wine its mouth-puckering quality. Tannins allow the wine to age and gradually disappear over time.

Rick Sayre, Rodney Strong’s winemaker, says magnets polarize molecules north to south and can indeed reduce tannins. But he also says they can kill a wine’s aromatics.

Do winemakers add water to wine?

Although most wine is made totally from the juices of the grapes, there are occasions — however infrequent — when winemakers add water.

The most common reason is to reduce alcohol content — the same reason beer makers add water to make it “light.” Hot summers can drive up the sugar content of wine — it’s sugar that is eventually converted to alcohol.

Zinfandel grown in warm climates, for instance, can have alcohol contents that exceed 17 percent (most wine is 12 to 13 percent). Global warming is even increasing sugar levels in areas that never had the problem until now.

Not long ago the California Wine Institute won approval for winemakers to replenish water lost through dehydration. That may have given winemakers a loophole to add water.

Some winemakers truck their juice to special labs that reduce alcohol through a special spinning cone. Others just add water and the consumer never knows.

I often find chardonnay too sweet for my palate. But I’m told they are dry. What gives?

Consumers often confuse fruity for sweet. However, many chardonnay producers have followed the lead of Kendall-Jackson to finish their chardonnay slightly above .5 percent sugar — the maximum for bone-dry wines. Residual sugar is the natural sugar that is left after fermentation is complete. A bit of residual sugar will give wines a soft mouthfeel, which American consumers find appealing. Sugar can also mask mouth-puckering acidity and even flaws in jug wines. However, it is acidity — not sugar — that complements food so well.

WINE OF THE WEEK

St. Francis Red 2004 ($13). This Sonoma County blend — 60 percent merlot, 29 percent cabernet sauvignon, 7 percent cabernet franc and 4 percent zinfandel — is a great value. Ripe, generous fruit flavors of black berries and plums with supple tannins and hints of cedar, spice and tobacco.