Drop Of The Week &
Back Label Jargon
A pharmacist came out recently disagreeing with the caution suggested to drinking when pregnant. I mention this because drinking while pregnant along with other warnings and information are plastered on the back of wine labels. The most common is “may contain traces of nuts, egg and dairy products”. But how is this so?
Wine is fined with various products to clarify it. That is, removing the tiny solids is suspension. These solids gather weight after being attracted by a fining agent and then fall to the bottom of the barrel or tank leaving a clear wine. If white wine was bottled without fining many consumers wouldn’t go near it. It’s cloudy and yellowy green.
Some products commonly used are bentonite (clay), fish guts, and eggs whites. The most widely used product is milk protein in the form of skim milk powder simply because it is cheaper.
I’ve had the privilege of being in wineries during vintage to see the fining process take place.
It’s as simple as mixing skim milk powder with water and adding it to the top of a tank. It looks gross but the results are proven. Over time wines not fined will settle their solids. The use of fining agents speeds up this process so the wines can be bottled and sent into the market place quicker.
Something important to note is that none of the fining agent is left in the wine although a disclaimer is stated on the bottle suggesting traces may remain.
Wines which say they are vegan friendly would use bentonite as their fining agent.
Science lesson over!
Wines to look out for this week:
Angove Wild Olive Shiraz 2013 $20
Two words to describe this: Juice Bomb!
Think dark and red fruits and buckets of them. From a drinkability perspective, this gets the big thumbs up and then some. Soft and generous, the fruit drives though to a very moreish super smooth finish. Find it!
Running with Bulls Barossa Tempranillo $24
This is an excellent Tempranillo.
Seriously delish and easy to throw back. Some dried rose petal aromas and great fruit depth are courtesy of blackberries and plummy goodness. The wine is balanced by seductive mid palate weight and a jab of spice to finish.
This has been advertised recently for $17 – bargain!
by Steve from Qwine
