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Sauvignon Blanc - the dust hasn't settled
The international media - ever ready to have a dig at the 'African underdog' if the opportunity should present itself - last had a chance to castigate us in the days of the 'Old South Africa', now long gone, when the previous wine industry dispensation was in place.
Some parties in the South African wine industry felt that the matter should simply die a slow death and that the wave of negative publicity would be short-lived. But at the time of going to press, the dust shows no signs of settling and the telephones are ringing red hot as members of the media are looking for fresh news angles to keep the story alive.
In the post-sanction years South Africa's phenomenal export growth was a fairy tale, and Sauvignon Blanc was the star of the show. There are now signs of a downswing, however, and the market for Sauvignon Blanc at least will certainly be adversely affected.
Ironically the spark for the negative publicity came from within our own ranks. And in a health-conscious world which places a fanatical premium on green practices and natural production, flavourants in wine are the proverbial fat in the fire.
WineLand itself was inundated by an unprecedented deluge of queries from the international media. One representative of a leading British wine magazine even wanted to know whether "flavour houses" advertised such products openly in South Africa for the "convenience" of winemakers.
All the fuss necessitated fast and tangible reaction from wine industry ranks. The industry simply cannot afford for the media to be digging around for sensational and potentially contradictory and 'uninformed' responses to an issue that is so sensitive and potentially destructive. It proved to be a tough test for the new SA Wine and Brandy Company (SAWB) to facilitate central and uniform communication on this issue.
WineLand itself was present at a strategic meeting of various central organizations, inter alia SAWB, the Wine and Spirit Board, Sawis, Wosa, the Department of Agriculture and leading Sauvignon Blanc producers. It was eventually decided that the SAWB would issue a news release, after a heated discussion lasting several hours.
It is obvious that there is strong opposition, over a wide spectrum, to any possible illegal practices, but also disgust and disappointment that the Johannesburg wine expert, Michael Fridjhon, should have questioned the aromatic flavours in certain top white wines in the media rather than getting in touch with the wine industry authorities, namely the Wine and Spirit Board.
Ironically Sauvignon Blanc has been a huge factor in the phenomenal export growth in recent years. And probably no other cultivar has enjoyed so much attention from the vineyard to the bottle, and so much progress to optimise its quality.
One of the most important groups of aromatic compounds, especially methoxypyrazines, which have typically green, leafy, grassy characteristics through to bell-pepper, green pea and asparagus. They become less abundant as grapes ripen and are considered a vital element of the varietal character of Sauvignon Blanc.. Dimethylpyrazines are more chocolaty, roasted nuts and can even be raw potato, although ethyl-n-methylpyrazines are even more earthy.
- Tom Stevenson, www.wine-pages.com
Stevenson goes on to explain the phenomenon of mercaptans or thiols - of which, he says "4MMP is generally acknowledged as the compound responsible for the varietal character of Sauvignon Blanc (although not without a good dollop of pyrazine and ripe acidity)."
Fact remains, even if this practice does occur on an extremely limited scale among some of the lowest profile cellars, there are international media and "commercial enemies" of the country who are standing by to deal the flourishing wine industry a fatal blow.
The alleged tampering with Sauvignon Blanc is now being mentioned in the same breath as the case of the "foil bag wine" of a Paarl farmer who was recently found guilty of adding artificial sweetener to make his product go further. And, even worse, the Austrian anti-freeze scandal of 1985, when a harmful additive was added to wine.
If this is indeed the case, surely these flavourants don't fall in the same league of banality. The matter of concern is apparently the chemical component pyrazine, which occurs naturally in fruit components and is not at all harmful. However, wine is a sacred cow and has built its romantic image on being entirely natural. Whoever dares to interfere with this image, plays with fire and puts the integrity of the entire wine industry on the line.
To tell the truth, some leading wine producers are so incensed that they have decided to obtain legal counsel about the possibility of claiming damages from any parties who bring disrepute upon the industry in this way.
