There are multiple meanings to “hot wine”. Around Christmas time, it is popular in some circles (not ours) to drink mulled wine, spiced and heated. The trendy wine that everyone seems to be drinking these days may be called a “hot” wine. (Non-alcoholic, so-called wines are “hot” these days. Yecch!) And wines with a lot of alcohol, that sting your mouth, are also called hot wines.
In Power Tasting’s last issue, we gave tips on dealing with the alcohol. In this issue, we want to focus on what’s in the glass rather than who’s behind the wheel. If you are fond of wine tasting trips, as we are, you are more likely these days to encounter wines that pucker your mouth, more so these days than ever before. So, here are a few things to think about if you’re not a fan of hot wine.
Some grapes just don’t make it. Photo courtesy of One Green Planet.
- Winemakers are driving up the levels in many areas. Bordeaux, for example, almost uniformly made wines that were 12.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Today, they are in the 14% to 15% level, matching northern California. One factor was the taste preferences of one man, Robert Parker. He liked (and presumably still likes) big, bold wines. Many growers in both Bordeaux and Napa Valley sought his approval and his magazine’s ratings and so pushed both ripeness and alcohol upward.
- And climate change is another big factor. It’s no secret that the world is getting hotter. Winemakers we have spoken with tell of changing to more resistant grapes or moving their vineyards to higher altitudes to keep a better balance of ripeness and alcohol. It may prove worthwhile, especially at better wineries, to taste the current releases and also try some library wines if available, just to see how the winemakers have dealt with increasing warmth. Even if a tasting room won’t offer these older wines for sampling, they will tell you the amount of alcohol in some of the older bottles.
- Consider the flavor, not the alcohol level. There is a rough equation that says more time on the vine means more sugar means more alcohol. But more time on the vine also leads to greater ripeness of the grapes and thus more flavor. In areas with naturally high temperatures, such as Paso Robles, alcohol levels can be extreme, sometimes tasting overripe. At the other extreme, in northern climes such as in Alsace, low-alcohol wines may taste drab and a little flabby. Vineyard managers and winemakers attempt to find the perfect time to harvest, with maximum savor and manageable alcohol. As you taste, you are in effect serving as the jury as to how well they did.
- Alcohol levels haven’t increased everywhere. Champagne makers still keep their wines in the range of 12% to 12.5%, as do those who make Prosecco. Rieslings tend to be under 13%. And many sweet wines have less than 10% alcohol. (Careful with these latter wines, though. Many dessert wines, such as Port or Tokay are fortified with additional alcohol.)