When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade?

In the recent tastings that I have had, both large scale and individual, one thing has been glaringly obvious when it come to the 2003 vintage: Too much heat. This is not necessarily a blanket statement as most of the stuff from the Loire and parts of Bordeaux have been showing well. But the vast majority of Burgundy, most of what I have had from the Southern Rhône and just about everything south of Veneto in Italy shows vitually no acidity. To my palate, this is the single biggest difference between the Old World and the New. I think generally this is more a reflection of the growing environs and thus physical ripeness of the fruit to begin with, regardless of winemaking style. In 2003, the heat was far above anything that could be considered 'normal', and in my opinion the wines have suffered from it. Apparently, Europe is not alone.

Burnt offerings from Australia

The article talks about the excessive heat that Australia went through in 2003 but it also brings up another issue that they had: brush fires.

"As bushfire smoke and haze shrouded the floors of the King and Alpine valleys during January and February - just weeks before vintage - grapevines became a susceptible target, with the smoke somehow entering the plants' system."

"Maybe it's through the leaves - no one knows for sure until more studies are performed - but one thing is certain, the smoke taint survived the winemaking process and was noticeable in the finished wine."

This is kind of interesting in a few different ways. First off, I find it curious that there is some sort of mystery as to how the fires altered the final wines. I would think this to be a no-brainer. If you accept the idea that terroir, more importantly the soil types, minerals, and basic chemical make-up of the vineyard play a role in what the wine will taste like, why wouldn't the presence of smoke have some impact. Sun (or the lack thereof), rain, wind, hail, and myriad other environmental elements have consequence, why not smoke?

"The biggest indicator that something was wrong came after fermentation with a lingering, stale ashtray taste and a hardness on the finish of the wine."

This is a cross brand promoter's dream: Cuvée du Pall Mall. Then the author drops in this little treat.

"One sample of smoke-tainted cabernet I tasted appeared quite oaky on the nose. Trouble was, the wine had never seen oak!"

Maybe the Aussies have fallen back asswards into the next 'revolution' of wine. While the bushfires of 2003 were unintentional (I think), the grape growers/wine makers didn't foresee them having any influence on the wine. What if they were to take a more pro-active stance on the presence of smoke and fire in the vineyard. The Australian wine industry (as a whole) has absolutely no quams taking unconventional approaches to making wine. The wide spread use of mechanical manipulation has lead to wines that were previously impossible. Why not do some research on smoke? The author speaks of a heavy oak presence on the nose of a wine that saw only stainless steel. With a little bit of practice, I'd be willing to bet that somebody down there could figure out how to temper the role of smoke in the final wine.

The era of barrel-aging might very well be waning.


Am I crazy, or am I the most sane person you know?