Chapter 8 - Nature and Origins of Wine Quality

Abstract

Wine quality, as Maynard Amerine once said, is easier to detect than define. This is partially due to quality being primarily subjective, and strongly influenced by extrinsic factors. Correspondingly, defining wine quality in terms of its chemistry will never be more than partially successful. Nonetheless, most serious wine connoisseurs tend to agree on what constitutes wine quality—being what they subjectively have come to like through extensive tasting. Although disappointingly nebulous, it has still been sufficient to guide grape growers and winemakers in their choice of the procedures they use. What is not certain is if this is a complex example of the blind leading the blind. This disturbing thought is partially supported by the unquestioning acceptance of certain traditions concerning grape and wine production—notably ideas about small berries, old vines, limited yield, avoidance of irrigation, etc. as being critical to wine quality. These have all been shown experimentally to be essentially false. Thus, what is noted below is tentative.