The authorities have decided to act stringently where necessary, by means of criminal prosecution, the problem being nevertheless that infringement is hard to prove. Meanwhile cellars will be warned if there is suspicion about their wine. It is expensive and ineffective to prove the use of flavourants by means of chemical analysis.
The industry has been aware of rumours for quite some time and for the past two years so-called flavour profiles have been drawn up for the various regions in order to identify exceptions. A report in this regard, a study of 200 wines from the various regions, will be published early this year (2004) by Winetech, the research network under SAWB, in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council and the Wine and Spirit Board. Refer to WineLand's February edition: "Metoxypyrazine levels in South African Sauvignon Blanc wines" by Johann Marais.
The practice of giving wine flavours a lift is apparently not limited to this noble white from the Loire; it is said to occur even in red wine, but apparently on an even more limited scale. The irony is that Sauvignon has become so sought-after among the high price wines, with such demand from the export market, that it has become an absolute must to feature it in one's portfolio ? regardless of where your vineyards are situated.
Ironically Sauvignon - which has only been made in South Africa on a significant scale since the 1980s - is known as the most heat sensitive wine cultivar on the local scene and the biggest production occurs in the top viticultural area of Stellenbosch. It comprises 6% of the total South African vineyards and plantings are increasing.
Essentially it is a cool climate cultivar which has been asserting itself miraculously in recent years in what is basically a warm desert country, to outdo its biggest adversary, Chardonnay.
In effect it was science which came to the aid of Sauvignon - e.g. new expertise about plant material, canopy management, stress exposure, crop control, advanced vinification with for example reductive methods in line with New Zealand models etc? But it is science too which has apparently caused the current temptation.
Rumours have it that some cellars have even added green peppers to the tanks to obtain that sought-after vegetative flavour, but pyrazine, which is generally used in fruit juices and processed foods, is said to be readily obtainable from chemical additive agents.
And the temptation is apparently the biggest in some of the warmer regions of the interior to give the wine extra oomph so as to measure up to the lovely flavours from the cool coastal regions... with wonderful aromas of green pepper, asparagus, ripe figs, pineapple, green peas and so forth.
It is said that Sauvignon which has been tampered with initially has a distinctive fruitiness, which unfortunately disappears quickly, leaving a kind of "dustiness" on the nose, especially after six months.
It is interesting that Sauvignon has been faring increasingly well at wine shows in recent years and it also receives regular praise from foreign experts. In 1999, 2000 and 2002 the Sauvignons from Vergelegen, Cape Point and Roodezandt, for example, became the first natural white table wines to be crowned overall SA champion wines at the National Young Wine Show. At this year's Veritas Awards Sauvignon Blanc was the category, apart from red blends, which received the most double gold medals, namely nine.
SAWB supports the undertaking of the South African Wine and Spirit Board to clamp down on wine producers if they are found to add illegal flavourants to wine. "As the Board says, if there are indeed such people in the industry, they are engaged in illegal practices and they may be criminally prosecuted in terms of the act which prohibits such substances," said Dr Johan van Rooyen, chief executive of SAWB.
"Although those who make the allegations do not mention any cellar by name, unfounded contentions of this nature could have a devastating outcome on our local and overseas markets and harm the image of the entire South African wine industry. If such practices do exist, however, it is even more destructive and should be eradicated completely."
"It is a pity that the allegations about this matter were not substantiated," said Dr Van Rooyen. "The SAWB appeals to everyone with concrete proof to step forward so that the necessary steps may be taken."
South African wine regulations are completely unequivocal on this matter: nothing may be added that could increase wine flavours. Those who transgress the law will be punished and the authorities may refuse to certify their wines, which for all practical purposes means that their wine may not be sold."
- Dr Jacob Deist, chairman of the management committee of the SA Wine and Spirit Board.
The industry has been aware of rumours for quite some time and for the past two years so-called flavour profiles have been drawn up for the various regions in order to identify exceptions.
See also 2-Methoxy-3-Isobutylpyrazine Levels In A Spectrum Of South African Sauvignon Blanc Wines
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