Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [30]
Lower yield is associated with higher quality. The yield is just the output of grapes or juice per vine plant. It is one of the foremost quality factors. Even the healthiest vine’s capacity to ripen fruit is finite, in the same way that the productive capacity of a machine or a person has limits. Wine growers actively control each plant’s yield and shape by pruning, as you would with trees or rosebushes. But what is interesting is that all of the quality factors mentioned above directly affect yield as well. Here’s how:
Poor soils give lower vine yields than fertile soils. The rich soils of California’s Great Central Valley, source of most of California’s “jug wines,” easily yield thirteen tons per acre of grapes and up. The less fertile soil for a top Napa or Sonoma vineyard might yield two or three tons per acre.
Less water gives lower yields. In France’s famous Bordeaux region, 1961 was a drought year with one of the smallest, and finest-quality, grape crops ever. A lot of irrigation, or rain near harvest time, can swell the grapes, raising the yield but also diluting the flavor. Just imagine pouring a glass of wine, then adding water. Wouldn’t taste as good.
Bad weather can lower yields. In spring, a storm can knock off the vine’s flowers, which are its future grape clusters. This happened in parts of California in 1998, and the crop was very small.
Certain viticultural practices can lower yields. Pruning is the grape grower’s main method for yield control. Quality-minded grape growers prune aggressively, cutting off excess buds (from which grape clusters would form), to reduce each vine’s yield. And many of the top vineyards even “green prune,” cutting off some grape clusters before harvest so that the remaining ones will have the best flavor possible. The clusters drop to the ground, making for very expensive fertilizer.
Skilled Handling
We know what goes into good grapes. Now let’s look at the human factor in the quality equation. It is logical enough to assume that a skilled and experienced winemaker can make the most of the grapes, whatever their quality level. Certain wineries in every region are known for making consistently good wines, year in and year out (more on this in Chapter 8). Mother Nature is in control of so many of the factors affecting grape quality, but an experienced vintner can improvise and adjust in the face of whatever surprises she may spring and still make good wine. And in a great year with great grapes, they are capable of true artistry.
What does quality wine taste like? Really great? Not necessarily. I have seen it all too often when, with much eager anticipation, a customer splurges on a famous bottle. Mentally, he prepares for an out-of-body wine-drinking experience. He drinks. His reaction ranges from underwhelmed to “Yuck!” He concludes: “Something’s wrong with me. I guess I just don’t get this wine thing.” If that sounds familiar, here is what I would like you to understand about tasting and drinking quality wine:
Quality is in the eye of the beholder, or at least the sensory aspect of it. You may recognize and respect the quality components and workmanship in a car or a home or a pair of shoes, but they may not be to your taste. Similarly, it isn’t worth paying extra for a quality wine if it is not your style.
Quality wine can taste weird, or even yucky. Most people have been stung by an experience like the one above. I always tell waiters to avoid steering customers toward the most exclusive,